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MAY '24 LIBRARY REVIEWS

CONTEMPORARY FICTION (DIASPORA)

If An Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Noor Naga, 2022
R375 from Takealot

This Graywolf Press African Fiction Prize-winning book is set in post-revolution Cairo. Richly beguiling, it cleverly experiments with form and meaning. Using koans, tools in the Buddhist tradition that ask questions with no discernible answer, Naga encourages deep engagement with her narrative. This is not just a tragic romance or flirtation with identity crisis. The characters are flawed and unreliable in the way fabled cities sometimes are. For the truth, we must look beyond our own biases. LM

ART PHOTOGRAPHY (CONTINENT-WIDE & DIASPORA)

A World in Common: Contemporary African Photography edited by Osei Bonsu, 2023
R1170 from David Krut Books

A World in Common is the book-catalogue of the acclaimed exhibition of the same name that was presented at Tate Modern in 2023, and which Littlegig creative director Seth Shezi dubbed a must-see. It is wide-ranging in its coverage of African and diasporic photography, and highly thought-provoking in its insights. Divided into three sections – Identity and Tradition; Counter-Histories; and Imagined Futures – that each cohere beautifully in themselves as well as playing off one another provocatively, this is an outstanding contribution to the growing body of work about art-photographic practice on the continent. RA

ART PHOTOGRAPHY (CONTINENT-WIDE & DIASPORA)

A World in Common: Contemporary African Photography edited by Osei Bonsu, 2023
R1170 from David Krut Books

A World in Common is the book-catalogue of the acclaimed exhibition of the same name that was presented at Tate Modern in 2023, and which Littlegig creative director Seth Shezi dubbed a must-see. It is wide-ranging in its coverage of African and diasporic photography, and highly thought-provoking in its insights. Divided into three sections – Identity and Tradition; Counter-Histories; and Imagined Futures – that each cohere beautifully in themselves as well as playing off one another provocatively, this is an outstanding contribution to the growing body of work about art-photographic practice on the continent. RA

SPORT / CULTURE / PHOTOGRAPHY (CONTINENT-WIDE)

Afro Sport by Peet Pienaar and Nick Dutton, 2024
R1300 from Mami Wata

Afro Sport is both a beautiful piece of design and a brave attempt to reclaim what sport means to African audiences. Stories range from the inescapable football and basketball, to the perhaps more niche drifting, and it’s worth buying for the explanations of beautiful African football club logos alone. A follow up to 2021’s more focused, and equally gorgeous, Afro Surf, and resolutely pan-African in execution, the book delights and informs in equal measure. CR

CONTEMPORARY FICTION (ZIMBABWE)

Avenues by Train by Farai Mudzingwa, 2023
R480 from Clarke’s Bookshop

Avenues by Train is a challenging, daring first novel about grief, trauma and liberation. The novel follows Jedza, a young Zimbabwean man, as he leaves his small hometown for the bustling streets of Harare, seeking freedom from his haunted past. There, Jedza is forced to confront the shadows of his past and the complexities of city life. Drawing on Zimbabwe’s vibrant culture and spiritual heritage, Mudzingwa poignantly depicts Jedza’s journey to finding peace and reconciling with loss – and his hero’s story parallels the nation’s journey of mourning colonial losses and confronting post-colonial challenges. NM

CONTEMPORARY FICTION (ZIMBABWE)

Avenues by Train by Farai Mudzingwa, 2023
R480 from Clarke’s Bookshop

Avenues by Train is a challenging, daring first novel about grief, trauma and liberation. The novel follows Jedza, a young Zimbabwean man, as he leaves his small hometown for the bustling streets of Harare, seeking freedom from his haunted past. There, Jedza is forced to confront the shadows of his past and the complexities of city life. Drawing on Zimbabwe’s vibrant culture and spiritual heritage, Mudzingwa poignantly depicts Jedza’s journey to finding peace and reconciling with loss – and his hero’s story parallels the nation’s journey of mourning colonial losses and confronting post-colonial challenges. NM

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