"Negotiating Sexuality" | Tola Rotimi Abraham

Do writers of African descent have the freedom to write whimsical and quirky stories? How can readers support the works of under-discussed writers during COVID-19 global pandemic?

We discuss these topics and more with Tola Rotimi Abraham, whose debut novel, Black Sunday (a coming of age novel set in Lagos, Nigeria, which tells the story of a fractured family coming to terms with an unexpected loss) has been shortlisted for the 2020 Kirkus Prize for Fiction. We use the music of Adekunle Gold, Teni The Entertainer, Shoma Madjozi and more to discuss consent in hyper-patriarchal societies, the inevitable emotional weight of (re)writing and editing traumatic scenes, & linguistic misnomers in the depiction of localised customs in literature published in the West. Listen Tola Abraham’s specially curated playlist Spotify, Deezer and YouTube. Listen to a playlist if sings curated by Tola Rotimi Abraham on Spotify, Deezer and YouTube.

Continue the conversation by posting your thoughts on this episode on Twitter and Instagram by tagging us #BooksAndRhymes

The song you heard in the intro and outro of this podcast is titled: Reset by Meakoom (Meakoom) link to her music is available on Bandcamp

Purchase Tola Rotimi Abraham’s unforgettable novel Black Sunday online and in your local bookstore. 

Authors & Books referenced:

-     We Need New Names - Noviolet Bulawayo

-     Helen Oyeyemi

-     Tade Thompson

-     Nnedi Okorafor

-     The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennett

Songs Referenced:

-     John Cena – Sho Madjozi

-     Surrender – Natalie Taylor

-     Ire – Adekunle Gold.

-     Teni – Uyo Meyo

-     Brown Skin Girl - Beyonce

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