About

African Storytelling Fiesta: A journey into African Knowledges

(ACCA auditorium)

Part of Sussex Festival of Ideas

Join us for an evening of storytelling and discussion led by University of Sussex Chevening Scholar and writer Namse Udosen, Pendo Fondo (Sussex MA graduate International Relations), and Mamoudu Sanghre (MA student International Education and Development).

The evening will include traditional African drumming and poetic stories of wisdom about the environment and nature, including a reading by one of Africa’s foremost performance poets, Bash Amuneni. The performances will be followed by a panel discussion which will explore the power of oral tradition; the significance of oral storytelling in preserving and transmitting knowledge across generations in African cultures and how storytelling has been used as a tool for resistance against colonialism, oppression, and other forms of adversity in African history. Dr Sean Higgins, Lecturer in International Education and Development, will join the panel discussion. The session will be moderated by journalist Khumbu Mbuque.

This event is organised by Namse Peter Udosen: MA International Education and Development.

The Sussex Festival of Ideas is a dynamic and engaging programme of talks, events and activities, from the School of Media, Arts and Humanities

Biographies:

Bash Amuneni is one of Africa’s foremost performance poets. His poetry is laced with love, memory, and the subtleties of the human condition. He has performed poetry at Poetry Africa Int'l Fest in Durban, Lagos Int'l Poetry Fest & SLAMeroun Int'l Fest, Cameroun. In December 2017, Bash was a guest poet at the EU Human Rights Night. In 2018, he was also a guest performance poet both at the commissioning of African Dev Bank HQ and at 73rd Session of the African Parliamentary Union Congress held in Abuja. 'Listed amongst the 100 most influential creatives in Nigeria by YNaija in 2020, he is the author of' “There Is a Lunatic in Every Town” (a collection of poems). Bash is also an Architect, Project Planner & audio book narrator who narrated the audiobook version of 'The Whispering Trees' by Abubakar Adam Ibrahim for Recorded Books USA. Bash Amuneni is currently the Nigerian Ambassador of the World Poetry Slam Organisation and African Cup of Slam Poetry.

Namse Udosen is a renowned educational expert and distinguished author of Amang Goes to the Village. He is highly regarded for his captivating writing and unwavering advocacy for literacy and education reforms in Nigeria. Namse is an active participant in the African writing community, serving as a central figure at Writers Space Africa and the African Writers Conference and as an editor for WSA Magazine. He extends his impact as a mentor for teens at the Yasmin El Rufai Foundation in Kaduna, Nigeria. He serves as a panel member for the Wakini Kuria Prize for children's literature in Africa. He is also a respected voice in panel discussions at major events like KABAFEST, Open Arts, the Ibom Book and Arts Festival, and KAFART.

Sean Higgins is a Lecturer in International Education and Development with experiences of living and teaching in Sierra Leone. He is a proponent of the Ubuntu philosophy and the power of stories as vehicles of wisdom.

Photo by Eunice Adekunle