Heavenly birthday wishes Noni Jabavu! Born August 20, 1919, Helen Nontando Jabavu was a South African writer and journalist, one of the first African women to pursue a successful literary career and the first black South African woman to publish books of autobiography. She died in 2008. Some of her notable works:
Heavenly belated birthday wishes Buchi Emecheta! Born July 21, 1944, Buchi Emecheta was a Nigerian writer, whose work includes novels, plays, autobiography, and children’s books. Her novels deal largely with the difficult and unequal role of women in both immigrant and African societies and explore the tension between tradition and modernity. She was best known for her 1974 novel, Second Class Citizen. She died in 2017. Her other notable works are:
Heavenly belated birthday wishes Nelson Mandela! Born July 18, 1918, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid activist, statesman, and revolutionary who was the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country’s first Black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. In 1993 he and President FW de Klerk jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize. He died in 2013. He authored a few books that chronicled his life:
Heavenly birthday wishes Bessie Head! Born July 6, 1937, Bessie Head was a South African writer who, though born in South Africa, is usually considered Botswana’s most influential writer. She wrote novels, short fiction and autobiographical works that are infused with spiritual questioning and reflection. She died in 1986. Her notable works:
Happy birthday Niq Mhlongo! Born June 10, 1973, Niq Mhlongo was born in Soweto. He has a BA from the University of the Witwatersrand, with majors in African Literature and Political Studies. His first novel, Dog Eat Dog, was published by Kwela in 2004 and was translated into Spanish under the title Perro Come Perro in 2006. This Spanish edition was awarded the La Mar de Letras prize.
I confess I have not read any of his books but I am interested in reading one of his novels.
Blessed heavenly birthday Mariama Ba! Born April 17, 1929, Mariama Ba was a Senegalese author and feminist. She is known for her two novels: So Long a Letter and Scarlet Song. She passed away in 1981.
Born March 23, 1942, Ama Ata Aidoo was a Ghanaian author, poet, playwright, and professor who advocated for African women, African literature, and free education and literacy. She passed away in 2023. Some of her famous works:
Born March 15, Nigerian-born Ben Okri is a poet, novelist, essayist, short story writer, anthologist, aphorist, and playwright. He has also written film scripts. His works have won numerous national and international prizes, including the Booker Prize for Fiction. Here are just a few of his published works.
Read more about this author’s pathway to writing and publishing here.
Read more about this author’s path to writing and publishing here.
The CamaraIfe Maktaba 