My First Live Stream!

 

I did my first ever live stream last night with the lovely Margaret Pinard and Books, Songs and Other Magic. Thank you both for being so welcoming and gentle with me. Think I settled into it after sorting out the sound issues and topping up my wine. Here's the full discussion:

Agitation August Lineup

 

Just another quick post about Agitation August, discussing books that really shook you up over on Margaret Pinard's YouTube channel. This is the lineup for this week and I thought a few of you might find Tuesday's chat interesting: How to Resist Amazon, and Why. Certainly a tough one for authors and book lovers alike.

I'll be there on Friday at 10 am PDT/6 pm GMT/7 pm CAT hanging out in the chat and talking about Emergency Sex, a book that certainly shook me up when I first started working in international development. Video link here.

Look forward to seeing those who can make it.

Agitation August

 

Yikes! I forgot to post about this to my blog. Managed all the other social media outlets but forgot this one. Definite socmedia burnout.

My friend Margaret Pianard is hosting Agitation August all this month over on her YouTube channel. She's interviewing lots of readers and authors about books that really shook them up and changed the way they see the world. Go subscribe and hit notifications to follow along. You can also play book bingo (see the video above) for a chance to win $75 in book tokens. Well worth watching.

I'll there on 22 August at 10 am PDT, 6 pm GMT, 7 pm CAT talking about Emergency Sex: True Stories from a War Zone, which had a profound effect on me when I first arrived in Rwanda. I'll also be hanging out in the chat to answer questions and just say 'hello.'

See you over there!

Fantasy Library #Authortube Tag

I was tagged in on a set of questions about favourite places to read, fantasy library design, and book conversations by my friend and fellow author Margaret Pinard. If you have a YouTube channel, feel free to join in. If you don't have a channel, you can always drop your answers in the video comments.

#IndieApril 2023 - Talking About My Books

This year I've done a set of talks on YouTube about my books, explaining where the ideas came from, what it was like researching and writing the books, and how I feel about them. I'll leave this post at the top of the blog throughout IndieApril and add each video below as it comes out. This runs from 1st-30th April. If you enjoy any of these videos please give them a like, and if you'd like to follow me on a new adventure around Europe, consider subscribing.

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Talking Rwandan Folklore

 

Catching up with my friend Firmin of Perdua Perdua Publishing, and talking Rwandan gods, legends and folklore from Ryangombe to Insibika, Nyabinghi to Ndabaga.

Full TEDx Luxembourg Event

All of the speakers from TEDx Luxembourg have now been edited. It took place on 26th October 2018 at the University of Luxembourg. Made some lovely friends and wanted to share all the ideas that were spoken about:

SESSION I - NEWS IDEAS, NEW SOLUTIONS
 

Performance: Leonello Tarabella and Alessandro Baris, Collusion

Emilie Allaert, Fintech: Paving the way to a new era  

TED video: Hetain Patel & Yuyu Rau Who am I? Think again

Susanne Sommer and Helmut Wiland: Steering projects without long-term plans - mission impossible?

Performance: Sitta: I know I must go

Silvia Vignolini: Colours with a twist 

 

SESSION 2 - CURATING CURIOSITY

Marion Grace Woolley: Those 'click' moments - defying formal education

Li Bennich-Björkman: Why academic freedom matters

TED video: Dan Ariely Beware conflicts of interest

Chris Woolston: The great science experiment - can young researchers survive the system?

Performance: Jean-Guillaume Weis ensemble

Johannes Heuschkel: What I learned from tracking my mood, sleep and 27 other variables for one year 

 

SESSION 3 - ORDINARY SURPRISES 

Paul Wilmes: The ecology of the unseen

Richard Roberts: Healing by numbers

Tanja Gabriele Baudson: The responsibility of science in and for society

TED video: Daria van der Berken Why I take the piano on the road... and in the air

Sara Rigon: How can you tell if someone is a virgin?

TEDx Rugando

 

Went to a fantastic TEDx event last night in Kigali. It was hosted by Westerwelle Startup Haus. 

 

This place is in a building close to Lemigo Hotel and it has an incredible rooftop view. 

