Stephen Embleton

Two things: I'm really proud to be part of the rising tide of African speculative fiction, I'm really proud to have been given the opportunity to create the logo/brand. With member input, we managed to steer the design into something unique - and most importantly for me - not clichéd African (continents, design motifs, rough textures). The central character (literally) is the Nommo : "The Nommo are mythological ancestral spirits (sometimes referred to as deities) worshipped by the Dogon people of Mali. The word Nommos is derived from a Dogon word meaning "to make one drink." The Nommos are usually described as amphibious, hermaphroditic, fish-like creatures. Folk art depictions of the Nommos show creatures with humanoid upper torsos, legs/feet, and a fish-like lower torso and tail. The Nommos are also referred to as “Masters of the Water”, “the Monitors”, and "the Teachers”. Nommo can be a proper name of an individual, or can refer to t...

Geoff Ryman takes on the momentous task of tracking down and interviewing  100 African Writers of SFF  in an eyeopening series on TOR.com. The initial instalment focuses on the diversity of talent in Nairobi and surrounds, setting the stage for the world to wake up to the talent already prospering on this beautiful continent. It reveals an exciting time in speculative and science fiction fantasy literature, never mind traditional fiction, as writers deal with their own languages and culture in the local and global context. Testing their boundaries, screwing with the norms and dictates of english "rules" to hone their own voices and speak for themselves. A particularly difficult task in traditional publishing with its own "guidelines" (aka rules). This has lead to many self publishing or starting their own mags, anthologies and books - with great success and following locally. "No audience" for this content? It's already there, as Omena...