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Find out moreMargaret Busby OBE, Hon. FRSL (Nana Akua Ackon) is a major cultural figure in Britain and around the world. She was born in Ghana and educated in the UK, graduating from London University. She became Britain's youngest and first black woman publisher when she co-founded Allison & Busby in the late 1960s and published notable authors including Buchi Emecheta, Nuruddin Farah, Rosa Guy, C. L. R. James, Michael Moorcock and Jill Murphy. A writer, editor, broadcaster and literary critic, she has also written drama for BBC radio and the stage. Her radio abridgements and dramatisations encompass work by Henry Louis Gates, Timothy Mo, Walter Mosley, Jean Rhys, Sam Selvon and Wole Soyinka. She has interviewed high-profile writers (among them Toni Morrison and Ngugi wa Thiong'o), judged prestigious literary prizes, including the Booker Prize, and served on the boards of such organisations as the Royal Literary Fund, Wasafiri magazine, Tomorrow's Warriors, and the Africa Centre in London. A long-time campaigner for diversity in publishing, she is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and recipient of several honorary doctorates and awards, including the Bocas Henry Swanzy Award, the Royal Society of Literature's Benson Medal, and the Royal African Society's inaugural Africa Writes Lifetime Achievement Award.
Edited by trailblazing broadcaster, editor and critic Margaret Busby OBE - Britain’s first black woman publisher when she co-founded Allison and Busby in the 1960s - New Daughters of Africa is an extraordinary feat of publishing, presenting as it does the diverse work of 200+ women of African heritage across more than 900 pages. In 1992, Busby published Daughters of Africa, and this epically-proportioned - and realised - re-visitation duplicates none of the writers featured in the first incarnation. Busby hopes in her introduction, “may all who find their way to this anthology, regardless of gender, class or race, feast well on its banquet of words.” And I defy any reader not to do just that. This rich feast presents all kinds of writers – academics and activists; critics and curators; fiction writers and filmmakers; poets and politicians, to name but a few - from all parts of the world. There are wise words to chew on from familiar figures, among them Diane Abbott, Angela Levy, Bernardine Evaristo, Malorie Blackman, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Afua Hirsch. And there are individuals and pieces I was grateful to discover for the first time, such as Bermudian Angela Barry’s Without Prejudice story, and Yvette Edwards, a London writer of Montserratian origin. The collection’s historical entries are engrossing too, among them Sarah Parker Remond’s (1815-1894) “Why Slavery is Still Rampant” piece, and Meta Davis Cumberbatch’s (1900-1978) powerfully rousing poem, “A Child of Nature (Negro of the Caribbean)”. This is an exceptional anthology to savour - a uniquely nourishing banquet for mind and heart. Head to our 'Black Lit Matters' list to find more must-read novels by black writers.
Showcasing the work of more than 200 women writers of African descent, this major international collection celebrates their contributions to literature and international culture. Twenty-five years ago, Margaret Busby wrote a groundbreaking anthology Daughters of Africa illuminated the silent, forgotten, underrated voices of black women (Washington Post). Published to international acclaim, it was hailed as an extraordinary body of achievement... a vital document of lost history (Sunday Times). New Daughters of Africa continues that mission for a new generation, bringing together a selection of overlooked artists of the past with fresh and vibrant voices that have emerged from across the globe in the past two decades, from Antigua to Zimbabwe and Angola to the USA. Key figures join popular contemporaries in paying tribute to the heritage