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At the Open Book Festival, held in Cape Town in 2019, The Cheeky Natives sat down with Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah to discuss his debut collection of short stories, Friday Black. This New York Times’ Best seller explores the violence, injustice, and painful absurdities of life in the US.These stories tackle urgent instances of racism and cultural unrest, and explore the many ways we fight for humanity in an unforgiving world. In “The Finkelstein Five,” Adjei-Brenyah gives us an unforgettable reckoning of the brutal prejudice of our justice system. In “Zimmer Land,” we see a far-too-easy-to-believe imagining of racism as sport. And “Friday Black” and “How to Sell a Jacket as Told by Ice King” show the horrors of consumerism and the toll it takes on us all.The stories in this debut collection won him a spot on the National Book Foundation's 5 under 35 List this year. In this conversation with The Cheeky Natives, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah sat down to unpack the every day realities of race, writing and teaching.We delved deeper into the exploration of these stories that bring to the fore our darkest but also most true realities without the cover of euphemism.Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah looks our collective soul in the face of race, violence and massive disparities in wealth.This is an even more timely conversation in the setting of a global pandemic.Nana is a writer for our times with his finger on the pulse but his writing always looking forward.

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Yellow And Confused released in 2019 is the latest offering from cookbook author, blogger and storyteller Ming-Cheau Lin. Yellow and Confused is a memoir that looks into her life as a third culture immigrant in South Africa. In 2018, she released a cook book, Just Add Rice, a book focused on Taiwanese food interspersed with stories from her childhood and growing up. In many ways, she continues this conversation started in the cook book in her memoir. Ming-Cheau Lin’s family emigrated to South Africa from Tainan, Taiwan when she was just three years old and stayed in Bloemfontein with a small East Asian community. Seen as an outsider, she struggled to understand her identity as a minority and immigrant and faced harsh realities of being ‘yellow’ in the western world in addition to the legacy of South Africa’s history.After assimilating to the surrounding society, she is deemed ‘not Asian enough’ when she is unable to conform to the rules of first-generation Asian elders, yet too Asian for everyone else. Taiwanese or South African, teenager or rebel, creative or disappointment.. she shares her story and journeys to uncover the reasons why yellow people are treated the way they are in a space that doesn’t recognise them as part of the population. Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane sat down with Ming in a deeply moving conversation about this memoir. The conversation spoke about Ming’s upbringing, her experiences of racism. In the conversation, we explored the idea of a 'model minority' and how that negatively impacts East Asians child and scars them into their adulthood. We spoke about sisterhood and how feminism has shaped her life. Some parts were hard to revisit such as sexual harassment and sexism. We ended the conversation on a happier talking about her marriage and the addition of their lovely child. This conversation is one that holds both trauma and healing side by side.You can follow ming on social media Twitter: @mingcheauInstagram: @mingcheauFacebook: Ming-cheau Lin

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Morgan Parker is American poet, novelist, and editor and the author of the poetry collections Other People’s Comfort Keeps Me Up At Night (2015), There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyonce (2017), and Magical Negro (2019), which won the National Book Critics Circle Award poetry prize. Alongside poet Angel Nafis, she runs The Other Black Girl Collective, an internationally touring Black Feminist poetry duo. She sat down with The Cheeky Natives in an extensive conversation to discuss her poetry collection Magical Negro. The conversation took place during the Open Book Festival in Cape Town, in Parker’s first visit to South Africa.In what may only be described as a sermon, lecture and a hallelujah moment, Parker took us to church while reading from this collection.The New York Times describes this collection as, “a work that explores the gap between black experience and the white imagination’s version of it”. What an apt description, if only lacking in a description of the vividness and clarity with which Parker captures the chasm between the lived experience of Blackness and the mirage created by privilege.The title is a popular reference to the trope of a Black character who appears to almost always assist a white character using strange, sometimes supernatural wisdom. However, what Parker does in using these characters to challenge white supremacy’s multiple violence against black womxnhood and its limited imagining of Blackness.Straddling the contemporary and classic, in ways mirroring that of the Black experience, where one lives in multiple ages affected by the issues of their predecessors. In her poem “Now More Than Ever, “defining the title phrase as something whites say “to express their surprise / and disapproval of social or political conditions which, / to the Negro, are devastatingly usual.” In the age of diversity and inclusivity, Parker’s poem is an ode to the eye roll all black people have done at white liberal catchphrases such as this.A recurring theme is the invisibility and hypervisibility of Black women, as with “Magical Negro #3: The Strong Black Woman,” whose title character is sexualised to the point that the speaker suggests assaulting her, then says, “She / won’t feel nothing.” A powerful commentary on the assault on the humanity of black women contained in statements like “The Strong Black Woman”Morgan Parker is prodigious. This podcast may be the beginning of a powerful conversation about the work and words of Black people.

