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EP08: “If I write for them, it means I am removing myself from my source”. Nkata with Niq Mhlongo

Niq Mhlongo (b. 1973, Soweto) is a South African writer born in Johannesburg. Today, he is considered “one of the most high-spirited, irreverent voices of post-apartheid South African literary scene”. So far, he has seven books to his name including Dog Eat Dog, Soweto Under The Apricot Tree, Black Tax and, still fresh from the…

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EP07: The Legacy of Queen’s College – A Perspective on Radical Education for Women in Nigeria.

Founded in 1927, Queen’s College, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria is part of a formidable legacy addressing the gender disparities between male and female education in Nigeria spearheaded by a group of women who contributed to the founding of this country’s first government-owned secondary school for girls. The six years I spent in Queen’s College between 1993-1999…

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EP07: “Our subalterns have not sold out; our youngsters have not sold out”. Nkata with Shahidul Alam

Shahidul Alam (b.1955) is a Bangladeshi photojournalist, teacher and social activist. He has been a photographer for more than 40 years. His life and work can invariably be summarised as a service to society, culture and humanity. While in Dhaka in February 2020, Emeka Okereke visited Alam at his home – same apartment from which he was arrested and thrown in jail in 2018. This episode is the result of their extensive conversation about his life and work – his childhood, parents, family and dedication to social justice in Bangladesh.

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EP06: Mama Margeret of Afroshop Tropical Markt – 25 Years of Making Life Matter in Berlin.

For 25 years, Madam Margaret Opambour-Adjei has run the Afroshop Tropical Markt, in Neukölln Berlin, where she sells foodstuffs, cosmetics and fabrics mainly from West Africa. Originally from Ghana, she migrated to Germany in 1988. In this episode, Emeka Okereke visited her shop during which they discussed various aspect of the movement of African food…

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EP05: Dalit, A Quest For Dignity – Relating Image-Making to World-Making Through a Photo Book

In this Episode, Emeka Okereke (Berlin) connects, through a phone conversation, with Diwas Raja (Kathmandu) – writer, scholar and Lead Researcher at the Nepal Picture Library. Their discussion expands on the intentions and the operative premise of the photography book, “Dalit, A Quest For Dignity” of which Diwas is the editor. The book, which is…

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EP04: It Takes Many Trees to Make a Forest – Tribute to Tony Allen

To dedicate a conversation to Tony Allen is to recall the rich history of African Music, unsurpassed wit and creative ingenuity, needful rebellion, activism and truly African artistic inventions and languages through that very melodious, harmonious, rhythmic, soul-soothing art form called music. Much of Africa’s temperament, sense of community, sharing, family, humanity and spirituality has…

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EP03: Morrison’s Black Book, Chimurenga’s Festac ’77 – “Unwritable Stories” in a Book Form

In Episode 3 of Dots of Thoughts (DoT), Emeka Okereke reflects on a book which preoccupied him of late: Festac ‘77. This book, “decomposed, an-arranged and reproduced” by Chimurenga the Cape-Town based Pan African art space/publishers, is a compilation of the 2nd World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture which took place in…

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EP06: “My father always told me that only Love is above the law” Nkata with Uche James Iroha

One cannot exhaustively and informatively review the history of contemporary Nigerian photography without frequently returning to the name Uche James Iroha (B.1972, Enugu). Since 1999, Uche’s ideology, activities and support for younger photographers, have paved the way for the flourishing of Nigerian photography in no small measure. Yet the temperament, attitude and principles he brought…

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EP02: Neukölln to Bariga from a Bird’s View

Features: Innocent Ekejiuba /Oladimeji Olasoju /Ade Bantu (Lagos, Nigeria) Host: Emeka Okereke (Berlin, Germany). Episode two of DoT is an extension of thoughts explored in episode one. This time, Emeka Okereke connects with Innocent Ekejiuba and Oladimeji Olasoju, in Bariga Lagos – Nigeria. They conversed about the state of things with regards to the present…

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EP01: Social Distancing and Its Sides of The Coin

This debut episode of Dots of Thoughts takes as a prompt an essay I wrote in reference to the notion of social distancing and its many undertones especially in the context of Berlin, Europe where I am currently observing the lockdown. Invited to join the conversation, through a phone call, is Mathangi Krishnamurthy, a colleague…

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