Ben Okri
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50 Notable African Books of 2021: Selected by Brittle Paper
The online publication’s annual list celebrates not only the sheer abundance of African literature but its daring, new directions
Action can dignify this tribute to Babita Deokaran, and whistleblowers everywhere
The president himself should halt the national malady of covering up corruption, whose origins can be traced to a key moment for the ANC in 1996
Good, evil and poetry in between the stories
The Cosmic Destiny is about good versus evil, love versus hate, freedom versus bondage, peace versus war and silence versus noise.
Okri’s insufficient renaissance
Ben Okri’s recent talk in Pretoria on African renaissance, left some indignant and still nowhere closer to discovering their own “mini enlightenment”.
If the cap fits: Revolutionary hats, berets and beanies
As Julius Malema’s beret gains in popularity locally, Percy Zvomuya takes a look at the political significance of different headgear.
The tough alchemy of Ben Okri
The famed novelist of ‘The Famished Road’ asks the hard questions of Marikana, Nigeria and leadership.
Whatever happened to literary love?
”I am alone next to the pool at Le Prince Maurice Hotel in Mauritius. In contrast, all the people around me are paired off. Every coupling is a story pitted with conflict,…
How do SA Cabinet members unwind?
What does President Thabo Mbeki like to do in his spare time? Ballroom dancing? Playing the piano? No, the man likes to work during leisure hours, says his spokesperson. As the…
Free spirit
Ben Okri has been described as a ‘literary visionary’ and ‘irritatingly pseudomystical’. His latest novel, <i>Starbook</i>, continues his quest to capture Africa, writes Maya…