Founder of AFREADA literary magazine, Nancy Adimora, believes it is damaging for people to think African stories do not sell: ‘in my mind, the most common misconception is that our stories don’t sell. It’s also the most damaging. Our ability to tell more stories on the scale I envision is largely dependent on people believing in the commercial potential of our stories.’
First Draft is our interview column, featuring authors and other prominent figures on books, reading, and writing.
Our questions are italicized.
What books or kinds of books did you read growing up?
I remember being obsessed with Biff, Chip and Kipper books in primary school—just thinking about them brings a smile to my face. They were full of adventure and wonder, and I’ve probably loved stories since then. But I haven’t always loved reading—I remember when Harry Potter came out, I was initially hooked like everyone else, but the size of those books made me physically sick at one point—I took one look at The Order of the Phoenix and I thought ‘Nah, that’s enough witchcraft for me.’ And with that, my love for books disappeared for some years...
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