Word from Africa
Word from Africa will be a London-wide celebration of Africa and its many languages and cultures – in literature, music and arts taking place 2-10 June, 2007.
Africa Beyond is happy to announce the launch of Word from Africa, taking place across London in the week of 2-10 June. Word from Africa will be a London-wide celebration of Africa and its many languages and cultures– in literature, music and arts.
The continent of Africa is home to up to 2,000 languages, many of them spoken in homes and neighbourhoods across London.
2,000 languages: each one a door into a different world. Each language unlocks its own state of mind – its own music, literature, rhythms, history, food, sayings, stories.
You don’t need to speak any of these languages to enjoy the Word from Africa week – everything takes place either in English, or with English translations. Many of the featured authors write in English, but this week they will have a chance to share how their African mother tongue has shaped the way they think and write. And you’ll hear some of the best music on the planet, which needs no translation!
Africa Beyond is hosting this exciting week together with lots of partners, big and small. The launch event will be held at the British Museum on 2 June (12noon-8pm). This will be followed by a week of intimate performances at African restaurants and other venues around London – your chance to enter some of London’s hidden worlds. Behind a door in Kilburn or Islington or Bethnal Green you may suddenly find yourself in Eritrea or Ghana or Uganda – where you can taste new music, stories and food. Watch this website for more details soon.
You’ll also be able to enjoy Word from Africa in your travels around the city. In partnership with Afrca Beyond, Poems on the Undergound are pleased to announce a set of African Poems on the Undergound for eight weeks from 29th May.
The British Museum event on 2 June will be completely free, and will feature a keynote speech in the evening by Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong'o, leading ambassador for African languages. Throughout the day, the theatre hall and galleries will feature readings and performances by musicians, writers, poets, storytellers, playwrights and thinkers including Helon Habila (Nigeria), Blessing Musariri (Zimbabwe), Chuma Nwokolo (Nigeria), Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi (Sudan), Abdullahi Bootaan (Somalia), Nickens Nkoso (Congo), Freddy Macha (Tanzania), Morgan Dalphinis (St Lucia), Wangui wa Goro (Kenya), Farouk Topan (Tanzania), Femi Elufowoju Jr and Ayantola Ayandosu (Nigeria) and Said Hussein (Somalia) among others.
Tickets (free) for each session must be booked at the British Musuem box office, and pre-booking is recommended. A more detailed programme for the day will be posted here shortly.
See you at Word from Africa – or should we say Lizwi La Africa (Tonga), or Amazwi aveli Africa (Zulu), or Jambo Kutoka Afrika (Swahili), or Magana a kasan Africa (Hausa), or Eray Kaagia Yimid Afrika (Somali)? If you speak an African language, please share your translation of ‘Word from Africa’ with us here.
Or maybe you’d like to tell us about a particular word or phrase in your language which has a special meaning for you – one where English just doesn’t have the words to match. Visit our comments section and tell us about your favourite African words. And we’ll see hope to see you around London in the first week of June.
Click here for the full Word from Africa programme (pdf)
Please fill in the Word from Africa online questionnaire to provide feedback for future Africa Beyond events.