On her love of the sea and the ruins of history
Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor is a traveler, and her writing is inspired by the places she visits. In this video, she talks about her novel The Dragonfly Sea, set on Pate Island just off the coast of Kenya, about the historical relationship between China and the East-African coast, and about her lifelong love of the ocean.
Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor (b. 1968) is a Kenyan writer of novels, short stories and essays. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications worldwide, including Kwani?, McSweeney’s, and the anthology New Daughters of Africa. She is also a screenwriter, and was the executive director of the Zanzibar International Film Festival 2003-2005. She is one of the founders of Macondo Book Society and the Macondo Literary Festival in Nairobi. Owuor is also part of the House of Literature’s artistic council connected to our project promoting African and diaspora literature. The project and this video is supported by NORAD.
Music: Ibou Cissokho
Vignette: Jørgen Brynhildsvoll