African story tellers must take control of local content

By Mwaura Samora

NAIROBI, KENYA: Africa celebrated 50 years with a grand bash that brought together the usual congregation of heads of states in Addis Ababa. And although the condemnation of ICC and crying over missed dreams of improving the lives of more than a billion Africans were the main themes, one equally important issue was missing in the agenda. That is the fact that most African stories are actually told by non-Africans. To confirm this sad fact, you only need to pop in your nearest bookstore and check the names of authors of major titles dealing with themes like Congo crisis, the Somalia situation, infant mortality rates and food insecurity in Africa.