If you read African literature often, you would come to the observation that romance is a rarely featured theme. When african writers want to include romance scenes, the paragraphs run off with great speed and trepidation as if they were afraid of chastisement. Only recently,our very own booker prize winner, Ben Okri won the ‘Literary Review Bad Sex in Fiction Award’ for his latest book, ‘The Age Of Magic’. Most of our writers are too busy exploiting the third world condition of the continent that they forget that romance blooms on our soil too.
Therefore it was exciting when news came to the African literati about Ankara Press, an imprint of Cassava Republic. It was launched on Monday, 15th December 2014. Ankara Press is a fresh new voice publishing romantic fiction for the African market. It is already generating quite a lot of excitement within a short period of time.
Their mission? “Our mission is to publish a new kind of romance, in which the thrill of fantasy is alive but realised in a healthier and more grounded way. Our stories feature young, self-assured and independent women who work, play and, of course, fall madly in love in vibrant African cities from Lagos to Cape Town. Ankara men are confident, emotionally expressive and not afraid of independent and sexually assertive women. Our sensuous books will challenge romance stereotypes and empower women to love themselves in their search for love, romance and wholesome sex.”
They stated further: “We believe that today’s African woman deserves a romance that reflects the full richness of her life. We want to showcase the modern African woman in all her strength and complexity while giving her the tools to shape her own destiny. In our stories, independent, capable women meet handsome, charming men who will respect their choices.”
For audience who have been seeking romance set in recognisable African cities, with characters who are familiar and are faced with everyday issues similar to theirs, Ankara Press provides answer to that quest.
The book covers are very lively, with artworks of women donning the beautiful Ankara fabric, an emblem of African identity.
The books come in easy downloadable format and can be purchased on the website: http://www.ankarapress.com/.