that unites them. Each of the pieces in this remarkable collection demonstrates an uplifting sense of sisterhood, honours the strong links that endure from generation to generation, and addresses the common obstacles women writers of colour face as they negotiate issues of race, gender and class, and confront vital matters of independence, freedom and oppression. Custom, tradition, friendships, sisterhood, romance, sexuality, intersectional feminism, the politics of gender, race, and identity-all and more are explored in this glorious collection of work from over 200 writers. New Daughters of Africa spans a wealth of genres-autobiography, memoir, oral history, letters, diaries, short stories, novels, poetry, drama, humour, politics, journalism, essays and speeches-to demonstrate the diversity and remarkable literary achievements of black women who remain under-represented, and whose works continue to be under-rated, in world culture today. Featuring women across the diaspora, New Daughters of Africa illuminates the richness and cultural history of this original continent and its enduring influence, while reflecting our own lives and issues today. Bold and insightful, brilliant in its intimacy and universality, this essential volume honours the talents of African daughters and the inspiring legacy that connects them-and all of us. Contributors include: Diane Abbott * Yassmin Abdel-Magied * Leila Aboulela * Ayo ba mi Ade ba yo * Sade Adeniran * Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie * Zoe Adjonyoh * Patience Agbabi * Agnes Agboton * Candace Allen * Lisa Allen-Agostini * Ellah Wakatama Allfrey * Andaiye * Harriet Anena * Joan Anim-Addo * Monica Arac de Nyeko * Yemisi Aribisala * Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro * Amma Asante * Michelle Asantewa * Nana Asma'u * Sefi Atta * Ayesha Harruna Attah * Gabeba Baderoon * Yaba Badoe * Yvonne Bailey-Smith * Doreen Baingana * Ellen Banda-Aaku * Angela Barry * Mildred K. Barya * Jackee Budesta Batanda * Simi Bedford * Linda Bellos * Jay Bernard * Marion Bethel * Ama Biney * Jacqueline Bishop * Malorie Blackman * Tanella Boni * Malika Booker * Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond * Beverley Bryan * Akosua Busia * Candice Carty-Williams * Rutendo Chabikwa * Barbara Chase-Riboud * Panashe Chigumadzi * Gabrielle Civil * Maxine Beneba Clarke * Angela Cobbinah * Carolyn Cooper * Juanita Cox * Meta Davis Cumberbatch * Patricia Cumper * Stella Dadzie * Yrsa Daley-Ward * Nana-Ama Danquah * Edwidge Danticat * Nadia Davids * Tjawangwa Dema * Yvonne Denis Rosario * Anni Domingo * Nah Dove * Edwige Renee Dro * Camille T. Dungy * Anais Duplan * Reni Eddo-Lodge * Aida Edemariam * Esi Edugyan * Summer Edward * Yvvette Edwards * Zena Edwards * Safia Elhillo * Zetta Elliott * Nawal El Saadawi * Diana Evans * Bernardine Evaristo * Eve L. Ewing * Deise Faria Nunes * Diana Ferrus * Nikky Finney * Aminatta Forna * Ifeona Fulani * Vangile Gantsho * Roxane Gay * Danielle Legros Georges * Patricia Glinton-Meicholas * Hawa Jande Golakai * Wangui wa Goro * Bonnie Greer * Jane Ulysses Grell * Rachel Eliza Griffiths * Carmen Harris * zakia henderson-brown * Joanne C. Hillhouse * Afua Hirsch * Zita Holbourne * Nalo Hopkinson * Rashidah Ismaili * Naomi Jackson * Sandra Jackson-Opoku * Delia Jarrett-Macauley * Margo Jefferson * Barbara Jenkins * Catherine Johnson * Ethel Irene Kabwato * Elizabeth Keckley * Fatimah Kelleher * Donika Kelly * Adrienne Kennedy * Susan Nalugwa Kiguli * Rosamond S. King * Donu Kogbara * Lauri Kubuitsile * Goretti Kyomuhendo * Beatrice Lamwaka * Patrice Lawrence * Andrea Levy * Lesley Lokko * Karen Lord * Karen McCarthy Woolf * Ashley Makue * Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi * Reneilwe Malatji * Sarah Ladipo Manyika * Ros Martin * Lebogang Mashile * Isabella Matambanadzo * NomaVenda Mathiane * Imbolo Mbue * Maaza Mengiste * Arthenia Bates Millican * Bridget Minamore * Nadifa Mohamed * Natalia