Writing

Pomegranates

I have planted a pomegranate bush in my garden. It honours a special friend, Farida, whose lovely face is often before me. My latest book, Chosen: The Girl with Green Eyes, is about a fictionalised woman from Afghanistan, whose story is enhanced with pomegranates, balloons and kites. I hope you enjoy it. Your review is …

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Reesom Haile

I never met Reesom Haile. At least, we did not meet in person. Nevertheless, I have become acquainted with him through his poetry about his homeland, Eritrea. In an understated way, Reesom was a protest poet, speaking out about the wrongs inflicted upon Eritrea by those who subjugated her and robbed her of freedom and …

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Cultural Appropriation

A debate about cultural appropriation recurs in literary circles. I recall Thomas Keneally, author of Schindler’s List, debating it to himself. What did he know about the Jews and what they had suffered? The book should be written by a Jew, he reasoned, in the same way that a First Nations author should have written …

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Meeting Feyisa Lilesa

One lonely Saturday afternoon in my apartment at the Bingham Academy compound, in Addis Abeba, I had reached that low point known to most writers. I had travelled to Ethiopia for several reasons, among them the yearning to find a story – a really good story. I hadn’t found it and soon I would be …

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Memories of Ethiopia

As I write this blog, Ethiopia is engaged in a civil war. By now the world will have heard of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Tigray, Mekelle, Sudan, Asmara and other names in the news. No matter how closely you follow the conflict from afar, you cannot be sure of the facts as they vary from …

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Make A Picture

The pilgrims, bundles on their backs, staffs prodding the track, walk with purpose. They are on their way to Lalibela, otherwise known in its northern Ethiopia location as the New Jerusalem or the Second Jerusalem. They make this journey a few times a year. Ethiopian Orthodox Christians from towns and villages are travelling, mostly on …

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