(panoramic, click to enlarge)

(panoramic, click to enlarge)

On one side you had a clear view of Kigali Convention Centre, which is currently the most expensive building in Africa. 

 

On the other side, you can see the Parliament building. Since 1994 bullet holes have been plastered over on residential properties, but they left a massive shell crater in the side of Parliament as a reminder. If you look up as you drive past, you can see it.

 

They were still putting the stage together as I arrived, but the place soon filled up. It was a really good crowd - looked like close to 100 people.

 

It was a really nice venue, and kudos for the funky lighting setup.

There were six speakers and two TED videos. My only criticism is that it would have been nice to have more information about the speakers on the programme, as the info on the website really focused on their business backgrounds rather than their idea and what they were going to talk about. Quite a few of us turned up expecting it to be more of a business promotion event and it was really pleasing to discover the diversity of speakers and topics. It was a really energising evening - as a good TEDx talk should be.

The first speaker was Kevine Kagirimpundu, co-founder of Uzuri, Made in Rwanda shoes, explaining how she took her love of fashion to the high street with the help of a local shoe maker. Next was Betty Tushabe, who founded Spoken Word Rwanda. Her talk chimed really closely with my own TEDx talk, in which she spoke about being forced to study law because of her mother's expectations, then finding her passion for policy making later in life - that 'click' moment.

There was music by Rwandan singer Mike Kayihura, performing a mixture of cover songs and original work. Captivated the audience - really beautiful voice.

The two TED videos were Andrew Youn, founder of the One Acre Foundation who are very big in Rwanda, on how we can end poverty, and Wanuri Kahiu on the importance of art for art's sake.

The second half of the session featured Clement Uwajeneza, who masterminded Irembo, a government services portal, with the ambition of making all government services accessible to everyone, cutting out trips to government offices and reems of paperwork. 

Norbert Haguma, co-founder of AfricaGen, talked about leapfrogging technology in developing countries. This is a big topic at the moment. The West took centuries and an industrial revolution to get to where they are technologically today, whereas Africa is in the strange position of having that technology (internet, computers, iphones) but a large portion of the population still using Bronze Age equipment to farm fields and cook with. Leapfrogging is how you bypass the need to replicate an industrial revolution by introducing non-technologically advanced populations to the technological solutions we have today. It's called leapfrogging, because you're jumping over industrial evolutionary steps to fast-track progress. This is why it should take less time for developing countries to catch up to developed ones than it took for developed countries to become developed. During his talk he mentioned the Great Green Wall, which is a project I'd heard about some years back, but didn't realise was still going ahead. It's a project to plant trees across 8,000 km of Africa to stop the progression of the Sahara Desert.

The last speaker was Gael Vande Weghe, who recently published an aerial photographic journal of Rwanda's diverse ecosystem, This is Rwanda. The talk was accompanied by many beautiful examples from his work.

During Norbert's talk about the future of technology and artificial intelligence, I felt like a Victorian woman listening to a lecture on the potential of electricity. Such a sense that we're so far behind what we're going to become. Exciting, yet unnerving.

Betty Tushabe, founder of Spoken Word Rwanda

I bumped into a couple of the speakers on the roof before they were due to go on. I didn't envy them their nerves, and we laughed about that universal sense of panic every performer gets before stepping on stage - and how that's multiplied tenfold with TED because you know it's being recorded. It was nice being in the audience this time.

A really excellent evening, very glad I went. Plenty to think about. Hopefully the first of many TED events in Rwanda. The talks should be available online in a couple of months. I'll post them once they're up. For now, you can see more at #TEDxRugando

Blank

I'm really looking forward to this. Giles Paley-Phillips featured briefly in my TEDx talk with his origami swan. He's now starting a podcast with his friend Jim Daly called Blank. You can find more information via Twitter: @Blankpod. They're kicking off on 7th November, interviewing the fantastic Jon Ronson. I was lucky enough to catch him at Cheltenham Literature Festival in 2012 and loved his books The Psychopath Test and So You've Been Publicly Shamed. Absolutely tuning in for this. You can plug yourself in via their website.

