African literature is increasingly esteemed around the world, but the true extent of its global historic influence remains largely overlooked. Negotiating the common obstacles of race, class and gender, African women writers have long-confronted crucial matters of independence, freedom and oppression.

Margaret Busby, the editor of New Daughters of Africa—a major international collection showcasing the work of more than 200 women writers of African descent—is joined by the highly acclaimed writer Sarah Ladipo  Manyika, and Angela Wachuka – leading publisher of some of Africa’s leading voices, to reflect on the impact of women writers on shaping the ways we understand today’s social and political upheavals. Addressing African literature’s rich cultural history across centuries and continents, the event will explore sisterhood, feminist movements, political and academic thought and the ways African women have taken ownership of these spaces through memory and storytelling.

By putting writers in conversation with social scientists, the event will demonstrate the importance of fiction and non-fiction alike in understanding the African female experience, and the enduring legacy of African women’s thought.

Margaret Busby OBE, Hon. FRSL is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, and writer. She was Britain’s youngest and first black woman book publisher when in the 1960s she co-founded the publishing house Allison and Busby. 

To pre-order a copy of New Daughters of Africa, which can be collected from independent bookshop Pages of Hackney at the event, please go to New Daughters of Africa.

Sarah Ladipo Manyika is a writer, academic and overall lover of stories. She was raised in Nigeria and has lived in Kenya, France, Zimbabwe and England. Sarah is a novelist, short story writer and essayist. Her debut novel, In Dependence, is an international bestseller while her second novel, Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun, has been translated into a number of languages. Sarah was Founding Books Editor of Ozy Books and a long-time lecturer at San Francisco State University. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the women’s writers residency, Hedgebrook.

To pre-order a copy of In Dependence, which can be collected from independent bookshop Pages of Hackney at the event, please go to In Dependence.

To pre-order a copy of Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun, which can be collected from independent bookshop Pages of Hackney at the event, please go to Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun.

Karin Barber is an Africanist anthropologist whose work has focused on the anthropology of texts, oral performance, popular culture and religion. Her core regional specialism is Yoruba (Western Nigeria).

The Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa (FLCA) strengthens LSE’s long-term commitment to placing Africa at the heart of understandings and debates on global issues.

Twitter hashtags for this event: #LSEFestival #ShapetheWorld

This event is part of the LSE Festival: Shape the World running from Monday 2 to Saturday 7 March 2020, with a series of events exploring how social science can make the world a better place.

Podcast

A podcast of this event is available to download from Africa Talks: the global legacy of African women writers.

Podcasts and videos of many LSE events can be found at the LSE Public Lectures and Events: podcasts and videos channel.