The Launch of VOICES THAT SING BEHIND THE VEIL - Anthology of Short Stories from Africa and the Diaspora

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Jul 5, 2022, 5:44:36 AM7/5/22
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The Launch Of

VOICES THAT SING BEHIND THE VEIL- Anthology of Short Stories from Africa and the Diaspora

 Edited by Ivor Agyeman-Duah

 

After a brief Public Presentation at the just concluded International Literature Conference hosted by the Pan African Writers Association (PAWA) the Nigeria Academy of Letters (NAL) and the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) in Ibadan, Nigeria, the much awaited official Launch of the VOICES THAT SING BEHIND THE VEIL took place on Friday 1st July 2022 at the Goethe-Institut, Cantonments Accra, Ghana. 

 

The anthology has been considered as one of the most comprehensive from Africa and its Diaspora for years.

 

 It has 56 stories from 15 African countries, the United States, St. Maarten in the Caribbean and the United Kingdom.

 

 The 684-page collection is published in collaboration with the Pan African Writers Association (PAWA) which is based in Accra, Ghana and affiliated to the continental body, the African Union.

 

The contributions are from distinguished and award-winning writers, academics and emerging talents: Zaynab Alkali (Nigeria), Ben Okri (UK/Nigeria), Molefi Kete Asante (US), Wesley Macheso (Malawi), Ogochukwu Promise (Nigeria), Grace Maguri (Zimbabwe), Athol Williams (South Africa), Martin Egblewogbe (Ghana), Esther K Mbithi (Kenya), Mary Ashun (Ghana), Wale Okediran (Nigeria), Chikumbitso Ndaferankhande (Malawi) among others.

 

The Nigerian historian and the Jacob and Frances Sanger Massiker Chair of the University of Texas, Austin, Prof Toyin Falola says of it: “These extraordinary stories, mesmerizing and beautifully written are surely connected to a past that remains with us, the experiences of day-to-day living and the limitless imagining of our futures.

 

 The discerning editor combines stories that communicate appreciation with comprehension, presence with essence.”

 

Dignitaries at the Accra Launch included; the Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Osei Assibey-Antwi, the South Africa High Commissioner to Ghana, Her Excellency Grace Jeanate Mason (Chief Launcher), the Director of the Goethe-Institut , Ms Heike Friesel, Dr Wale Okediran, Secretary General of PAWA,  the Editor, Mr Ivor Agyeman-Duah as well as the CEO, Digibooks Gh, Ltd, Mr Fred Labi among others.

 

The first speech at the ceremony was delivered by the Director of the Goethe Insitut, Ms Hekel Friesel who welcomed quests to the Insitut. 

 

In his opening remarks, the Chairman expressed his joy to be part of the historic publishing and launching of the book. He explained that his Organization decided to support the Book Project out of its love for African Literature.

 

In his own remarks, Dr Wale Okediran thanked the Editor and Publisher for producing a remarkable and intellectually stimulating book which had already caught the attention of many Academicians and Writers after its brief Public Presentation at the recently concluded International PAWA/NAL/ANA Conference in Nigeria.  He urged the Publisher to produce a soft back edition which will be affordable to students and scholars alike who are already itching to purchase the book.

 

Launching the book, the South Africa High Commissioner, Her Excellency Grace, Jeanet Mason expressed her delight at the Short Stories Collection which she described as ‘truly Pan African’ in content and nature.  According to her, this development is to be expected in view of the high status of the collaborators involved in the project. While noting her Commission’s good relationship with PAWA, she promised to continue to support the Association in its bid to promote African Literature.

 

Going down memory lane, the Editor, Mr Agyeman-Duah mentioned how difficult it was for him to take a final decision on which stories to use in the book out of the many brilliant submissions he received. This, he said is a positive reflection of the state of African Literature. He announced that the book will also be launched in some other African countries in the course of the year.

 

The highlight of the event was the Editor’s Forum with some contributors. During the session which was moderated by Dela Nyamuame, some contributors such as Dr Mary Ashun, Mr Sackey Sowah, Dr Martin Egblewogbe and Dr Wale Okediran read from their stories and answered questions from the audience.

 

Thanking quests for making it to the event, the Publisher, Mr. Fred Labi expressed his happiness at the successful Launch. He promised to consider all the various suggestions made by some of the quests to promote the Book’s Marketing.

 

A Sales and Signing ceremony concluded the epoch making event.

 

 Dr Wale Okediran

Secretary General, Pan African Writers Association.

 



On Monday, 4 July 2022 at 22:46:35 GMT, usaafric...@googlegroups.com <usaafric...@googlegroups.com> wrote:


Oluwatoyin Adepoju <ovde...@gmail.com>: Jul 04 03:42AM +0100

Intriguing-
 
''The Self-Unconsciousnesses of the Anti-Kantian Consciousness!?''
 
