As a young woman, I had been seeking experience, knowledge, truth, the stuff writers need in their work, but when the artist actually kicked in, I came to understand that in this romantic relationship I was not free to be myself, or to find myself, in order to begin the true work I needed to do.
Taiye SelasiThe summer I finished my first novel Ghana Must Go, I drove across west Africa: from Accra to Lomรฉ to Cotonou to the deliciously named Ouagadougou.
Taiye SelasiThe writer presents himself to the blank page not with an open passport but an open heart.
Taiye SelasiWhat distinguishes [Afropolitans] is a willingness to complicate Africa โ namely, to engage with, critique, and celebrate the parts of Africa that mean most to them. Perhaps what most typifies the Afropolitan consciousness is the refusal to oversimplify; the effort to understand what is ailing in Africa alongside the desire to honour what is wonderful, unique. Rather than essentialising the geographical entity, we seek to comprehend the cultural complexity; to honour the intellectual and spiritual legacy; and to sustain our parentsโ cultures.
Taiye Selasi