African writers EE Sule and Jamala Safari will take part in this year’s Yardstick festival, celebrating the best in contemporary black writing.
Taking place in Bristol and Bath, UK, from 27-30 June, Commonwealth Writers has partnered with the festival which features some of the best-established and emerging authors from across the English-speaking African Diaspora. The festival seeks to develop audiences for black authors by creating and promoting a platform for spoken word events in public venues and spaces.
Both Jamala Safari and Emmanuel Egya Sule will be taking part in Rural v Urban, a panel discussion which explores how the rural and urban environments in diverse countries have influenced and inspired writers. Chaired by Nigerian born playwright Chino Odimba, this event will take place at 6pm on 28 June at Bristol Central Library. Both writers will also appear in the Yardstick Griot Globetrotters group performances, celebrating the wealth of writing from the African Diaspora. These performances will take place 7.30pm on 28 June at Bristol Central Library, and at 7.30pm on 29 June at Bath Central Library.
EE Sule was this year’s Commonwealth Book Prize regional winner for Africa, for his debut novel Sterile Sky. Sule hails from Usha in Nasarawa State, Nigeria, and writes both poetry and fiction.
Jamala Safari was shortlisted for this year’s Commonwealth Book Prize for his novel The Great Agony and Pure Laughter of the Gods. Jamala is a poet and novelist based in Cape Town where he arrived as a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
For more information on Yardstick Festival and a full programme visit their website www.yardstick.org.uk.
