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This is my contribution to Kinna's Ghana Literature Week, Nov. 14 - 20, 2011 . ____________________________ If you look you will see that whatever happens the birds will sing their song. [1] The ancestors say that the truth is short but, s εbi, when the tale is bad, then even the truth stretches like a toad run over by a car on those new roads they are are building. [2] Ei, the elders say that news is as restless as a bird [5] And when fear catches you, it returns you to screaming, your first language. [7] I wanted to tell him that you do not light a fire under a fruit-bearing tree, but these young people think they invented knowledge so I ignored him. [9] [R]emember that the monkey was eating long before the farmer was born . [9] And I tell them that it is not just about beauty because beauty doesn't pay debts. But do they listen? [13] He couldn't accept, as his grandfather's fellow had, that it was meant to be. His grandfather's li...

Title: Tail of the Blue Bird Author: Nii Ayikwei Parkes Genre: Fiction/Whodunit Publishers: Jonathan Cape Pages: 170 Year of First Publication: 2009 Country: Ghana For Kinna's Ghana Literature Week Tail of the Blue Bird by Nii Ayikwei Parkes is a whodunit of a unique kind. The story is about Kayo, a young forensic scientist who has arrived home after studies abroad to contribute to the development of his country. Having settled in, he realised that making it in this country is less a matter of what you have in your head than it is about knowing the right people and pressing the right buttons or greasing the right palms. Initially, with is profession as a forensic pathologist, he had applied to work for the police but was turned down. According to the police, a forensic pathologist is not their priority as current methods of 'interrogation' has worked and served them perfectly. Having resigned himself to working for the thrifty Mr Acquah, Kayo felt dis...

Nii Ayikwei Parkes writes poetry, prose and articles. He is a former Poet-in-Residence at the Poetry Cafe and author of three poetry chapbooks: eyes of a boy, lips of a man (1999); M is for Madrigal (2004), and Shorter (2005). His poems have appeared in several anthologies. His latest novel Tail of the Blue Bird (2009) was nominated for the Commonwealth Writers Prize for First Best Book for the Europe and Asia Region Category (perhaps because he lives in Britain. Don't worry he's a Ghanaian). Parkes main areas of exploration as a writer are reinterpretation of language, micro-cultural conflicts and power. He's been influenced by several African writers including Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Kwesi Brew, Christopher Okigbo, Ama Ata Aidoo, Mariam Ba, Meshack Asare, Atukwei Okai, Ola Rotimi and others. He sees a future in writers and performers such as Mamle Kabu, Mutombo Da Poet, Elizabeth-Irene Baetie, Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond, Ayesha Haruna Atta, Lesley Loko, and others.  Parkes to...

  Nana Awere Damoah Nana Awere Damoah, the author of Excursions in My Mind, has published his latest book titled 'Through the Gates of Thought'. This book is a collection of stories, aphorisms, poetry and articles. Nana's literary exploit has taken him far and wide and his story 'Truth Floats' also appeared in the maiden edition of StoryTime's anthology African Roar .  Nana receives his education in both Ghana and the UK. He is a chemical engineer at Unilever and still finds time to write. He is a family man whose closeness to his family led him to dedicate a whole blog just for his children. Through the Gates of Thought promises to be an interesting read. I would be interviewing the engineer, father, writer, author and man of virtues soon on this blog. This new book is available on the world wide web through amazon.com click here to purchase... Nii Ayikwei Parkes Nii Ayikwei Parkes's poem ballast: a remix is one of the six shortlisted poems from over ...