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Written about the life and times of Maqoma, the Xhosa chief who was at the forefront of fighting British colonialism in the Eastern Cape during the nineteenth century. The story is told through the eyes of a young South African, Phila, who suffers from what he calls triple ‘N’ condition – neurasthenia, narcolepsy and cultural ne plus ultra. It is touted as an entrancing novel that marries imagination with history in a foray into the rapidly growing genre of historical fiction.Phila, who returns from his architectural studies in Germany has to learn to rediscover home. This is done through Maqoma’s historical telling, as they both visit places of biographical relevance to both their lives. It is told in a sequence of interconnected events. As a book of historical literature, it flirts between the borders of fact and fiction, even rattles a historical cage or two.This layered story traverses multiple locations and time periods, flitting from the Eastern Cape, Robben Island and contemporary South Africa. Using the voice of a people traditionally marginalised, it offers a historical perspective from those deeply affected by the Frontier Wars while battling with modern-day legacies stemming from this hosiery of subjugation. Mputhumi Ntabeni has previously claimed not to be a writer in terms of a career, but his extensive work in writing The Broken River Tent is evidence to contrary. Although difficult and flawed, the two characters easily generate empathy. Phila is well educated, sophisticated but emotionally immature while Maqoma comes from beyond the grave as the ancestor to bring historical perspective and wisdom. Exploring themes of mental health, religion and estrangement. Mphuthumi is at his finest demonstrating why this book is a national award winner.He sat down for a long-awaited conversation with Dr Alma-Nalisha Cele to discuss the book, the themes and all the characters. The conversation is filled with deep reflection of the importance of historical fiction. Follow him on social media Twitter: @mphushntabeni Instagram: mphuthumi

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“Today, she’d brought him daffodils to brighten the room. ‘Women can bring men flowers too, you know.’ She smiled, sensing his hesitation as she arranged them in an empty milk bottle. Already, the buds were opening and adding a bright splash of buttery yellow to his room. She placed them next to the neat stack of books and papers and then picked up the one that was marked: A Handbook for Students from Overseas. She studied what he’d underlined and smiled as she read aloud from the section on Habits and Customs. ‘It says here that when two people meet and they wish to save themselves from the embarrassment of silence, they usually talk about the weather. Did we talk about the weather when we first met?’” - Sarah Ladipo ManyikaSarah Ladipo Manyika was raised in Nigeria and has lived in Kenya, France, and England. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and taught literature at San Francisco State University. Sarah currently serves on the boards of Hedgebrook and the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco. Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane sat in conversation with Sarah to discuss her first novel In Dependence. The book has sold over 1 million copies worldwide. Man Booker winner Bernardine Evaristo describes this debut as ‘A beautiful and ambitious novel’. The novel spans over several decades starting in the early sixties, where we meet Tayo Ajayi in Nigeria on his way to England to study at Oxford University on a scholarship. While at Oxford he discovers a whole generation excited about a new and better world. He meets a number of young womxn but he is fascinated by Vanessa Richardson, a daughter of a former colonial officer. Their love story, which spans over four decades, is a bittersweet tale of many twists and turns, and the universal desire to fall truly, madly and deeply in love.This debut novel is stunning. The storytelling sublime. The writing is ‘clean as bone’. The characters are written in a delicate and complex manner. Sarah tells the history and its nuances with skill and care. This conversation explores the love story between Tayo and Vanessa, through the decades, across continents and with opposing forces. The love story allows us to reminisce about the music throughout the decades as well as the political conversations of that moment. In the conversation, we discuss interracial dating, race and the politics of geography. We talk to the complexities of contemporary Africa, patriarchy, feminism and culture. We speak about Sarah’s literary influences including the great Toni Morrison. We take a short pause to discuss her sophomore novel Like a Mule Bringing Ice-cream to the Sun’This conversation, like the book, was delicious, rich and filled with lightbulb moments.Follow Sarah on facebook: Sarah Ladipo Manyika

