Hello, Welcome to my little corner...
Hey there....
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I am a Nairobi-based literary advocate, podcaster, entrepreneur, and the founder of Soma Nami Books—a one-of-a-kind Afrocentric book hub and the only space of its kind in Nairobi, Kenya. I am deeply committed to the transformative power of stories as catalysts for social change, and over the past several years I have championed initiatives that amplify diverse African voices, narratives, and ways of knowing.
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My academic background is in Psychology, and for the past decade I have worked in the humanitarian sector, primarily within the field of forced migration. Working closely with refugees across Sub-Saharan Africa has been both profound and challenging. Daily exposure to stories of displacement, loss, and survival can, over time, flatten Africa into a singular narrative, one defined by conflict, violence, and dependency, and by people portrayed as lacking agency and awaiting rescue. While these realities are not false, they are incomplete.
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As an African living and working on the continent, I came to recognize that this dominant narrative did not reflect my lived experience, nor did it capture the full breadth of African life. This realization compelled me to intentionally seek out and engage with literature that offered more expansive, nuanced, and self-authored African stories, stories that affirmed complexity, creativity, dignity, and agency.
My work today is driven by a desire to restore narrative balance by centering Africans as authors and agents of their own stories. I advocate for the reading and circulation of literature from and by Africans; I curate and build literary communities; I facilitate critical, forward-looking conversations; and I work to ensure that African books are both visible and accessible. Through these efforts, I aim to contribute to a more honest, plural, and empowered understanding of Africa and its people.