Hello, People of Earth

Oh my goodness. This was me giving a presentation in Luxembourg yesterday, whilst simultaneously tuning a piano in Kigali.

No, not a hologram, a pre-recorded tape, played at the first rehearsal day ahead of the TEDx talk on 26th October. You wouldn't believe how difficult it was to record that with a very grainy webcam and upload it over a limited 3G connection. Took a few attempts, but got there in the end.

I'll definitely be there for the second rehearsal on 24th October, though. Looking forward to meeting all the other speakers. I have videos of their rehearsals too, which I'd love to watch, only... 3G, limited. 

Never mind. You can find out all about them on the event website.

Unexplained Book Tour

Huge shout out to one of my favourite podcasts, Unexplained. Creator Richard MacLean Smith is releasing a book, which you'll have heard about if you've been listening to the show recently. Here's the UK tour dates, kicking off at the Wigtown Book Festival. Make it if you can, pre-order your copy if you can't.

TEDx Luxembourg

I'm giving a TEDx talk at the University of Luxembourg on 26th October 2018. If you're around, do come. You can find details here.

Caine Prize for African Literature

Went to a really interesting event held by the Caine Prize for African Literature in Kigali last night. They received their first Rwandan entries last year, and held a workshop here, in Gisenyi, for the first time this year. They partnered up with Huza Press and #KigaliLit to deliver a night of discussion on writing. I added the stars in homage to Scifi writer Awuor Onyango (read her work here). Also met another writer, Troy Onyango, whose work you can find on his website. Excellent night, free nibbles. Nomnomnom.

My Name is Life, Book Launch

Braved the wet weather yesterday to attend the launch of My Name is Life, the first adult novel published by Rwandan publisher ImagineWe. I helped to edit this, so it was really nice to see the finished product. Fabulous cover design. It was also my first time inside Kigali Convention Centre, currently Africa's most expensive building.

Author, Karen Bugingo
bugingo means life

ImagineWe founder, Dominique Alonga

Karen Bugingo is a normal teenager roaming the streets of Kigali. Bugingo means Life in Kinyarwanda. Her story seems quite usual, almost boring, until a series of heartwrenching events tear her from her friends, her school and life as she knew it. This is the journey of her courage to fight back and the strength to look death in the face and say "My name is Life."

It was really interesting to see the people she wrote about in real life. Her grandmother plays a big role in the story, which tells of her struggle for diagnosis and treatment as a cancer patient. Her grandmother was at the launch, along with other members of her family, and stood up to say hello. Strange to see them step out of the pages into the room. 

It was a stormy night, and the speakers were lit by lightning through the ceiling-to-floor windows behind. Glad I faced the weather, though. It's fantastic to see publishing houses producing contemporary work in Rwanda. They plan to take this one on tour to other countries, so keep an eye on ImagineWe's social media: website, Twitter, Facebook. We were also encouraged to live-tweet the night, so check out the hashtag #MyNameIsLife for more pictures and comments.

ABC's of Rwanda

Had a really lovely few days. Met up for a quick interview with a lady called Zeddy Kosgei, who is a fellow at aKoma, an African media platform founded by former CNN presenter Zain Verjee. We had such a lovely time chatting about writing, books and films that Zeddy agreed to postpone her return to Nairobi and stay an extra day to attend ImagineWe's book signing. 

ImagineWe are a fantastic group of young writers and publishers in Rwanda. They launched their first book, Oh, Rwandan Child! last year. They work alongside Inkstain, a talented illustration company.

Nicky, the head of ImagineWe and author of the book came to do a reading at my favourite bar, CasaKeza, where I also met up with the lovely Arnold Kwizera, who was on the panel of a documentary about Rwanda's reading culture the other week. 

It was a delightfully bookish night. Zeddy did a really nice write-up of it on the Akoma website, with much better photographs.

Beautiful Moon over Kigali

First Fiction Course

Had a fabulous time at Casa Keza last night.

