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cassavarepublic.bsky.social
Cassava Republic Press
@cassavarepublic.bsky.social
160 followers 5 following 27 posts
Publishing the best writing from the Global Black world. Curating a conversation about yesterday, today and tomorrow. #readcassava
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Reposted by Cassava Republic Press
hararereview.bsky.social
My latest for @thecontinent.org: on @chitra.bsky.social's The World Was In Our Hands: Voices from the Boko Haram Conflict, from @cassavarepublic.bsky.social
Victims of a terrorist insurgency talk back So many stories of suffering in Africa are told by others; so few by the people living them. An oral history of people living through the Boko Haram conflict aims to correct this. --- THE WORLD Was in Our Hands is an oral history of people affected by the Boko Haram conflict, comprising testimonies collected by Chitra Nagarajan from 2016 to 2021. It contains 47 interviews with "women, soldiers farmers, and fishermen"; displaced people, some of them insiders; and those who experienced the violence, either directly or indirectly. You can sense the sensitivity of Nagarajan, the author-researcher, in collecting these stories. Narrators relate their stories in their own languages and review what was recorded. The stories ofwomen and girls are prioritised: from falling pregnant or being kidnapped, to missing years of school. The conflict's effect on elder-youth dynamics is also highlighted, as is citizens' relation to the state, often complicated by the perception that governments are corrupt or do not care about their people. Nagarajan shows great insight in addressing the root causes of the conflict, a complex interplay of religion and an absent state. She records the rise of Boko Haram, from a separatist community founded in Yobe State in 2003 to the increasing popularity of its charismatic leader, Mohammed Yusuf, who government forces killed in 2009 "After Yusuf's killing, his group went underground, regrouped, and returned, calling itself Jama'atu Ahl al-Sunna li-1-Da'wa wa-l-Jihad, translated as People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad. The media named it Boko Haram in reference to one of its slogans,' Nagarajan writes. The group became increasingly violent and more insular under the new leadership of Abubakar Shekau, indulging in a spree of violence that led to retaliation and reprisals from the government. The victims were frequently innocent people who refused to reveal what they knew about the group's members. This was a factor in extending Boko Haram's influence, ultimately leading to what has effectively been a civil war. The victims were frequently innocent people who refused to reveal what they knew about the group's members As one of the affected people testifies: "If you identified them, they would kill you. Ifyou didn't identify them, soldiers would kill you. What were we supposed to do?" People have suffered bereavement and families have been separated Livelihoods have been ruined and people turned into beggars. Many people have been displaced - and then scorned for being refugees. Children have missed out on years of school People have been displaced to camps, where they face food insecurity - yet are still relieved to be removed from the fighting. Young women who were taken - some willingly, others against their will-speak of being Boko Haram "wives" "[I]t felt good to have this power after a lifetime of being told you had none because you were a girl. We wives could do anything we wanted, whatever it was." There are many stories from people who escaped Sambisa Forest where Boko Haram had its base. A mother tells of her grief at her son being willingly recruited; she talks about fleeing with her younger sons to protect them from the influence of the older boys, now insurgents. One woman talks about the many men she saved by hiding them in her home. Another tells how a woman protected her daughter from being kidnapped byburying her underground. We also hear from the daughter herself about that experience There a…
September 27, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Reposted by Cassava Republic Press
joannemerriam.bsky.social
#SmallPress #books 7/14
@playcanpress.bsky.social @cassavarepublic.bsky.social @haymarketbooks.org @ugapress.bsky.social #play #poetry #antifascist
Book cover for Waiting For An Angel (Helon Habila, Cassava Republic), depicting an artist sketching a person’s eye on a wall. https://cassavarepublic.biz/product/waiting-for-an-angel/ Book cover for The Black Antifascist Tradition: Fighting Back From Anti-Lynching to Abolition by Jeanelle K. Hope and Bill V. Mullen (Haymarket Books), showing the title and author in white text with black shadows against a wine-red background. At the top and bottom are black-and-white historical photos of Black leaders and protestors and one picture of marching KKK. https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2223-the-black-antifascist-tradition The Party & The Candidate by Kat Sandler (Playwrights Canada Press): In these two entwined, fast-paced plays, the hilarious goings-on behind the scenes of a controversial election chaotically unfold first at the fundraiser that will decide the party’s nominee and then months later at a debate the night before the election. https://www.playwrightscanada.com/Books/T/The-Party-The-Candidate Book cover for Semiotics by Chekwube Danladi (University of Georgia Press), depicting a black woman holding one breast and looking sad, lying on her side on a bed with a snake. Below the title is noted "winner of the Cave Canem Poetry Prize" and "selected by Evie Shockley". https://ugapress.org/book/9780820358116/semiotics/
February 14, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Reposted by Cassava Republic Press
hararereview.bsky.social
Coming Apr '25 from @cassavarepublic.bsky.social