 
Cornelius Hamelberg <cornelius...@gmail.com>: Jul 04 04:57AM -0700

René Descartes <https://www.google.com/search?q=Ren%C3%A9+Descartes> was
originally buried in Stockholm
<https://www.google.com/search?q=Ren%C3%A9+Descartes+was+first+buried+in+Stockholm>,
Sweden
 
Immanuel Kant is buried on “Kant Island” at Königsberg Cathedral,
Kaliningrad, Russia
<https://www.google.com/search?q=Immanuel+Kant++is+buried+at+K%C3%B6nigsberg+Cathedral%2C+Kaliningrad%2C+Russia>
( Perhaps a pilgrimage site for enthusiasts , to pay homage, your last
respects ?)
 
Karl Marx is buried at Highgate Cemetery, London…
 
Why Kant? vs Why not?
 
When the professional philosophers speak, if our ears are not tuned or
adjusted to that wavelength, we do not hear the grass singing.
 
Thank God, it was not about how many angels are dancing at the head of a
pin or a literary appreciation of Auguries of Innocence
<https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43650/auguries-of-innocence> to
tease out more of what has been euphemistically described in this thread as
“artistic beauty”
 
That was a delightful if not entertaining or illuminating questions and
answers session featuring Freter
<https://www.google.com/search?q=Bjoern+Freter> asking some of the
questions on everybody’s lips and rock of ages Adepoju in the mode of “Is
that a question ? Then this is my answer!”( And I don’t have to justify
anything. As a freewheeling Independent Scholar unconstrained by academic
conventions, I’m free to do as I please - and to hell with the rigours or
demands of e.g. Routledge publishing )
 
In my view, should Adepoju ever get around to transferring his
philosophical peregrinations and other mighty cogitations into universal
popular print “The Self-Consciousness of the Anti-Kantian Consciousness
<https://www.google.com/search?q=The+Self-Unconsciousnesses+of+the+Anti-Kantian+Consciousness!>”
would be a very catchy title indeed, hopefully to be matched by the
contents of the improbable three hundred page tome - a title and contents
not to be outmatched by the tittle-tattle of Averroes’ The Incoherence of
the Incoherence
<https://www.google.com/search?q=The+Incoherence+of+the+Incoherence>. But
why compare or contrast ?
 
 
On Sunday, 3 July 2022 at 23:00:43 UTC+2 Dr. Oohay wrote:
 
Oluwatoyin Adepoju <ovde...@gmail.com>: Jul 04 03:26PM +0100

Odd. I thought I provided my justifications for my views and methods:
 
" And I don’t have to justify anything. As a freewheeling Independent
Scholar unconstrained by academic conventions, I’m free to do as I please -
and to hell with the rigours or demands of e.g. Routledge publishing"
 
Cornelius
 
On Mon, Jul 4, 2022, 13:14 Cornelius Hamelberg <cornelius...@gmail.com>
wrote:
 
Femi Kolapo <kol...@uoguelph.ca>: Jul 04 01:27PM

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/03/the-nigerian-gas-deal-the-irish-impresario-and-the-8bn-ruling-amid-claims-of-bribery
 
________________________________
 
Femi J. Kolapo | Department of History | www.uoguelph.ca/history<http://www.uoguelph.ca/history>
 
College of Arts | University of Guelph | 50 Stone Rd E | Guelph ON | N1G 2W1
 
Websites: African History Digital Document Portal<http://www.ofemipo.org> |African Journal of Teacher Education<https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/ajote>
 
Review of Higher Education in Africa<https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/rhea/issue/view/200> |Recreation and Society in Africa, Asia and Latin America<https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/rasaala/issue/view/388>
 
 
 
[cid:71c2f8fe-3058-48e6-a782-c244628f9e82] IMPROVE LIFE
 
________
 
A thought for the month:
 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
a tenacious and unreflective pursuit of social justice as a necessary end can produce a worst case of social injustice
Master, you sowed good seed in your field, didn’t you? Then where did these weeds come from?’ . . . . “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them out?’ “He said, ‘No! If you pull out the weeds, you might pull out the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest.” [Jesus of Nazareth, Holy Bible, Matt 13:27-30]
Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth <abicke...@googlemail.com>: Jul 04 01:47PM +0100

