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As we approach the month of May, anticipation mounts for some interesting historical events across Africa. Fifty-seven years ago, Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu’s declaration of the independence of the Republic of Biafra marked a pivotal moment in history. Additionally, May 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s inauguration as South Africa’s first democratically elected president. Alongside these significant milestones, May also promises exciting new book releases to keep on your radar.
In our latest book recommendation, we’ve curated a list of seven books to enrich your May reading experience. From commemorating historical events to exploring upcoming releases, these seven books will keep you reading in the month of May!
Read our recommendations below.
THERE WAS A COUNTRY
Author: CHINUA ACHEBE
Genre: MEMOIR
May 2024 marks the 57th year since Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu declared the independence of the Republic of Biafra. The independence declaration sparked a crisis that led to a three-year civil war between Nigeria and Biafra. In his personal account, Nigerian literary icon, Chinua Achebe, masterfully relates his experience, both as he lived it and how he has come to understand it. He begins his story with Nigeria’s birth pangs and the story of his own upbringing as a man and as a writer so that we might come to understand the country’s promise, which turned to horror when the hot winds of hatred began to stir. The conflict was infamous for its savage impact on the Biafran people, Achebe’s people, many of whom were starved to death after the Nigerian government blockaded their borders. By then, Achebe was already a world-renowned novelist, with a young family to protect. He took the Biafran side in the conflict and served his government as a roving cultural ambassador, from which vantage he absorbed the war’s full horror. To read There Was a Country is to be powerfully reminded that artists have a particular obligation, especially during a time of war. All writers, Achebe argues, should be committed writers—they should speak for their history, their beliefs, and their people.
THE CONCUBINE
AUTHOR: ELECHI AMADI
GENRE: FICTION
Originally published in 1966, The Concubine is set in a village in Eastern Nigeria, untouched by Western influences, where societal norms are orderly and predictable. The novel explores the life of Ihuoma, a woman described as possessing great beauty and dignity, who brings suffering and death to her lovers. Despite her desire for a typical romantic relationship or marriage, Ihuoma finds herself unable to maintain such connections, as her suitors meet mysterious and tragic fates. This novel paints a picture of a society still governed by traditional beliefs and deities, offering insight into the complexities of human relationships within such a context. May presents a great time to explore Elechi Amadi’s debut work, as the Nigerian playwright and novelist was born on May 12, 1934, in Aluu, a small town in Rivers State. Amadi stands among the pioneering generation of African novelists, making his debut novel a compelling read for those interested in African literature and culture.
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOLM X
AUTHORS: ALEX HALEY AND MALCOLM X
GENRE: NON-FICTION
On May 19, 1925, Malcolm X, an American human rights activist and prominent figure in the civil rights movement, was born. Through a life marked by passion and struggle, Malcolm X emerged as one of the most influential figures of the 20th century. In this captivating narrative, he recounts his journey from a prison cell to Mecca, detailing his transformation from a troubled youth to a devout Muslim minister. Referring to himself as ‘the angriest Black man in America’, Malcolm X reflects on how his conversion to Islam enabled him to confront his anger and embrace the universal brotherhood of humanity. His compelling story has not only shaped his own life but also left an enduring legacy. The resonance of his words and the power of his ideas continue to captivate audiences even decades after their inception. This book serves as a testament to Malcolm X’s enduring influence and is a valuable resource for those interested in delving deeper into Black history.
LONG WALK TO FREEDOM
AUTHOR: NELSON MANDELA
GENRE: NON-FICTION
On 10 May 1994, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa’s first democratically elected president. Looking back 30 years on makes it a great time to read about Mandela, one of the great political leaders of our time whose lifelong dedication to the fight against racial oppression in South Africa won him the Nobel Peace Prize.
Since his triumphant release in 1990 from more than a quarter-century of imprisonment, Mandela has been at the center of the most compelling and inspiring political story in the world. As president of the African National Congress and head of South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement, he was instrumental in moving the nation toward multiracial government and majority rule. He is revered everywhere as a vital force in the fight for human rights and racial equality.
The foster son of a Thembu chief, Mandela was raised in the traditional, tribal culture of his ancestors, but at an early age learned the modern, inescapable reality of what came to be called apartheid, one of the most powerful and effective systems of oppression ever conceived. In this engrossing prose, he tells of his early years as an impoverished student and law clerk in a Jewish firm in Johannesburg, of his slow political awakening, and of his pivotal role in the rebirth of a stagnant ANC and the formation of its Youth League in the 1950s.
In Long Walk to Freedom, Mandela describes the struggle to reconcile his political activity with his devotion to his family, the anguished breakup of his first marriage, and the painful separations from his children. He brings vividly to life the escalating political warfare in the fifties between the ANC and the government, culminating in his dramatic escapades as an underground leader and the notorious Rivonia Trial of 1964, at which he was sentenced to life imprisonment. He recounts the eventful twenty-seven years in prison and the complex, delicate negotiations that led both to his freedom and to the beginning of the end of apartheid.
LIKE WATER LIKE SEA
AUTHOR: OLUMIDE POPOOLA
GENRE: FICTION
The month of May also promises new releases from African authors, and one of such is Like Water Like Sea by Olumide Popoola.
It is the ten-year anniversary of her sister’s death, and Nia is grappling with her grief, and balancing the complicated relationships weaving through her life. There is smart and sexy Temi; Melvin, her teenage love; and her new yet intimate friendship with Rahul and Crystal. But looming large over everything is her mother SuSu, whose battle with bipolar disorder continues to cast a profound shadow over Nia. Like Water Like Sea is a poignant tale of self-discovery and resilience, sexuality and motherhood, and falling apart to become truly whole. Discover more new book releases in May here. Buy the book here.
ONE DAY I WILL WRITE ABOUT THIS PLACE
AUTHOR: BINYAVANGA WAINAINA
GENRE: MEMOIR
On 21 May 2019, Kenyan writer, journalist, and LGBTQ+ activist, Binyavanga Wainaina, died from complications from a stroke. He was 48. Wainaina won the 2002 Caine Prize for African Writing. In 2003 and was the founding editor of Kwani? literary magazine. In his lifetime, he was well known for the essay, ‘How to Write About Africa’. For anyone looking to get into his literary works, his memoir, One Day I Will Write About This Place, is a great start. In this compelling debut memoir, Wainaina takes us through his school days, his mother’s religious period, his failed attempt to study in South Africa as a computer programmer, a moving family reunion in Uganda, and his travels around Kenya. The landscape in front of him always claims his main attention, but he also evokes the shifting political scene that unsettles his views on family, tribe, and nationhood. Throughout, reading is his refuge and his solace. And when, in 2002, a writing prize comes through, the door is opened for him to pursue the career that perhaps had been beckoning all along. A series of fascinating international reporting assignments follow. Finally he circles back to Kenya in the throes of postelection violence and finds he is not the only one questioning the old certainties.
ONE MAN, ONE MATCHET
AUTHOR: T. M. ALUKO
GENRE: FICTION
In Yorubaland in Nigeria, the village of Ipaja faces a crisis—one of identity, power, and famine. At the center are two young men with very different ideas on how to prevent the oncoming catastrophe. Although they both claim to have the village’s best intentions at heart, neither can deny the power they stand to gain if the other one fails. As tensions rise, the village must decide who they can trust and who will be able to save them from a deadly disaster. First published in 1964, reading One Man, One Matchet in 2024 is a great way to commemorate the death anniversary of T. M. Aluko, whom literary critic Oladele Taiwo refers to as ‘Nigeria’s most undervalued novelist’.