4 Books Published by Ayebia Clarke Publishing on AALBC — Book Cover Collage

The media tends to portray Africa in a manner that grossly distorts reality. The picture they paint is intended to make people of African descent feel ashamed of their past and their identity. This is unacceptable and must change. It is therefore a moral imperative for all those who can make themselves heard, to speak out. These texts reflect the point of view of an African intellectual who has selected them for this book since they were all born out of the desire to tell the truth as it is. Besides chapters that pay homage to Cheikh Anta Diop and Mongo Beti, the wide variety of topics in this book include the dilemma of the writer who is stuck between two languages, the shipwreck of the Joola in Senegal, the continuing waves of migration towards Europe and the cultural challenges of globalization. The genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda, which too many people are still trying to deny, has been given special importance. The implication of the French government is stressed, because its responsibility in this tragedy, via François Mitterrand, is neither well-known nor accepted, despite all the irrefutable evidence. Projecting one’s gaze beyond the mirror means trying to expose the lies that hide behind so many clichés that are common currency about Africa. Above all, it means ringing the alarm bell as a warning against the sinister political intentions that feed a growing Afrophobia.

Ama Ata Aidoo is an iconic African woman writer who has inspired generations of black and other writers in Africa and internationally and this collection affirms why she is respected as one of the most important voices in African women’s writing. Her latest collection brings together diverse themes that speak to the relationship between Africa and its Diasporas in terms of home and exile and a sense of belonging and alienation. The stories celebrate the intricacies of friendships and love and examine the complexities involved in African Diaspora connections engaging with a sense of anomie and fragmentation as a consequence of living across different cultures - Africa and the West. Aidoo reveals her interest in presenting common human frailties.

Claudia Jones, intellectual genius and staunch activist against racist and gender oppression founded two of Black Briton’s most important institutions; the first black newspaper, the West Indian Gazette and Afro-Asian Times and was a founding member of the Notting Hill Carnival. This book makes accessible and brings to wider attention the words of an often overlooked 20th century political and cultural activist who tirelessly campaigned, wrote, spoke out, organized, edited and published autobiographical writings on human rights and peace struggles related to gender, race and class. "Claudia Jones was an iconic figure who inspired a generation of black activists and deserves to be much more widely known. This important book is a fitting memorial." Diane Abbott, MP, Westminster, London.

This radical collection of short stories is a double award-winning book aimed at debunking the myth about African women as impoverished victims. The stories deal with challenging themes representing some of the most complex love stories ever published from Africa, ranging from labour pains to burials, teenagers to octogenarians, race-fraught and same-sex relationships, the human heart is out there, bold bleeding and occasionally triumphant. Crafted by a stellar cast of authors including El Saadawi, Adichie, Atta, Baingana, Oyeyemi, Manyika, Aboulela, wa Goro, Badoe, Magona, Tadjo, Krog, Ogundipe, de Nyeko et al. A much welcomed addition to African literature. With contributions from 21 African women writers as follows: From Sudan Leila Aboulela From Egypt Nawal El Saadawi From Cote d’Ivoire Véronique Tadjo From Ghana Yaba Badoe From Nigeria Tomi Adeaga, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Sefi Atta, Rounke Coker, Anthonia C Kalu, Sarah Ladipo Manyika, Promise Ogochukwu, Molara Ogundipe, Helen Oyeyemi and Chika Unigwe. From Kenya Wangui wa Goro From South Africa Antjie Krog, Sindiwe Magona. From Uganda Monica Arac de Nyeko, Doreen Baingana and Mildred Kiconco Barya From Zimbabwe Blessing Musariri