There is a rising interest in vegetable salad around the globe. Post covid
19 following lock down many have gained weight and developed an increased
waistline due to in activity.
many have resorted to healthy eating if that's what vegetables are all
about..,, ,,and so vegetable salad packaged in nigeria with low over heads
and flown by cargo plane to Europe. The market is worth 16.78 bilion
dollars yearly and much of vegetables grown in nigeria are wasted
So we are proposing amongst other schemes vegetable salad cooperatives.
Over to the youths the smart agricultutist,the start ups the ecosystem men
and women.the value chain experts the venture capitalist etc you can do
it.
Olusegun Olopade <bcma...@toyinfalolanetwork.org>: Jul 04 12:12PM +0100

CONFERENCE IN HONOUR OF PROFESSOR BOLANLE AWE AT 90
ORAL TRADITIONS, WRITTEN HISTORIES
Organised by:
The University of Texas at Austin
University of Lagos
University of Ibadan
Conveners:
Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
Professor Olufunke Adeboye, University of Lagos
Professor Rasheed Olaniyi, University of Ibadan
Dr Sharon Omotoso, University of Ibadan
 
Keynote Address:
Professor Olabisi Aina
Department of Sociology
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
 
Date: February 13-14, 2023 Venue: University of Ibadan
 
 
Call for Papers
History is undoubtedly the lifeline of every human society. It is an integral element in the intertwined processes of development and civilisation, which influence cultures, beliefs, and perceptions. Whether oral or written, history promotes data collection that helps put past trends in perspective and predicts future happenings as part of its role in achieving a sense of socio-philosophical coherence in any human context. Professor Bolanle Awe has made unrivalled contributions to Nigerian female historiography in particular and African history in general. As a result, the Bolanle Awe at 90 Conference tagged “Oral Traditions, Written Histories” will draw on the scholarship, career, and legacy of Nigeria’s foremost female history professor as she hits the nonagenarian milestone in January 2023.
During her illustrious academic career, Professor Bolanle Awe, a former Professor of Oral History at the University of Ibadan, was Editor of The Journal of the University of Lagos School of African Studies, a visiting scholar to several universities within and outside Nigeria, a consultant to governments and international bodies and agencies, as well as a member of several public and private-sector boards. It is no exaggeration that Professor Awe’s life is the veritable definition of a fulfilling academic career fused with commendable non-academic stints. At her core, the nonagenarian is a researcher who focuses on solution-driven approaches to national and global problems, as evident in the posts she has held as Director at the Institute of African Studies, with the Women’s Research and Documentation Center (WORDOC), University of Ibadan, and with organisations including MacArthur Foundation, UNESCO, and UNFPA.
Remarkably, oral history is a forte of this amazon around whose works this conference is woven. Oral history has proven valuable in the collection and analysis of ancient, recent, and even contemporary historical data. Given the value it has placed on the spoken word from time immemorial, the African continent continues to rely heavily on oral history. Indeed, pre-colonial Africa was peopled by diverse civilisations with distinct histories, cultures, and beliefs, which influenced their paths to indigenous growth and development, and oral literacy was a key feature of each civilisation. However, oral literacy has its downsides, especially as it concerns inter-generational transmission and sustainable preservation of history. For instance, a ton of historical data and stories, mostly in the form of written history, have been lost owing to the lack of a proper tracking system.
Oral historiography has always been beset by the incremental loss of its credibility and the regrettable loss of humongous amounts of oral historical data and stories due to a lack of documentation. Moreover, the more stories were orally transmitted, the less reliable they tended to become. Luckily, African History as a discipline has greatly benefited from the emergence of Oral History as an academic subfield in history. African History is now in less danger of not being preserved due to the methodologies of oral history that allow historians to collect oral historical data and transform them into written form. While the rest of the world has largely transitioned to written history and documentation, African historians are yet to achieve full documentation of histories that were formerly oral.
Nevertheless, practitioners must be mindful that written history cannot fully replace oral historical data, especially when it comes to the role of human historical sources in traditional religious practices across Africa, for instance. Thus, it should be noted that oral history and studies in oral history form only an integral and indispensable part of history as an academic discipline. Therefore, a major question that this conference seeks to answer is: What are the most important landmarks in oral historical studies in the past sixty years? As valuable and integral as oral history is to the continued existence of human societies, it faces a wide range of challenges, including a lack of access to its custodians.
Certain studies in oral history have stalled due to the inability to access a key informant; therefore, we expect participants at the conference to interrogate such issues as well as others, particularly those concerning the past, present, and continued roles of both academic and non-academic historians in the study of African societies. We expect presentations to cover unique and general issues in oral and written history while examining the breakthroughs and challenges of oral history as a sub-field of History. Ideally, we will place primacy on the past sixty years as a significant marker of when Professor Bolanle Awe started her academic journey as a historian. Also, we will welcome articles that seek directly to expand the frontiers of her works, be it reviews, critiques, and/or theoretical developments. However, studies that go further back in time will be accepted too. Another main turf of this celebrated scholar is women/gender studies in Nigeria – how did this additional frame intersect with oral and written histories?
This announcement calls for papers that will examine various themes related to the studies, challenges and breakthroughs of oral history, the impact of written histories, and the role of both academic and non-academic historians. We, therefore, invite papers on the following areas and closely related ones:
• Bolanle Awe and Oral History
• Bolanle Awe and Gender Studies
• Bolanle Awe and WORDOC (Leadership, Mentorship and Succession)
• Bolanle Awe and Yoruba/Nigerian History
• Illustrious Women in Nigerian History
• Women and Domesticity in Modern Nigeria
• Women in the Nigerian Public Sphere
• Nigerian Women in Popular Culture and the Arts
• Gender Studies in Nigeria
• Women Historians in the Past 60 Years
• Studies of Oral History in the Past 60 Years
• Professional Oral Historians Outside the Academy
• Advances in African Historiography
• Oral Traditions and Digital Technology
• New Sources in African Historiography
 
