From the Editor: On Having Difficult Conversations

For many of us, we were first introduced to books by our mothers. Whether colourful illustrated bedtime reading or cherished paperbacks passed down with love, mothers have an important on what kinds of readers their children grow up to be. In many ways, Books Africana aims to be a resource for mothers (and fathers) –…

All stories are love stories. In a great story, that most fundamental of human emotions plays at many different levels. Black Panther is a great example of this, it is a story about love of country, love of family, love of justice as well as romantic love. Even the darkest story with a self absorbed…

From the Editor: On Black Storytelling and Black Panther

From the Editor: On reading and making black history.

Celebration! In a week that saw the 21st anniversary of Courttia Newland’s The Scholar and the nomination of Daniel Kaluuya for Best Actor at the Oscar’s, we have every reason to be excited about Black British storytelling. Reflecting on these accomplishments this week made me think about the importance of representation, both in the identity of…

New Year, New Chapter ‘Read more books’ is likely to be on quite a few new year’s resolution lists. It is a noble endeavour and one I very much support, but I can understand the difficulty that necessitates making it a resolution. Before you begin reading, it’s hard to tell that the 4.35 hours that…