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'While there are many feminist strands, which is to say different kinds of feminism, there are also many core principles. The commitment to actively oppose and end patriarchy is one. The recognition that patriarchy works like other systems of oppression, like racism and capitalism, to value some people and brutalise others is another area of agreement. Like other systems of oppression, it also requires the support of many members of the groups it oppresses.'― Pumla Dineo Gqola, Reflecting Rogue: Inside the Mind of a FeministProfessor Pumla Dineo Gqola is currently the Dean of Research at the University of Fort Hare. Prof Gqola’s illustrious career spans full-time academic and research positions at several South African universities and other institutions, she started off as a junior lecturer and rose to the rank of senior lecturer at the University of Free State before she joined Human Science Research Council as a Chief Research Specialist. She then joined Meraka institute at the council for Scientific andindustrial research.As a gender activist, award-winning author and full professor, Pumla Dineo Gqola has written extensively for both local and international academic journals. She is the author of four books including the seminal work “Rape: A South African Nightmare”.In an impromptu podcast recording, Prof Gqola sat down with the Cheeky Natives to discuss her work as a gender activist, scholar and black feminist. This episode was particularly moving as it wasrecorded in Cape Town in the week of Uyinene Mrwetyana’s harrowing assault and murder among that of numerous South African womxn and children. In a frank and powerful conversation, the Cheeky Natives and Prof Gqola sat down to discuss what it means to be a country in crisis, the racialised nature of violence and the nightmare in whichSouth African womxn are trapped in.In a wide-ranging discussion regarding her scholarship and impressive publication history, we explored what it means to be a renegade and pioneer and yet belong so deeply to one’s self. The politics of self-ownership for Black womxn who are feminist activists is an entire thesis.Follow her on Twitter @feminist_rogue

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African literature is changing’ - Brittle PaperBrittle Paper is your go-to site for African writing and literary culture. Brittle Paper brings you all the latest news and juicy updates on publications, authors, events, prizes, and lifestyle. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@brittlepaper) and sign up for our "I love African Literature" newsletter.Brittle Paper states that ‘the current generation of African readers are driven more by their tastes and passions than by allegiance to some abstract political idea. They are young, open, and unconventional in their interests. They are social media savvy and dependent on mobile technology for media consumption. This has led to the popularity of shorter writings—flash fiction, online story series, and digital imprints of mass-market novellas. The obsession with realist fiction that defined older generations has given way to an avid interest in speculative writing—fantasy, science fiction— but also in experimental narratives, pulp-fiction, and other offbeat genres.’And as a result, Brittle Paper became a literary project designed to adapt African literary culture that is dynamic and adaptable. Dr Ainehi Edoro-Glines is the founder and Editor of Brittle Paper, a leading online platform dedicated to African writing and literary culture. She is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she teaches and researches on African literature, political theory, and literature in social media. She was named by OkayAfrica as one of its top women in African literature 2018. While in the stunning Madison, Dr Alma-Nalisha Cele connected with Dr Edoro-Glines and discussed her life goals of bringing African literature to the front and what it means to build our own platforms for critical engagement with African literature. Of course, the discussion would’ve been incomplete without delving into “that” essay. Her current book project is titled “Forest Imaginaries: How African Novels Think.” She also writes essays and commentaries about contemporary African literary culture in mainstream publications such as The Guardian and Africa is a Country. Dr Edoro-Glines is profoundly influenced by the literary icon, Chinua Achebe. Her life goal has been to bring African literature to the forefront, and more specifically to bring a fresh perspective to the study of the late Nigerian novelist's work. Her article on Things Fall Apart is forthcoming in The Cambridge Journal of Postcolonial Literary Enquiry. Follow Brittle Paper on Twitter and Instagram (@brittlepaper) and you can also visit their website www. brittlepaper.com

