From left: Scholastica Moraa, Mercy Kirui, and Emmanuel Ngwainmbi at the 2024 Frankfurt Book Fair. Image: Publishing Perspectives, Johannes Minkus
By Brianna Robles | @breesharraine
On Wednesday, October 16, authors Scholastica Moraa and Emmanuel Ngwainmbi graced the International Stage at the Frankfurt Book Fair for a discussion moderated by Mercy Kirui of eKitabu—and one of this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair Fellows—about African and global influence in their written work.
The session, “The Next Global Bestseller by an African Author Will Be a Hit in Africa First” brought together two different perspectives on influence in the author community and the need for expanding the reach of African storytellers. Despite the world’s views of the their respective nations, publishing books to rightfully showcase their stories is their goal, Moraa and Ngwsainmbi mentioned.
Moraa, a Kenyan poet, and author of When Love Says Goodbye, talked about her origin and how her poems gave her the language to discuss difficult topics like sex, mutilation and polygamy, topics not often discussed in Kenyan families. Her book, which has just been translated to Italian, offers insight into the lives of Kenyan women.
When asked who her poetry books are for, Moraa told the audience that she related heavily to Kenyan women because she is one, and wants her collection of poetry to represent that.
“I write for myself first, then I write for the women who are like me,” Moraa explained.
“The women in Kenya feel the things the same way, and I think I speak for them because we are living in the same age… I’m doing us justice by telling the world how we feel, how we see things, how we think,” she added.
While confident in the content of her work, Moraa described it as a paradox—despite her passion for telling these stories, she is often concerned with how it will be received by her audience, primarily African women.
Likewise, author and professor Emmanuel Ngwainmbi, who has published over 25 collections of work, broke down women’s influence in African culture and globally. It’s through this lens by which he writes his narratives and educates.
Despite being an American citizen for 35-plus years, Ngwainmbi considers himself a passionate writer for African stories. When asked about why he can be a prominent voice for Africa, he replied, “Why not?”
He offers his readers a unique perspective, as his content intertwines his global experiences.
“You know that I’ve written 25 books, and all 25 books have to do with Africa,” he explained.
“At one point, I dare to call it Africo-centricity and my works speak to that—putting Africa at the center of a thought process.
While offering various perspectives, Both authors hope their work encourages more contemporary African authors to use their words to spread the continent’s rich culture.
