The Ovie Brume Foundation’s Christmas Bazaar Fundraiser

Looking for a place to hang out this weekend? Then there’s good news! The Ovie Brume Foundation is having its annual fundraiser and Christmas Bazaar on Saturday, December 3, from 10 am to 6 pm. The bazaar will hold at its youth centre, at 29a Gafa Animashaun street (beside Cakes and Cream), off Ajose Adeogun, Victoria Island.

The bazaar promises loads of fun. There will be:
– An arts and crafts corner for children, face painting and a bouncy castle
– Great local and international Christmas music
– Santa’s Grotto, with lots of exciting gifts
– Lots to eat and drink
– Great shopping and our new vintage clothing store!
– A raffle draw, with a chance to win a two-night stay in some of the best hotels in Lagos, spa treatments and vouchers for top restaurants
-A tombola, with wonderful gifts for everyone in the family

Not only will you be able to pick up great bargains and give the children a fun day out, but you would also be supporting the work we do with children in government schools on the Lagos Island.

For more information on the Foundation, please visit www.oviebrumefoundation.org. If you would like to make a cash or kind contribution or take a stall at  the Bazaar, please contact Christal on 08066372799 or Lois on 08022951591.

Life after Farafina: Two former editors partner to start EditIQ, an editing company

Simidele Dosekun and Yinka Ibukun met at Kachifo Limited. Three years later, they have launched EditIQ, a company of their own which helps organisations and individuals produce writing that is clean, clear, and compelling.

“Even good writers need to be edited,” says Simidele, managing editor and chief operating officer of Kachifo for three years. “An independent eye will always help you improve your ideas and expression, as well as catch errors.”

EditIQ’s service is discreet and efficient, working with a network of freelance editors in Nigeria and abroad. It specialises in editing and proofreading reports, proposals, press releases, articles and Web content. It also offers a special package to jobseekers who want editorial support with their CVs and cover letters.

“Editing is too often taken for granted and that is what we want to concentrate on,” says Yinka, who turned to journalism after working as managing editor of Farafina Magazine. “But we are also putting together business writing workshops and CV clinics because we also want to teach people to edit themselves.” EditIQ will also be offering French-English translation services in the coming months.

To learn more about EditIQ’s services, please visit www.editiq.com or email info@editiq.com.

For free writing and editing tips, and information about related training opportunities, events and more, you can sign up for EditIQ’s bi-monthly newsletter on their website, follow EditIQ on Twitter (@editiq) and join their Facebook page (http://on.fb.me/tXeBNP).

 

An Evening with Teju Cole

Looking for a place to relax this weekend? Then join Teju Cole, author of Every Day is for the Thief and Open City, from 4-6 p.m. on Sunday, November 27 at Cinnamon Cafe, 94 Adetokunbo Ademola Street, beside Zenith Bank, Victoria Island, Lagos,  for readings and conversations on writing and African literature.

Joining Teju Cole will be Tolu Ogunlesi, one of Nigeria’s leading young voices, and they will be discussing life and art in the city, writing and publishing, among other subjects. You can join in and get your books signed afterwards.

Please call 0818 580 1657 or email info@cassavarepublic.biz for more information.

Commonwealth Writers Final Call for Entries

If you haven’t already sent in your entries for the Commonwealth Book Prize or the Short Story Prize, now is a good time to do so. You can read the details below.

Commonwealth Writers final call for entries:

Last few weeks remaining to enter the new Commonwealth Book Prize and Commonwealth Short Story Prize. The prizes are part of a new initiative, Commonwealth Writers, an online hub to inspire, inform and create a community of writers from all over the world. Together with the prizes, Commonwealth Writers unearths, develops and promotes the best new fiction from across the Commonwealth.

Commonwealth Short Story Prize: Wednesday 30 November 2011 (5pm GMT)

The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction in English (2000-5000 words). Regional winners receive £1,000 and the overall winner receives £5,000.

Commonwealth Book Prize: Friday 9 December 2011 (5pm GMT)

Awarded for best first book, the Commonwealth Book Prize is open to writers who have had their first novel (full length work of fiction in English) published between 1 January and 31 December 2011. Regional winners receive £2,500 and the overall winner receives £10,000.

Enter online at www.commonwealthwriters.org.

 

The 13th Lagos Book and Art Festival

There’s good news for all book and art lovers as the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) presents the 13th Lagos Book and Art Festival.  The theme of this year’s festival is “I Vote to Read: The Book and the Voice of the People.”

The festival will run from November 18-20 and the main venue is Freedom Park, Broad Street, Lagos. There will be pre-festival events from November 14, which include the Publishers’ Forum on the 17th.

Kids are not left out of the fun. Along with book readings, discussions and drama, there will be a kiddies segment that promises fun and learning. There will also be a special combined birthday party for Charly Boy, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Joke Silva and many others.

Be sure to keep your schedules open; you wouldn’t want to miss this.

Should Farafina publish romance novels?

Have you ever thought, “It would be really nice to read romance from Farafina.” Or, “I’m sure glad Farafina does not publish romance novels.” Either way, we would love to know. Help us meet your reading needs by participating in our quick poll.

Thank you. Your opinion matters to us.

Kachifo Limited Gives Back

Last month, Kachifo Limited took the opportunity to give back to society by taking part in the annual Back to School Program put together by the United for Kids Foundation (UKF).

United for Kids Foundation is an organization established exclusively for charitable and educational activities aimed principally at needy children in Nigeria. Every year, UKF plans a Back to School Program which is aimed at getting kids on a good footing at the beginning of each school year, and essentially involves volunteering time to help UKF share school bags filled with school supplies at different schools and homes.

Kachifo Limited staff joined in distributing books and bags to students of Wright Primary School, Somolu. Below are pictures from the event.

NNEDI OKORAFOR WINS WORLD FANTASY AWARD

Nnedi Okorafor, author of Zahrah the Windseeker, published by Farafina Books, has won the World Fantasy Award for Best Fantasy Novel for her book, Who Fears Death. Winners in other categories include Joyce Carol Oates in Short Story, Elizabeth Hand in Novella, and John Joseph Adams in Anthology.

In his review of Who Fears Death, Paul Di Filippo says: “…Okorafor exhibits a sure hand with the supernatural, crafting a convincing system of magic and depicting its usage without bombast or silliness. One gets the sense of eavesdropping on timeless rites of cosmic import.”

The book has been optioned for a film by producer Kisha Cameron-Dingle, to be directed by award-winning director, Wanuri Kahiu.

Congratulations, Nnedi!