"[A] deeply moving collection of first-hand narratives from a diverse range of people, living through the harrowing, ongoing Boko Haram conflict. [This] collection provides a profound insight into the realities faced by those caught in the turmoil."
The cover of "The World Was in Our Hands: Voices from the Boko Haram Conflict" by Chitra Nagarajan: a pink-ish and turquoise green background with the title prominent in white text. Below that is a group of children dressed in garments made from similar fabric, seen from the side, and reaching up and back over their heads.
March 2, 2025 at 7:27 AM
cassavarepublic.bsky.social
The origins and funding of Boko Haram have been intensely debated recently. Beyond this are real people whose lives have been forever changed.

Our forthcoming book, The World Was In Our Hands edited by Chitra Nagarajan shares their voices.

Hear their truths⬇️
February 19, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Reposted by Cassava Republic Press
joannemerriam.bsky.social
Two daily #SmallPress #books: Media Racism (Marquita M. Gammage, UWP) and Female Fear Factory (Pumla Dineo Gqola, @cassavarepublic.bsky.social).
1. uwpbooks.com/product/medi...
2. cassavarepublic.biz/product/fema...
💙📚 #BookSky #BlackSky #BlackHistoryMonth #reading #nonfiction #patriarchy #media
Book cover for Female Fear Factory: Unravelling Patriarchy’s Cultures of Violence , depicting four silhouettes of female figures against a red background. Book cover for Media Racism: The Impact of Media Injustice on Black Women’s Lives, depicting a young black woman looking through a cracked screen with rainbow colours in vertical lines, as if she is fractured by a broken television.
February 14, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Reposted by Cassava Republic Press
joannemerriam.bsky.social
#SmallPress #books 5/14
@ahmednaji.bsky.social @mcsweeneys.net @bookhugpress.bsky.social @cassavarepublic.bsky.social #novel #memoir #fiction
Book cover for Rotten Evidence by Ahmed Naji, translated by Katharine Halls. Shows a stylized graphic of a man walking out of a prison, his path intersecting with a flood. https://store.mcsweeneys.net/products/rotten-evidence-reading-and-writing-in-an-egyptian-prison Book cover for Junie by Chelene Knight (Bookhug), depicts a graphic of women's dresses in pinkish-red and pale blue with the title and author. At the top, logos for 2024 Canada Reads longlist, Winner Vancouver Book Award, and Longlist for the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction. At the bottom: "A debut novel of uncommon beauty, wisdom, and significance."--David Chariandy. https://bookhugpress.ca/shop/author/chelene-knight/junie-by-chelene-knight/ Book cover for The Book Censor's Library by Bothayna Al-Essa with sticker saying "National Book Award Finalist", depicting a rabbit's head at the center of spokes of red and blue that spell out the title and author. https://restlessbooks.org/bookstore/thebookcensorslibrary Book cover for Like Water Like Sea, depicting female figures dancing and lying down against a blue background with the title and author text in a sprawling handwritten font. https://cassavarepublic.biz/product/like-water-like-sea/
February 14, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Reposted by Cassava Republic Press
joannemerriam.bsky.social
#SmallPress #books 4/14
@sevenstories.bsky.social @plutopress.bsky.social @fullnommunism.bsky.social @cassavarepublic.bsky.social @keklamagoon.bsky.social #malcolmx #patriarchy #nonfiction #transfeminist
Trans Femme Futures: An Abolitionist Ethic for Transfeminist Worlds by Nat Raha (Pluto Press): https://www.akpress.org/trans-femme-futures.html The authors show how social change can be achieved through transformative practices that allow queer life to thrive in a time of climate, health, political and economic crises. What Every Radical Should Know about State Repression: A Guide for Activists by Victor Serge (Seven Stories): Classic 1926 manual. https://www.sevenstories.com/books/4591-what-every-radical-should-know-about-state-repression Book cover for Female Fear Factory: Unravelling Patriarchy’s Cultures of Violence , depicting four silhouettes of female figures against a red background. https://cassavarepublic.biz/product/female-fear-factory/ Book cover for X: a novel by Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X, with Kekla Magoon (Candlewick Press), depicting a man in a suit and hat running, against a giant white X. In the background behind the X is a black and white photograph which has been tinted dark red of a cityscape. https://www.candlewick.com/9780763690922/x/
February 14, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Reposted by Cassava Republic Press
joannemerriam.bsky.social
Cleaning up my files and deleting the book covers I’ve already posted in my daily #SmallPress #book posts. Enjoy these beauties again! A 🧵. 1/14

