Things Fall Apart; The Attempted Hijack of the Black Writer

by JJ Bola  “All art is political, Johnson. Otherwise, it would just be decoration,” said the Earl of Oxford in Shakespeare’s Richard III.* To assume that this does not extend to the great art of literature would simply be false. Unlike visual art, which can either be used to make bold political statements or balance… Read More

Maya Angelou and Chinua Achebe: Warfare Through Writing

By Samira Sawlani  Upon news of Maya Angelou’s death my first thought was ‘there are not enough words to do justice to her achievements, her legacy and her influence upon both the literary scene and humanity as a whole.’ The mounting accolades clearly indicate that her ability to express through prose and poetry emotions, reality… Read More

Doing the Right Thing: Black Film and TV in a Biased World

by Micah Yongo  ‘You know, where I come from, there are a lot of different ways of being black.’ ‘Well, then you one lucky black man. But see, blood, ‘bout now, where you come from ain’t where you at… Roun’ here, they only got the one way of being black, and sooner or later that’s the… Read More

Why Art Matters. Re-imagining The Great Gatsby

by Micah Yongo Cue the credits, then the music, and our numbed seats rise slowly in unison, and a room of strangers together arch their spines, stretch their legs, and spread their arms, as though for flight, as the cosy dimness finally lifts and ushers us back to reality with the sated sigh of having… Read More