Molebatsi * Wame Molefhe * Aja Monet * Sisonke Msimang * Blessing Musariri * Glaydah Namukasa * Marie NDiaye * Juliana Makuchi Nfah-Abbenyi * Wanjiku wa Ngugi * Ketty Nivyabandi * Elizabeth Nunez * Selina Nwulu * Trifonia Melibea Obono * Nana Oforiatta Ayim * Irenosen Okojie * Nnedi Okorafor * Juliane Okot Bitek * Chinelo Okparanta * Yewande Omotoso * Makena Onjerika * Chibundu Onuzo * Tess Onwueme * Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor * Louisa Adjoa Parker * Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida * Alake Pilgrim * Winsome Pinnock * Hannah Azieb Pool * Olumide Popoola * Claudia Rankine * H. Cordelia Ray * Sarah Parker Remond * Florida Ruffin Ridley * Zandria F. Robinson * Zuleica Romay Guerra * Andrea Rosario-Gborie * Leone Ross * Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin * Minna Salami * Marina Salandy-Brown * Sapphire * Noo Saro-Wiwa * Taiye Selasi * Namwali Serpell * Kadija Sesay * Claire Shepherd * Verene A. Shepherd * Warsan Shire * Lola Shoneyin * Dorothea Smartt * Zadie Smith * Adeola Solanke * Celia Sorhaindo * Attillah Springer * Andrea Stuart * SuAndi * Valerie Joan Tagwira * Jennifer Teege * Jean Thevenet * Natasha Trethewey * Novuyo Rosa Tshuma * Hilda J. Twongyeirwe * Chika Unigwe * Yvonne Vera * Phillippa Yaa de Villiers * Kit de Waal * Elizabeth Walcott-Hackshaw * Effie Waller Smith * Rebecca Walker * Ayeta Anne Wangusa * Zukiswa Wanner * Jesmyn Ward * Verna Allette Wilkins * Charlotte Williams * Sue Woodford-Hollick * Makhosazana Xaba * Tiphanie Yanique
Showcasing the work of more than 200 women writers of African descent, this major international collection celebrates their contributions to literature and international culture. Twenty-five years ago, Margaret Busby wrote a groundbreaking anthology Daughters of Africa illuminated the silent, forgotten, underrated voices of black women (Washington Post). Published to international acclaim, it was hailed as an extraordinary body of achievement... a vital document of lost history (Sunday Times). New Daughters of Africa continues that mission for a new generation, bringing together a selection of overlooked artists of the past with fresh and vibrant voices that have emerged from across the globe in the past two decades, from Antigua to Zimbabwe and Angola to the USA. Key figures join popular contemporaries in paying tribute to the heritage that unites them. Each of the pieces in this remarkable collection demonstrates an uplifting sense of sisterhood, honours the strong links that endure from generation to generation, and addresses the common obstacles women writers of colour face as they negotiate issues of race, gender and class, and confront vital matters of independence, freedom and oppression. Custom, tradition, friendships, sisterhood, romance, sexuality, intersectional feminism, the politics of gender, race, and identity-all and more are explored in this glorious collection of work from over 200 writers. New Daughters of Africa spans a wealth of genres-autobiography, memoir, oral history, letters, diaries, short stories, novels, poetry, drama, humour, politics, journalism, essays and speeches-to demonstrate the diversity and remarkable literary achievements of black women who remain under-represented, and whose works continue to be under-rated, in world culture today. Featuring women across the diaspora, New Daughters of Africa illuminates the richness and cultural history of this original continent and its enduring influence, while reflecting our own lives and issues today. Bold and insightful, brilliant in its intimacy and universality, this essential volume honours the talents of African daughters and the inspiring legacy that connects them-and all of us. Contributors include: Diane Abbott * Yassmin Abdel-Magied * Leila Aboulela * Ayo ba mi Ade ba yo * Sade Adeniran * Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie * Zoe Adjonyoh * Patience Agbabi * Agnes Agboton * Candace Allen * Lisa Allen-Agostini * Ellah Wakatama Allfrey * Andaiye * Harriet Anena * Joan Anim-Addo * Monica Arac de Nyeko * Yemisi Aribisala * Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro * Amma Asante * Michelle Asantewa * Nana Asma'u * Sefi Atta * Ayesha Harruna Attah * Gabeba Baderoon * Yaba Badoe * Yvonne Bailey-Smith * Doreen Baingana * Ellen Banda-Aaku * Angela Barry * Mildred K. Barya * Jackee Budesta Batanda * Simi Bedford * Linda Bellos * Jay Bernard * Marion Bethel * Ama Biney * Jacqueline Bishop * Malorie Blackman * Tanella Boni * Malika Booker * Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond * Beverley Bryan * Akosua Busia * Candice Carty-Williams * Rutendo Chabikwa * Barbara Chase-Riboud * Panashe Chigumadzi * Gabrielle Civil * Maxine Beneba Clarke * Angela Cobbinah * Carolyn Cooper * Juanita Cox * Meta Davis Cumberbatch * Patricia Cumper * Stella Dadzie * Yrsa Daley-Ward * Nana-Ama Danquah * Edwidge Danticat * Nadia Davids * Tjawangwa Dema * Yvonne Denis Rosario * Anni Domingo * Nah Dove * Edwige Renee Dro * Camille T. Dungy * Anais Duplan * Reni Eddo-Lodge * Aida Edemariam * Esi Edugyan * Summer Edward * Yvvette Edwards * Zena Edwards * Safia Elhillo * Zetta Elliott * Nawal El Saadawi * Diana Evans * Bernardine Evaristo * Eve L. Ewing * Deise Faria Nunes * Diana Ferrus * Nikky Finney * Aminatta Forna * Ifeona Fulani * Vangile Gantsho * Roxane Gay * Danielle Legros Georges * Patricia Glinton-Meicholas * Hawa Jande Golakai * Wangui wa Goro * Bonnie Greer * Jane Ulysses Grell * Rachel Eliza Griffiths * Carmen Harris * zakia henderson-brown * Joanne C. Hillhouse * Afua Hirsch * Zita Holbourne * Nalo Hopkinson * Rashidah Ismaili * Naomi Jackson * Sandra Jackson-Opoku * Delia Jarrett-Macauley * Margo Jefferson * Barbara Jenkins * Catherine Johnson * Ethel Irene Kabwato * Elizabeth Keckley * Fatimah Kelleher * Donika Kelly * Adrienne Kennedy * Susan Nalugwa Kiguli * Rosamond S. King * Donu Kogbara * Lauri Kubuitsile * Goretti Kyomuhendo * Beatrice Lamwaka * Patrice Lawrence * Andrea Levy * Lesley Lokko * Karen Lord * Karen McCarthy Woolf * Ashley Makue * Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi * Reneilwe Malatji * Sarah Ladipo Manyika * Ros Martin * Lebogang Mashile * Isabella Matambanadzo * NomaVenda Mathiane * Imbolo Mbue * Maaza Mengiste * Arthenia Bates Millican * Bridget Minamore * Nadifa Mohamed * Natalia Molebatsi * Wame Molefhe * Aja Monet * Sisonke Msimang * Blessing Musariri * Glaydah Namukasa * Marie NDiaye * Juliana Makuchi Nfah-Abbenyi * Wanjiku wa Ngugi * Ketty Nivyabandi * Elizabeth Nunez * Selina Nwulu * Trifonia Melibea Obono * Nana Oforiatta Ayim * Irenosen Okojie * Nnedi Okorafor * Juliane Okot Bitek * Chinelo Okparanta * Yewande Omotoso * Makena Onjerika * Chibundu Onuzo * Tess Onwueme * Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor * Louisa Adjoa Parker * Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida * Alake Pilgrim * Winsome Pinnock * Hannah Azieb Pool * Olumide Popoola * Claudia Rankine * H. Cordelia Ray * Sarah Parker Remond * Florida Ruffin Ridley * Zandria F. Robinson * Zuleica Romay Guerra * Andrea Rosario-Gborie * Leone Ross * Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin * Minna Salami * Marina Salandy-Brown * Sapphire * Noo Saro-Wiwa * Taiye Selasi * Namwali Serpell * Kadija Sesay * Claire Shepherd * Verene A. Shepherd * Warsan Shire * Lola Shoneyin * Dorothea Smartt * Zadie Smith * Adeola Solanke * Celia Sorhaindo * Attillah Springer * Andrea Stuart * SuAndi * Valerie Joan Tagwira * Jennifer Teege * Jean Thevenet * Natasha Trethewey * Novuyo Rosa Tshuma * Hilda J. Twongyeirwe * Chika Unigwe * Yvonne Vera * Phillippa Yaa de Villiers * Kit de Waal * Elizabeth Walcott-Hackshaw * Effie Waller Smith * Rebecca Walker * Ayeta Anne Wangusa * Zukiswa Wanner * Jesmyn Ward * Verna Allette Wilkins * Charlotte Williams * Sue Woodford-Hollick * Makhosazana Xaba * Tiphanie Yanique
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