Not Your African Cliché

On this episode, we talk with a guest from Southern Cameroon, Tabot, about his country's ongoing conflict. Tabot schools us on Cameroon’s history, geography and political climate. We learn about the decades-long systemic marginalization of anglophone Cameroonians by francophone Cameroonians. And we discuss how this conflict is a remnant of colonialism by the Germans, French and British.

Resources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct_SLnAGDuM (BBC Africa Eye mini-documentary)

https://popula.com/2018/10/23/unification-day/ (Background on Cameroon’s conflict)

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/15/opinion/sunday/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-cameroon.html (Opinion piece by Chimamanda Adichie)

https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2017/feb/04/every-inch-challenge-multiplies-afro-imbolo-mbue-hair-cameroon?CMP=share_btn_tw (Opinion piece by Imbolo Mbue)

Episode was mixed by Ifeyinwa Arinze. Theme song is Ayo by Femi Leye

We speculate about why some African countries have retained the names given by colonizers, and wonder if name changes have had any effect on the progress of self-christened countries, or on their citizens’ perspectives of their identities. We scrutinize relics of colonization that can still be found in our everyday lives such as the horsehair wigs and robes worn by lawyers in some former British colonies. We also examine the relationship between former colonies and their colonizers as it relates to superficial faux-solidarity programs such as the commonwealth, and the harsh reality of current policies (i.e. immigration policies and the windrush scandal). Lastly, we suggest strategies for folks seeking to decolonize their minds, lives, and disciplines.

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Reading

Haruki Murakami’s What I Talk About When I Talk About Running - Memoir

Listening

Florence + The Machine’s High as Hope - Album

Housefires’ Housefires II - Album

Collectiv3’s Live. Create. Repeat - Album

ShowDemCamp’s Palmwine Music II

Jubilee Worship’s Atmosphere Chapter 2 - Album

Watching

CBS’ Schitt’s Creek – Comedy Show

iTV2 / Hulu ’s Love Island S3 – Reality TV Show

Episode was mixed by Ifeoluwa Olokode. Theme song is Ayo by Femi Leye

On this episode, the ladies of NYAC chat with the incredible Yovanka Perdigao (one-third of Not Another Book Podcast)about lusophone Africa, its under-representation in African literary spaces and the importance of translation of Afro-lusophone narratives.

Find Yovanka on:

Twitter- @postcolonialchi

IG- @postcolonialchild

website- https://www.yovanka.co.uk/

Referenced:

https://www.ozy.com/opinion/the-case-for-lusophone-african-literature/83117

http://afrikult.com/say-what-where-are-the-black-writers-from-portuguese-africa/

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/sep/12/portugal-race

Jose Eduardo Agalusa

The ultimate tragedy by Abdulai Silá

Recommendations from Yovanka:

- Confession of the Lioness by Mia Coutu (Mozambican writer)

- Sleepwalking Land by Mia Coutu

- Malangatana (Mozambican visual artist)

- Afrohouse/kuduru (music)

- Buraka Som Sistema (band)

- Pepetela (Angolan writer)

- Good morning, comrades by Ondjaki (Angolan writer)

- Sousa Jamba (author from Angola)

- The ultimate tragedy by Abdulai Silá (author from Guinea-Bissau)

- Francisco Ferreira (poet from São Tomé e Príncipe)

- Alda Espírito Santo (poet from São Tomé e Príncipe)

We are back! Listen to us catch up and gist each other (and you!) about our summer. Amayo quit her job in consulting and moved to Mauritius to work at a startup university (which Ife’s sister happens to go to). Yeka O wrote book chapters and is well on her way to being a doctor, put some respek on her name. Ifeyinwa is adulting like a boss. She got a car, moved into a new apartment and officially became a film maker! Check out her first short which she wrote, produced, directed and edited here: [ https://vimeo.com/282208309 ]. Ife’s summer has been filled traveling. She was in Kigali, New York and San Francisco over the summer representing her company, and she finally started her national service year. We also talk productivity and share tips on how we (attempt to) stay on top of work and other obligations.

Reading

- Deep Work by Cal Newport

- There, There by Tommy Orange

Watching

- Love Island Season 4 – ITV (UK) / Hulu (US)

- Bloodline Season 2 - Netflix

- To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before – Netflix

- Sarah Burges is a Loser – Netflix

- Queer Eye

- Love Is - OWN

Episode was mixed by Ifeoluwa Olokode. Theme song is Ayo by Femi Leye

Inspired by Kanye West's latest episodes of being loud and wrong, we unpack our individual shortcomings: what they are, what brought them to our attention, and how we overcome them. We talk about those who've lovingly called us out and the personal steps we take to become more self-aware of these "faults."

Mentioned:

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/05/im-not-black-im-kanye/559763/?utm_source=atltw

https://openspace.sfmoma.org/2018/05/theorems-of-separation/

- Eloquent Rage by Brittney Cooper

- Poetry Is Not a Luxury by Audre Lorde

Reading:

- Eloquent Rage by Brittney Cooper

- Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown

Watching:

- Southside With You (Netflix)

- Jane the Virgin (Netflix)

Listening:

- Dirty Computer by Janelle Monae

- Invasion of Privacy by Cardi B

- A Boy From Tandale by Diamond Platnumz

- Wait by Teni

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Episode mixed by Ifeyinwa Arinze. Theme song is Ayo by Femi Leye

