Akpabli in new C’wealth anthology

A piece set at Nima, Accra, by award-winning Ghanaian writer, Kofi Akpabli, has been included in an upcoming anthology put together by Commonwealth Writers.

Titled ‘Safe House: Explorations In Creative Nonfiction,’ the 272-page collection is edited by London-based Zimbabwean-born critic, editor and broadcaster, Ellah Wakatama Allfrey. 

The book is a mix of memoir, reportage and essays from east, west and southern Africa.Over 300 entries were submitted but only 15 of them were able to make it into the anthology.

“I see it as honour to be included in the anthology. Usually you have contributors to such collections coming from places such as Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. So to have a Ghanaian in there is a good thing,” said Akpabli, who is a columnist in The Mirror and has twice been named CNN Multi-choice African Journalist for Arts and Culture. 

Many writers and literary critics have praised ‘Safe House,’ saying it is not so much timely as long overdue.

Aminatta Forna, the Scottish-born British writer and commentator, awarded the Commonwealth Writers ‘Prize Best Book Award in 2011 wrote, “It transports the reader beyond the tired narrative of news reports through individual stories and into worlds of hidden complexities, stimulating reading.” 

The book will be launched in London on May 26.