In the week when Winnie Madikizela-Mandela passed on, I cannot help but think about the importance of making our voices heard. Winnie was a woman who stood up and spoke out. During apartheid, resistance must have at times felt like it would not bear fruit; however Winnie’s Xhosa name is Nomzamo which means she who tries, and that she did. Winnie’s life teaches us that you must continue to speak and struggle, even when they imprison you, banish you and tarnish your name. Often it is the hardest words, the ones that will earn us the most challenge and resistance, that are the most important ones to say.

In this week’s issue, we explore the theme of difficult conversations in The Diaspora (Book) Wars where we look at two books on talking about race. We also explore the ground-breaking work of Flora Nwapa whose writing brought African women to the forefront.

Esther Kuforiji, Editor 
@EstherKuforiji