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Abstract
It is impossible to deny that across the continent – from Saraba MagazineFootnote1 in Nigeria to Kenya-based collective Jalada,Footnote2 there is a rise in online platforms for publishing and consuming literature from Africa. Within this digital landscape there are digital initiatives such as 3ButeFootnote3 and OkadabooksFootnote4 – and let’s not forget blogs, such as US-based Brittle PaperFootnote5 – who curate African literary content for readers. Even publishers, such as Nigeria-based Cassava Republic, are focusing more on digital literature with the launch of Ankara PressFootnote6 and its digital distribution of romance novels. These different platforms connect readers to new writing on the continent – writing that more accurately reflects their own lived realities – and in innovative ways. They also all play a key role in shaping the way that African fiction is produced and consumed within Africa, as well as in the Diaspora. Bearing in mind these changes, this article explores the landscape of online literary platforms in Africa and the role they play in shaping the contemporary African literary scene. It does this by drawing on secondary sources, as well as primary interviews with key players in the field to get further insight into this rise. Having established this, the paper hones in on African languages, and how digital technologies have enabled the production of multiple languages simultaneously for readers in various African countries. Through this, the article suggests that digital platforms give importance and value to Africans when it comes to the production and consumption of African literature.
Il est impossible de nier que dans l’ensemble du continent - de Saraba MagazineFootnote7 au Nigéria au collectif JaladaFootnote8 basé au Kenya, il existe une augmentation du nombre des plateformes en ligne pour publier et consommer de la littérature d’Afrique. Au sein de ce paysage numérique des initiatives numériques telles que 3ButeFootnote9 et OkadabooksFootnote10 – sans oublier les blogs, tels que le Brittle PaperFootnote11 basé aux Etats-Unis – qui produit du contenu littéraire africain pour les lecteurs. Les éditeurs eux-mêmes, tels que Cassava Republic basé au Nigéria, se concentrent davantage sur la littérature numérique avec le lancement d’Ankara PressFootnote12 et la distribution numérique de romans sentimentaux. Ces différentes plateformes lient les lecteurs à un nouveau type d’écriture sur le continent – une écriture qui reflète de façon plus précise leurs réalités vécues – et de façons innovantes. Ils jouent tous aussi un rôle clé dans la formation de la façon dont la fiction Africaine est produite et consommée en Afrique même, ainsi que par la Diaspora. En se rappelant de ces changements, cet article explore le paysage des plateformes littéraires en ligne en Afrique et le rôle qu’elles jouent dans la formation de la scène littéraire africaine contemporaine. Ceci en s’appuyant sur des sources secondaires, ainsi que des entretiens principaux avec les acteurs clé dans le domaine pour avoir un éclairage complémentaire sur cette croissance. Après avoir établi ceci, l’article détaille les langues africaines, et comment les technologies numériques ont permis la production simultanée de plusieurs langues pour les lecteurs de différents pays d’Afrique. Ainsi, l’article suggère que les plateformes numériques donnent de l’importance et de la valeur aux Africains quand il s’agit de production et de consommation de littérature africaine.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank Kudawashe Kamupira, Dzekashu MacViban and Barbara Njau for their insights into digital spaces and technologies within the African literary sphere. All errors are mine.
Those in the know are buzzing about an African literary renaissance … The African revolution is on your doorstep. (American literary critics Elizabeth Schappell and Rob Spillman (2007) cited in Doreen Strauhs (Citation2013, 1))
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
19 Created at the end of 2011, and becoming fully functional in 2012, Macviban describes Bakwa Magazine as ‘an online platform and magazine which intends to redefine the African narrative by focusing on cultural criticism and literature in a bid to boost a new generation of writers as well as showcase analytical and in-depth stories about Cameroon and Africa; stories which are often misunderstood and misrepresented in the west. It has a penchant for narrative journalism (long form) even though there are short pieces. Typically, literary content and cultural criticism make up the backbone of Bakwa magazine.’(personal correspondence)
20 After romance, educational and religious materials drew nearly equal amounts of interest.
27 Speculative fiction is an umbrella term that covers science fiction, fantasy, horror, slipstream, magical realism and other related genres of literature.
28 As of March 2017, Africa has an estimated 335,453,374 Internet users, with a 26.9% penetration and 9.1% of total world users – although there are still wide gaps as not everyone has access to the Internet. http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats1.htm
29 See for example, http://brittlepaper.com/2017/02/dear-genevieve-african-literature-innovation-funding-pt-7-pa-ikhide/
33 Social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and Blogs, are often where a lot of discussions and debates around African literature happen, as well as the sharing of news and views. From #100DaysofAfricanReads to #LoveinLiteraryAfrica, it is a space where the African literary community comes together and thrives.