A Tunanina…

Notice about the Jos Repertory Theatre's performance of Queen Amina of Zazzau in Abuja and revisiting Africa Ukoh’s brilliant play 54 Silhouettes, a satire about Hollywood’s imagination of Africa. The Stratford East/30 Nigeria House prize-winning play was originally produced for radio by BBC after coming first runner up in BBC’s 2011 African Performance competition. The first stage performance by the African Renaissance Theatre, directed by the playwright Africa Ukoh, premiered on 16 November at the Jos Alliance Francaise. (This post archives my review of the play and discusses its relevance to recent reviews of the new film Beasts of No Nation in November 2015.) Continue reading →

At 6pm in Abuja at the Yar’Adua Centre today, 17 November, there will be a “green carpet” premiere of the documentary film Nowhere to Run: Nigeria’s Climate and Environmental crisis. Watch the trailer here: The film was sponsored by the … Continue reading →

Diagram of the Heart, the photobook by photojournalist Glenna Gordon that captures breathtaking images of women’s lives in northern Nigeria, has been getting a massive amount of global attention in the past few weeks. I have been intimately involved with Glenna’s project from the very beginning and provide the translations of excerpts from Hausa novels that feature in the book, so I am delighted with all the publicity it and, by extension, Hausa literature has been receiving. But I have also been disturbed by how sensationalistic so much of the coverage has been, and by how it so often distorts, stereotypes and actually reverses the kind of nuanced portrait of life in northern Nigeria that I think Glenna’s photographs do so well. Continue reading →

In which I am interviewed by the French Magazine Grazia about Hausa literature. Continue reading →

The winners of the 2016 Kannywood Awards, with photos and commentary. Continue reading →

Fiston Mwanza Mujila's win of the Etisalat Prize for African Literature for his novel Tram 83, translated from the French by Roland Glasser, makes me muse over the journey towards valuing translation in African literature. Continue reading →

So delighted to report that the film Nowhere to Run: Nigeria’s Climate and Environmental Crisis has won the Grand Jury prize at the “Green Me” environmental film festival in Lagos this past weekend. Watch the trailer here: I have … Continue reading →

The Centre for Nollywood and New Media in Africa (CiNNeMA) at Kwara State University, Malete, invites the university community and any interested guests to a special screening of the award-winning documentary film Nowhere to Run: Nigeria’s Climate and Environmental Crisis to … Continue reading →

Nowhere to run, shot, directed, and edited by my brother Dan McCain of Core Productions, Lagos, wins Best short documentary at The African Film Festival, Dallas, 3 July 2016. Plus this week's screening schedule. Continue reading →

An email I wrote to my Trump-supporting relatives 2 days before the election, in which I give a massive number of links to why I oppose Trump. I hope it is of use to other voters in my position. Continue reading →

Dear Republican loved one living in a “Red” State (from your non-Republican loved one living in a “Blue” state), Thank you for listening, two days ago, to me talk about my concerns about the Man in the White House. Thank … Continue reading →

Jos Theatre Comes to Abuja: Jos Repertory Theatre’s Queen Amina of Zazzau opens in Abuja on 13 November, and I archive my review of Africa Ukoh’s play 54 Silhouettes

Premiere of Nowhere to Run: Nigeria’s Climate and Environmental Crisis

Translator’s Note: Glenna Gordon’s Striking photobook Diagram of the Heart and its Many Reviews

My Interview with French Magazine Grazia about contemporary Hausa Novels ” Boko Haram et les noces de papier”

Kannywood Awards 2016

A Win for Translation: Fiston Mwanza Mujila’s novel Tram 83 wins Etisalat Prize for African Literature. (And I archive my articles of 2013 critiquing lack of translation)

‘Nowhere to Run’ wins Grand Jury Prize at the Green Me Film Festival, Lagos (and draws further attention to the plight of the Ekuri Forest)

Nowhere to Run to be screened as part of the convocation events at Kwara State University, Malete

Nowhere to Run Wins Best Documentary Short at The African Film Festival (TAFF) Dallas and screens 6 more times this week in Abuja, DC, and Linden, NJ

For my Conservative Christian relatives on why I am not voting for Trump (and some useful links and resources for Clinton or “other” voters with Trump-supporting loved ones)

For my loved ones in Republican states, call your representatives