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Wall to wall: FNB Art Joburg will be on at the Sandton Convention Centre from 5 to 7 September

Diary: FNB Joburg Art Fair, Hendrick Monyeki and Open Book Festival

Your essential dose of art and culture

Africa’s writer NgugiwaThiong’o.

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, literary icon and cultural revolutionary, dies at 87

His pen exposed injustice, honoured heritage and helped free the African imagination from colonial constraint

South African writer, theatre-maker and scholar Nadia Davids

South African author Nadia Davids wins prestigious award

Davids scoops Caine Prize for African Writing ahead of 320 entries for her work Bridling

Binyavanga Wainaina passed away in Nairobi late on Tuesday 21 May after suffering a stroke.(Simon Maina/AFP/Getty)

Binyavanga Wainaina dies, aged 48

The Kenyan writer and activist died on Tuesday night after suffering a stroke

Sindiwe Magona writes to leave footprints. (Graphic: John McCann)

Sindiwe Magona

Writer

The South African publishing industry’s articles of faith still remain that middle-class white women are the biggest readers and buyers of books.

Writing’s on the wall for parochial SA publishers

‘Part of the disconnect between writers and white publishers has been ingrained in this belief that a certain demographic of people does not read’

Arts and Culture – Donald Molosi

Arts and Culture – Donald Molosi

The anthology was published by New York City publisher, Mantle Books and drew praise from African writers such as Chika Unigwe and Helon Habila.

From working as a messenger

How reading can change your life

Books reshaped the destiny of James Matthews – poet, political prisoner and, now, doctor.

Chinua Achebe.

Chinua Achebe: Without the story we are blind

The ‘father’ of African literature set the template for the darker peoples of the world to tell their own stories, writes Percy Zvomuya.

Biko to Boko Haram: Ben Okri believes Steve Biko’s legacy is to keep asking the awkward questions

The tough alchemy of Ben Okri

The famed novelist of ‘The Famished Road’ asks the hard questions of Marikana, Nigeria and leadership.

Paths of glory

Paths of glory

Two notable books by two remarkable women.

Metal on concrete jars my drink lobes

Nigerians are in love with language, though meaning is not always a priority – C Don Adinuba hacks through the thickets.

A wonderful egg-head for art and freedom

Neville Dubow’s contribution to critical writing in newspapers and journals is immense; already in the late 1950s he set a standard for art reviews.

Drawn out and dull

Percy Zvomuya reviews <i>Unbridled </i> the story of a Nigerian woman who moves to Britain thinking she has found true love over the internet.

A forum for African writers

Percy Zvomuya looks at <i>Africa Writes Back</i> by British publisher James Currey.