We talk exploring Nigerian-ness and African-ness through economics, history and art with the “Lean, Mean, Nigerian Machine,” @WaleLawal. He walks us though the process of establishing The Republic, a journal he edits and runs; schools us on the function of historical knowledge and how it serves our present experiences; and reminds us that we don’t have to be bound to the western narrative of Hero vs Villain when retelling the rich tapestry of African history. We chat about innovative ways of creating knowledge and making it more accessible, social media as a tool to understand people’s frame of reference, and how to accommodate and teach the variations and differences in historical perspectives

Resources:

- https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/black-panther-and-the-invention-of-africa

- http://www.republic.com.ng/octobernovember-2017/nigeria-disintegrating-state/

- http://www.republic.com.ng/vol1-no1/the-erasure-of-female-pain/

- https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/05/26/after-empire

- http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2016/12/22/on-optimism-and-despair/

Reading:

Known and Strange Things by Teju Cole

Burn This Book edited by Toni Morrison

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

This Bridge Called My Back edited by Cherríe Moraga and Gloria Anzaldúa

Watching

The Crown

Blackish

Listening to:

Invasion of Privacy by Cardi B

Top Pop, Vol. I by Pentatonix

Outside by Burna Boy

K.O.D by J. Cole

Cloak; Wallflower by Jordan Rakei

Episode was mixed by Ifeoluwa Olokode. Theme song is Ayo by Femi Leye

On this episode, we chat with Martin Ayeni (actor on Inspector K)about his experience transitioning from theater to screen acting; his dislike for auditions; and what has surprised him about Inspector K. Martin also shares what drew him to Inspector K, and what's next for his career in Nigeria.

Mentioned:

- Inspector K

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEZ-MhURpRo

Reading:

- Postcards by Annie Proulx

- Fences by August Wilson

Watching:

- The Crown (Netflix)

- The Handmaid's Tale(Hulu)

- In Sickness and In Health (Iroko TV)

Listening:

- A Seat at the Table(album by Solange)

- Tom Misch (Artist)

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Episode mixed by Ifeyinwa Arinze. Theme song is Ayo by Femi Leye

On this episode, we chat with Ashley Akunna (founder and producer of The Grapevine) about the term millennials, characteristics of African millennials, the origin of The Grapevine, and how it serves to amplify the voices of millennials. Listen and share with your friends.

Mentioned:

- March series by Congressman John Lewis

- Bruno Mars episode on The Grapevine (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9NTvCyprsA)

Reading:

- Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon

- What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah

Watching:

- Grownish (TV show)

- Ozark (Netflix)

- Mudbound (Netflix)

- Rumor Has It (YouTube)

- Inspector K (YouTube)

Listening:

- In My View by Young Fathers

- Ray Blk (UK artist)

- Thandiwe by Vusi Nova

- Kuku Kee Me by Seun Kuti

- Rendezvous by M.I. Abaga

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Episode mixed by Ifeyinwa Arinze. Theme song is Ayo by Femi Leye

Part II of the episode where we discuss the pop culture phenomenon that is Black Panther.

We continue our conversation with @ifeanyiawachie by discussing by the film’s treatment of gender and hailing the wonderful powerhouses that are the women of Black Panther. Ife draws a parallel between how Black Panther was surrounded by women and the women in Jesus’ life and ministry (yes that Jesus). Yeka delights in Shuri’s nerdiness and is glad for her example of unabashed black woman nerdiness. We ask, is there a place for radicalism in the fight against oppression? What are its limits? Is a new Black world order the answer to Black oppression? How will it be different from any other hegemony? What are the possible pitfalls? We reference Audre Lorde’s “Master’s Tools” essay and Jay Smooth’s great advice of “practicing the craft of being good everyday.” We finish off by asking, if Wakanda is Black Utopia, who does the Wakandan Project leave behind?

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Resources

• theintercept.com/2018/02/22/black…-brazil-protest/

• africasacountry.com/2018/02/africa-…try-in-wakanda/

• www.gq.com/story/black-panther…ter_impression=true

• longreads.com/2018/02/22/how-bla…re-to-one-another/

• www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-…american-villain

• www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comme…ention-of-africa

• www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/a…tm_source=atltw

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Episode was mixed by Ifeoluwa Olokode. Theme song is Ayo by Femi Leye

Part I of the episode where we discuss the pop culture phenomenon that is Black Panther. We are about a month late to the party but we here! Suffice to say, spoilers ahead. If you still haven’t seen the movie, you’re on a long tin!

Joined by Black and African arts curator extraordinaire, @ifeanyiawachie, we gush about the visuals, the cinematography, music, acting and general #BlackExcellence on display in the movie. We ask if the movie’s imagination of an African country untouched by colonization is what we envisioned, acknowledge the differences in peoples’ imaginings of a futuristic Africa, and question how technological advancement should manifest while retaining a cultural identity. We also explore the validity and limitations of T’Challa vs Killmonger as an allegory for the relationship between continental Africans and African Americans (and other black people in the diaspora). Ifeyinwa reminds us that while the movie is a celebration of Blackness, it still exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and thus is not free of its overarching creative influence, and Yeka O draws a parallel to Biafra and wonders what the country may have looked like had its secession attempt been successful.

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Resources

• https://theintercept.com/2018/02/22/black-panther-brazil-protest/

• http://africasacountry.com/2018/02/africa-is-a-country-in-wakanda/

• https://www.gq.com/story/black-panther-and-the-search-for-home/amp?__twitter_impression=true

• https://longreads.com/2018/02/22/how-black-panther-asks-us-to-examine-who-we-are-to-one-another/

• https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/on-killmonger-black-panther-s-american-villain

• https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/black-panther-and-the-invention-of-africa

• https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/02/black-panther-erik-killmonger/553805/?utm_source=atltw

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Episode was mixed by Ifeoluwa Olokode. Theme song is Ayo by Femi Leye