Yaba Badoe – författare

Afrikanska kärleksberättelser – finns de? Ama Ata Aidoo skriver i sitt förord om hur afrikanska författare förväntas skriva om militärregimer, förlegade traditioner, hungersnöd. Så har föreställningen vunnit mark att det inte skrivs om kärlek i Afrika, både i västvärlden och bland de egna intellektuella. Kärlek x 21 visar tydligt att den afrikanska kärleksnovellen lever i vår samtid. Här skriver flera av kontinentens främsta kvinnliga författare om allt mellan födslosmärtor och begravningar; tonårens våndor och ålderdomens krämpor; samkönade relationer och förhållanden som drabbas av rasfördomar. Inte minst slår samlingen hål på myten om den afrikanska kvinnan som ett fattigt offer. Genom hela antologin bultar det mänskliga hjärtat: belägrat och blödande, oförskräckt och ibland triumferande. Närma dig novellerna en i sänder, då kan du höra kvinnornas inre röster var och en för sig.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WEEK JUNIOR'S BEST OLDER FICTION AWARD 2024SHORTLISTED FOR THE LITTLE REBELS CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD 2024NOMINATED FOR THE YOTO CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR WRITING 2025A beautifully illustrated story of dance, celebration, carnival and slavery, about a family understanding their past to change the future.Set in contemporary Notting Hill, Man-man and his friends are swept up in the exuberant preparations for carnival. But his mother is ill and even as he dances, he calls desperately to the Queen of Revels, as old as time to make her well again.Swept away with his best friend Kareem and sharp-tongued sister Panama, to a place in between, the Queen of Revels plunges Man-man into Africa's past and reveals his family's heritage. As they gather around the sacred Tree of Memories, he witnesses many slaves, captives whose pain and anguish and longing is held by the tree. Man-man understands how this is draining his mother and how he must help her back to the freedom stolen from his ancestors.

'She weaves ancient storytelling magic into words of exceptional beauty... Everyone should read Badoe' Sophie Anderson, author of The House with Chicken Legs. A leopard dances under the moon. A wolf prowls. A red-beaked bird flies free. Three girls born on the same day in wolf light are bound together to protect the world. They can dazzle or destroy. They have wind-song and fire-fury at their fingertips, but their enemies are everywhere. From the bleak steppes to the tropical forests of Ghana and the stormy moors of Cornwall, the lands they love are plundered and poisoned. The girls must rally to perfect their skills and prove the strength of sister-magic. Steeped in elemental myth, Wolf Light is a call to us all to hear the ancient power within us and conserve our heritage. Yaba's YA debut novel A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars was shortlisted for the 2018 Branford Boase Award and nominated for the 2018 Carnegie Medal. 'Elemental myth and magic are the beating heart of Wolf Light... Fans of magical realism and powerful women will find much to admire' Observer.

African myth and magic beat in the dark heart of this fable about witchcraft, superstition, the bonds we choose and those we cannot. Born into a family of West African witches, Sheba's terrified of her mother who is deadly dangerous. But like mother, like daughter – magic runs through her blood and Sheba discovers powers of her own.Her touch can unravel people's innermost thoughts; their hopes, their fears – their secrets. Sheba too can shape-shift. Through the communion of ancient magic, blood and friendship, she slowly uncovers the murderous truth about her stolen childhood and steels herself for the future. She must protect the hunted from the hunter – her mother.Praise for Lionheart Girl: 'A dark and dazzling coming-of-age novel, rich in atmosphere and magic realism' Guardian Best Books of 2021'Lionheart Girl is deeply atmospheric, stunningly original, and sizzling with ancient myth and magic. Utterly unmissable' Sophie Anderson, The Castle of Tangled Magic'Loved it! Yaba's best so far – a wonderful tale of magic and family' Catherine Johnson, author of Queen of Freedom: Defending Jamaica

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WEEK JUNIOR'S BEST OLDER FICTION AWARD 2024SHORTLISTED FOR THE LITTLE REBELS CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD 2024NOMINATED FOR THE YOTO CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR WRITING 2025Illustrated in vibrant full-colour, a story of dance, celebration, carnival and slavery, about a family understanding their past to change the future.Set in contemporary Notting Hill, Man-man and his friends are swept up in the exuberant preparations for carnival. But his mother is ill and even as he dances, he calls desperately to the Queen of Revels, as old as time to make her well again.Swept away with his best friend Kareem and sharp-tongued sister Panama, to a place in between, the Queen of Revels plunges Man-man into Africa's past and reveals his family's heritage. As they gather around the sacred Tree of Memories, he witnesses many slaves, captives whose pain and anguish and longing is held by the tree. Man-man understands how this is draining his mother and how he must help her back to the freedom stolen from his ancestors

*Shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2018. *Nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Award 2018. A powerful, haunting debut that steps seamlessly from the horrors of people-trafficking to the magic of African folklore. Sante was a baby when she was washed ashore in a sea-chest laden with treasure. It seems she is the sole survivor of the tragic sinking of a ship carrying migrants and refugees. Her people. Fourteen years on she's a member of Mama Rose's unique and dazzling circus. But, from their watery grave, the unquiet dead are calling Sante to avenge them: A bamboo flute. A golden bangle. A ripening mango which must not fall . . . . . . are these the missing pieces of the jigsaw which will tell Sante's story? Praise for Yaba Badoe: 'An ambitious, impressive and skilful blend of modernity, mystery and myth' SUNDAY TIMES. 'Things don't get much more original than this' BOOKS FOR KEEPS. 'A blend of magical realism and brutality, this is a powerful and original novel' DAILY MAIL.