Participants are expected to follow these guidelines: 
Each proposal must include:
 
1) Title of the work and an abstract of 250 words
2) Name of the presenter (with the surname underlined)
3) Phone number
4) Email
5) Mailing address
6) Institutional affiliation
7) Three to five keywords that best describe the themes and topics relevant to the submission.
 
 
Proposals for Panels (3-5 presenters) must include:
1) Title of the panel and a collective summary of 250 words on the panel’s theme, including the title of each individual work
2) A 250-word abstract for each speaker’s presentation
3) Mailing address
4) Phone number
5) Email
6) Institutional affiliation of each presenter. 
Interested authors should follow these editorial guidelines:
Please use Bolanle Awe at 90 Conference as the subject title for your submission.
Font: Times New Roman, Size 12, double-spaced.
All abstracts must be submitted by September 30, 2022, to: bolanl...@gmail.com
Notification of acceptance: October 15, 2022
Full papers are to be submitted by January 10, 2023
 
Conference Registration
Academics within Nigeria -- N20, 000
Students within Nigeria -- N15, 000
International Faculty -- $100
International Students -- $50
 
For enquiries, please contact: Olusegun Olopade (bcma...@toyinfalolanetwork.org
Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth <abicke...@googlemail.com>: Jul 04 06:17AM +0100

https://punchng.com/lagos-generates-870000-tonnes-of-
plastic-waste-yearly-firm/?amp
Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth <abicke...@googlemail.com>: Jul 04 06:14AM +0100

To: abicke...@gmail.com
 
 
https://guardian.ng/news/firm-tasks-fg-on-waste-to-wealth-opportunities/
Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth <abicke...@googlemail.com>: Jul 04 03:20AM +0100

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/09/breaking-the-cycle-of-
underdevelopment-an-urgency-for-book-clubs/amp/
Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth <abicke...@googlemail.com>: Jul 04 02:18AM +0100

Interesting! Just wrote about yhis yesterday in jobs forAfruca
 
 
https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2022/07/03/firm-seeks-
n11bn-for-cattle-value-chain-project/
Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth <abicke...@googlemail.com>: Jul 03 10:16PM +0100

True professor.
I am not an expert on palm trees.i am a pam wine tapper laughter.
Augustine
 
On Sunday, July 3, 2022, Gloria Emeagwali <gloria.e...@gmail.com>
wrote:
 
Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth <abicke...@googlemail.com>: Jul 03 10:12PM +0100

The nigerian government can do the unprecedented by compelling phone
companies and tekevision ststions to be involved in reading promotion to
the tune of 5 per cent of ther turn over.the mobile phone and the attention
engineers of the ict world are taking our eye balls away from books
They should declare reading as an aspect of national security and well
being. Bearing in mind some findings of the nature of those who are
insurgents,bandits and kidnappers.its not enough to have educational
qualifications or certificates we have to ensure that the cituzens have
good reading habits in thej interest of national security and well being
 
Books and reading are crucial to development but it's just a pity that
phones came first for most nigerians on a critical stage of nigerias
journey to development or more development. Phone companies and television
stations should me made to contribute to a book trust fund as a matter of
national security.
How do I describe nigerias development? The television stations and phone
companies seem to be taking our eye balls, same with our attention In
nigeria away from books
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The South Africa High Commissioner, HE Grace Jeanet Mason Presenting the Book at the Accra Launch.jpg
Dr Wale Okediran, PAWA Secretary General Presenting a copy of VOICES THAT SING BEHIND THE VEIL to Prof Toyin Falola recently in his Lagos home..jpg
A Cross section of some contributors at the Book Launch.jpg
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