My friend Maia has turned her house into a local night school and I've started teaching fiction. It was a real honour to be the first course to run at the venue. The start date was delayed by a week whilst Maia and her team ran about like mad things getting everything prepared, and the classroom had that freshly painted smell. They were nailing mosquito netting to the windows minutes before the first student turned up.

It's the first time I've run a writing course. The reason for starting one is that writers are hard to come by in Rwanda. There's the Spoken Word event, Huza Press and Imagine We, but when you speak with publishers they say they find it hard to source material. Most of the international books by Rwandans in English are memoirs or in some way factually based. I want to help kick-start a fiction revolution. Find the next Chimamanda Adichie or Nii Parkes. 

I wrote my first ever novel, Lucid, in Rwanda back in 2008. I was a VSO volunteer, helping with the research and publication of the Dictionary of Rwandan Sign Language. Most of Angorichina and Rosy Hours were also completed here. Rwanda has been a very productive place for me writing-wise, and I see this as my chance to give something back.

It was certainly a dramatic start to the course. Minutes before we were due to begin, a tropical storm passed over. Water was pouring through the closed windows and we were mopping it off the floor. Even for the wet season it was unusually severe. Felt like I was in the set up for an Agatha Christie. At any moment I thought we might have a power out and my students would start to disappear one by one.

Thankfully it passed quickly and all my students remained.

A really lovely group, and positive feedback on the first session. Very much looking forward to seeing them all next week and reading their work. 

If you're interested in joining the next course, drop a line to hello@casakeza.com

You can also check out Creative Kigali and join the Facebook group, where I hope to connect writers across the country.

Oh Rwandan Child

Had a lovely time last night at Grand Legacy Hotel for the launch of Imagine We's first book: Oh Rwandan Child by former Miss Rwanda contestant turned author, Peace Kwizera.

It's a really lovely book. On each page there are examples of different careers, encouraging young people to pursue the things they loved as children. Each of the careers is modelled on someone the author knows. Her sister provided the inspiration for the pilot, and there are so many strong role models for girls as well as boys.

It's a really big deal, as so few books are authored and published in Rwanda. There are children's books on sale in Nakumatt, but they're mostly retellings of traditional stories. This book is modern and beautifully illustrated - thanks to Inkstain.

The event was full of music, song, poetry and praise. I turned up with Creative Kigali members Philippa (left) and Katie (right). We managed to snap a shot with the author herself.

And, of course, got our books signed. Though it's sad to think that, due to Rwanda's lack of PayPal, Imagine We can't currently sell this to an international market. I'm sure there's so many diaspora who would love a copy. If you would like to enquire you can drop them a line via their website, Facebook or Twitter. I'm sure they'd be happy to post it out. It's written in English, but there are also plans for a Kinyarwanda edition.

Literary Festival Guidelines

I read this with interest. The Society of Authors (‏@Soc_of_Authors)  has issued Minimum Practice Guidelines which they hope all literature festivals will adhere to in order to make sure authors receive fair treatments and proper rates for attending festivals.

(click to enlarge)

The SoA has also issued a number of rates guidelines and general guidance covering everything from translation to school visits.

Sir Harry Johnston International School

Had a lovely time this morning talking to Year Seven at Sir Harry Johnston International School (@SHJSecondary), Malawi. 

My friend Col works there as an English teacher and he's started a monthly author talk. Last month they spoke with crime writer Adrian Magson, which made national news. Was a really good session, and the students had prepared some challenging interview questions about my writing process, my influences and background. It was great to hear about what they're reading too: Neil Gaiman and one of my nephew's favourites, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, among others. Hoping to catch up with Col back in the UK over Christmas, and I've been promised a write-up of the interview, which I'll post here on my blog.

If you're an author and you're interested in helping to inspire tomorrow's writers, drop me a line and I'll put you in touch with Col.

Kendal Library Talk

Had a fabulous time at Kendal Library in the Lake District yesterday. Thanks hugely to Kinga and Janet for making me so welcome, and to all who ventured out in the rain to talk Mazandaran in the mid-1800s. The feedback was truly lovely, glad to have fun and inspire. A copy of Those Rosy Hours at Mazandaran is now available in the library.