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On Wednesday, October 29 at 19:30 GMT:
Three years after his loss of life, Kenyan literary icon Binyavanga Wainana continues to problem stereotypes and prejudice about Africa by his writings. Wainana, who died in 2019 at age 48 after a brief sickness, first gained notoriety when his autobiographical novella “Discovering House” was awarded the 2002 Caine Prize. He’s additionally lauded for his 2012 memoir, “One Day I Will Write About This Place.”
However his most well-known work is the 2005 “Find out how to Write About Africa,” which was re-published final month by Hamish Hamilton. The satirical assortment of essays skewers Western media protection of African points, reminding readers that the story of the continent isn’t a singular one – a message that continues to resonate right this moment. Wainaina makes his level with sarcasm:
“In your textual content, deal with Africa as if it have been one nation. It’s sizzling and dusty with rolling grasslands and big herds of animals and tall, skinny people who find themselves ravenous. Or it’s sizzling and steamy with very brief individuals who eat primates. Don’t get slowed down with exact descriptions. Africa is large: 54 international locations, 900 million people who find themselves too busy ravenous and dying and warring and emigrating to learn your guide.”
In 2014, Wainaina made waves once more after publishing a “misplaced chapter” from his memoir through which he got here out as a homosexual man. In an essay referred to as “I’m a gay, mum,” he imagined telling his late mom on her deathbed about his struggles along with his id. That very same yr, Wainaina was named one among Time journal’s “100 most influential individuals on the earth” for his LGBT activism amid Kenya’s crackdown on homosexuality.
On this episode of The Stream, we’ll focus on Wainana’s trail-blazing life, LGBT activism and literary legacy.
On this episode, we’re joined by:
Melissa Muthoni Wainaina, @sikilizaspeaks
Author/Activist and sister of Binyavanga Wainana
Achal Prabhala
Editor, Find out how to Write About Africa
Yvonne Owuor, @AdhiamboKE
Author
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