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“Just two years shy of thirty, Patsy has nothing to show for it besides the flimsy brown envelope that she uses to shade herself from the white-hot glare of the sun. the envelope contains all her papers — from birth certificate to vaccination records. But most importantly, it carries her dream, a dream every Jamaican of a certain social ranking shares: boarding an airplane to America. For the destination, and for the ability to fly.” – Nicole Dennis-BennPatsy is a book that chronicles the life of the protagonist Patsy, who leaves Jamaica to chase the America dream. Her leaving for ‘green pastures’ means leaving her daughter behind. This shock is a wonderful plot device as it forces readers to examine their socialised understanding of motherhood and what ideal mothering looks like. Throughout the story, we were taken on a haunting journey that both answers and asks questions about those who make the pilgrimage for a better life and those who stay. This is an immigrant story but not for the western gaze. In a true reflection of her prodigious talent, Nicole confronts difficult themes with grace and humanity asking the readers to push themselves beyond their ideas of what it takes to make a difficult decision. In a poignant, thoughtful and exciting podcast, The Cheeky Natives sat with the brilliant Nicole Dennis-Benn to explore the themes of isolation, abandonment, immigration, the ‘American dream’, racism, homophobia and the challenges of being Black, alive and queer in any space. In some parts, this conversation was an exploration of the weight it takes to be a difficult woman making selfish decisions and in many other parts, it was excavation on the intersection of race, sexuality, immigration and the weight of becoming. Nicole Dennis-Benn is a brilliant writer giving voice and documenting the untold stories of the ‘undocumented’. In this conversation, The Cheeky Natives excavated her politics, writing and what it means to hold the weight of an entire community’s expectation. Her previous debut was ‘Here comes the sun’ which was heralded as exploitation of racism, sexuality and other difficult themes. She continues to do the important work in her sophomore novel. Fresh off her second visit to Open Book Festival in Cape Town, The Cheeky Natives were thrilled to have this conversation before the launch of her latest work in Johannesburg. A review in the New York Times affirms that “You’ll come to know Nicole Dennis-Benn’s characters as intimately as you would a lover. They are refined in their humanity and depth.”

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“This is my story. This happened to me. Who he is, is irrelevant. He could be the boy next door, a street sweeper or your son – he could be anyone. I refuse to make this story about him or who he is. He is no different from any abusive man. His name is irrelevant. What he did though, is relevant. What he did to me – over and over again – is very relevant.” – Vanessa Govender Beaten but not Broken by Vanessa Govender is a harrowing story. In recent weeks, we have seen the resurfacing of conversation about Gender-Based Violence following the deaths of a number of womxn, killed by men. Gender-Based Violence in South Africa is alarmingly high. It is reported that a womxn dies every 3 hours. In this memoir, Vanessa recounts her own experience. Vanessa writes: “This is South Africa. My story is one of hundreds of thousands of women, many of whom are silent and don’t have the courage to speak out because they are simply too afraid. I know their fear. I’ve known it, lived with it all these years, following me, hanging over my shoulders, filling my head.”Vanessa Govender grew up in a conservative Indian community. This community ostracised Vanessa because she was dark-skinned. The colour of Vanessa’s skin meant that she was the victim of childhood bullying and often low self-esteem issues that followed her into her adult life. Vanessa gives us a glimpse of the brutally that took place while she was in a relationship with a colleague in her years as a journalist. She recounts the beating, the sexual assaults and the rape that took place. In this story, Vanessa brings to light that class and fame does not necessarily protect you from the brutality of intimate partner violence. The story retells the dark years of the violence and how often many people were complacent in assisting Vanessa. The memoir allows tells a story of healing, of love and hope. We challenge Vanessa on the idea of nonracialism and ask her how it works in the world, where race has polarised almost every fabric of society. This conversation was challenging and heart-breaking in many parts but also very necessary to bring to light the horror of Gender-Based Violence.

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‘But I am done with deceit. Lies no longer hold any allure for me. Now I seek true words that will, somehow, begin to heal that which has broken.’ – Desiree – Anne Martin (@believe_deeply).‘We Don't Talk About It. Ever' is Desiree-Anne Martin’s powerful, harrowing, and poignant portrayal of her journey from an addict to an author. Heart-breaking in some parts but also so inspiring, she takes us through this journey in an intimate and honest revelation of the road to destruction and the journey to redemption. In a powerful but quiet way, Desiree-Anne shows just how the wounds of childhood translate into adult traumas.But in a wonderful homage to the power of healing, Desiree-Anne’s journey is also one of hope. She sat with The Cheeky Natives to discuss her book ‘We don’t talk about it. Ever’And what it means to journey through the most hopeless of situations from substance abuse to toxic relationships. Desiree-Anne’s book is a triumphant journey.

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