Liberian novelist and author of She Would Be King, Wayétu Moore, wants Africans to tell their own stories: ‘A recent book I read portrayed Africa as a uniform experience—overly simplified and stripped of nuance. It reminded me of why it is so important for Africans to tell our own stories, showing the plurality of our voices, our struggles, and our triumphs.’
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?
Growing up, I read books that inspired a sense of wonder. I read African folktales and stories my parents told us—they were magical, full of mysticism and wisdom. I also loved the fantasy of it all, the possibilities in imagining whole new worlds intrigued me. I read J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and other fantasy novels that inspired my interest in world building before I was a teenager. Later, I fell in love with books by Toni Morrison and other writers who saw beauty in complexity, allowing history and magic to coexist.
What’s the last thing you read that changed your mind about something?
I recently reread Chinua Achebe’s There Was a Country, and it reframed my understanding of how we carry grief as a part of our contributions to history.
What is the last book/text you disagreed with, and why?
I won’t name it, but a recent book I read portrayed Africa as a uniform experience—overly simplified and stripped of nuance. It reminded me of why it is so important for Africans to tell our own stories, showing the plurality of our voices, our struggles, and our triumphs...
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