Nii Ayikwei Parkes
(Great Britain, 1974) grew up in Ghana. During his studies in Manchester he joined Commonword, a group of visible-minority writers who discuss one another's work. He writes prose, poetry, articles, and the occasional rap, and regularly performs at literary festivals. The Dutch translation of his first novel, Tail of the Blue Bird (De Blauwe Vogel), was published in 2010, a crime novel about a Ghanaian village where a hunk of flesh is found and the police must figure out what exactly it is. Gorgeous descriptions of Ghanaian nature alternate with sharp passages about Ghanaian police corruption. The book was nominated for the Commonwealth Prize. Recurring themes in Parkes' writing include power, cultural conflict, love, family, and the friction between capitalism and humanism. He performs at poetry festivals around the world and is a regular commentator on BBC radio. He has recorded two CDs of poems: Incredible Blues and Nocture of Phrase. In 2011 he published The Parade, a children's book about the spider Anansi, under the pen name K.P. Kojo.
Past events
Writers Formerly Known as African
Maaza Mengiste was born in Ethiopia and moved to the US as a child. Nii Ayikwei Parkes was born in London to Ghanaian parents. How defining is their parents' country in their work and identity? Toef Jaeger opens with a commentary. She is the biographer of the writer Henk van Woerden, who grew up in South Africa and emigrated to the Netherlands.
Poets in the House
A festive conclusion with poetic presentations. With improvisations on cello by Ernst Reijseger.
Writers reading
Enjoy the work of the writers you have come to see. Said El Haji, Nii Ayikwei Parkes and Edney Silvestre read old and new work. Without further ado and without discussion, introduced by Nicole Terborg. Dutch and English.
Mad as Hell - part 2
Hadjar Benmiloud, Massih Hutak and Nii Ayikwei Parkes ranting in English and Dutch.
