The Cheeky Natives is a literary podcast primarily focused on the review, curatorship and archiving of Black literature.The show is hosted by the cheeky duo, Dr...
Send us a textThe Comrade’s Wife follows a turbulent marriage between a rising politician and an academic, told through her life and lens.The novel features a whirlwind romance between a charming rapscallion and a maiden fair who has been wronged in her past. With deliciously crafted sentences, Boswell's prose is thought-provoking and emotionally impactful.  Anita is not only a victim of workplace injustice and discrimination due to race and gender, but has her own unfortunate experience with gender-based violence, as well. There are those who would say that it sounds contrived that so much can go so wrong for one person but this is a reality that many women face.We sat with Barbara Boswell to talk about this novel. Support the showfollow us on social media @cheekynatives
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Omolola Ijeoma Ogunyemi: Jollof Rice and Other Revolutions
Send us a textIn this collection of interconnected stories, we are introduced to four women: Solape, Remi, Nonso and Aisha whose lives trajectories are bound by friendship, loss and the business of life. Spanning diverse geographical locations and time period, this collection traverses the past and looks to the future.In an ode to globalisation and the rapidly shrinking nature of the world, the story begins in Nigeria and ends in the United States.Interestingly, each story explores a different character and allows us to look into their interior lives.In all these stories, Ogunyemi explores the ways in which women grow, change and come to a place of peace in differing and often difficult situations.Ogunyemi explores the themes of friendship, racism, family and evolving political structures in this collection.The titular story forms the bedrock for this exploration, at once espousing grief, loss and the myriads of ways in which this continent and its leaders can break your heart.Food is central point of this book and Ogunyemi uses it as an ode to the various locations covered in this book.Using beautiful, evocative language Ogunyemi writes a layered, articulate account of kinship, love and grief.We sat down with Omolola Ogunyemi to discuss the timely collection of short stories. Support the showfollow us on social media @cheekynatives
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Zibu Sithole: I Do ... Don't I?
Send us a textI Do… Don’t I? is the eagerly awaited sequel to the The Thing with Zola. In it there is a continuation of the love story between Zola and Mbali, traversing the unique location of Kigali and Johannesburg while navigating the complications of a long-distance relationship and the underlying question of commitment. Will they say I do? Zola's teenage sister adds to the drama as we encounter her in the midst of a cannon life event. Okuhle is not exempt from the drama of the book as she faces her own demons in love and family. Additionally, the elders in this book serve their own dramatic lessons in this book. We sat with Zibu Sithole to discuss her sophomore novel, writing black love and flawed characters. In this conversation we discuss explored the themes of love, humour and family in the South African context. Support the showfollow us on social media @cheekynatives
Damilare Kuku: Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad
Send us a textIn a collection of 12 short stories, Damilare Kuku demonstrates the almost Sisyphean task that is navigating love, relationships and life in Lagos. Damilare deftly uses humour and wit to explore the difficult themes of love, loss, friendship and romance, often catching the reader unaware. As a testament to the universality of these stories, as reader you or someone you know may have encountered one of the mad men Damilare has written about. Of course the women are not exempt from the afflictions of humanity, many of them being difficult and somewhat exhausting in a node to the realities of the women we do know in our daily life. Most striking is the depiction of sex and agency displayed by these women particularly in the face of misogyny and patriarchy. Damilare draws the reader in, using both humour and sensitivity as she explores what it means to live and love in a place like Lagos. We sat down with Damilare to discuss her break out collection. Support the showfollow us on social media @cheekynatives
The Cheeky Natives is a literary podcast primarily focused on the review, curatorship and archiving of Black literature.The show is hosted by the cheeky duo, Dr Alma-Nalisha Cele and Advocate Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane.Â