@tsvoboda.bsky.social @wvupress.bsky.social @tinhouse.bsky.social @judithlindbergh.bsky.social @regalhouse.bsky.social #novel #stories #memoir
Book cover for Roxy and Coco by Terese Svoboda (WVU Press), shows two naked women with blue wings on rocks in a harbour. https://wvupressonline.com/roxy-and-coco Book cover for A Kind of Madness: Stories by Uche Okonkwo (Tin House), which shows a dark red and pink snake spiralling upwards against a golden background. https://tinhouse.com/book/a-kind-of-madness/ Book cover for Colorful Palate: A Flavorful Journey Through A Mixed American Experience by Raj Tawney, showing a "Best Independent Book Award winner" badge. https://www.fordhampress.com/9781531504571/colorful-palate/ Book cover for Akmaral by Judith Lindbergh (Regal House) shows a figure in silhouette on a horse on a hilltop, holding a bow, with a quiver of arrows. In the background is a large orange stylized horse. https://regal-house-publishing.mybigcommerce.com/akmaral/
February 14, 2025 at 3:01 PM
cassavarepublic.bsky.social
🎉 We are beyond excited to share that Marcia Hutchinson, author of forthcoming debut, The Mercy Step, has been named one of The Observer’s Best New Novelists of 2025!

This incredible honour shines a spotlight on a brilliant novel we can’t wait for readers to experience!
January 27, 2025 at 9:05 AM
cassavarepublic.bsky.social
We’re thrilled to announce that applications for the Being Black in Publishing Internship Programme 2024 are now open!

cassavarepublic.biz/being-black-...
December 20, 2024 at 4:14 PM
Reposted by Cassava Republic Press
ivorhartmann.bsky.social
Created a starter pack of African Publishers, Magazines, Journals, Newspapers, Awards. Note: this is publishers and such as entities not individuals, and actually African (place and/or people) produced not just about or for. (created under ZamaShort, so as not to have individual me in it heh).
December 13, 2024 at 11:50 AM
cassavarepublic.bsky.social
We are excited to introduce the Five shortlist for our Inaugural Gloal Black Women's Non-fiction Manuscript Prize.

The Prize was created to amplify the voices of Black womenwriters in the non-fiction space as knowledge producers and critical thinkers.
November 29, 2024 at 12:25 PM