Translator

rather than artist is how I'm sometimes tempted to describe myself. Trained originally as a political economist, then as an accountant, I translate history into images and stories.

I translate the statistics and machinery of empire, colonialism, post-independence betrayal, the military-industrial complex, into poetry.

I try to convey the theoretical and empirical underpinnings of our global system in accessible and beautiful language, compelling live performance, that enter the hearts of audiences while expanding and challenging their minds.

My work draws as much on the social sciences as it does on the creative arts. Environments that nurture both, and encourage a flow between them, are rare. So it's deeply satisfying to feel those two rivers converge, in all that's happening this month.

Tomorrow, I head for WALTIC in Stockholm. I'll perform at the opening ceremony (just typing that sets the butterflies freewheeling in my belly).

I will also do a presentation in the Stories And Best Practices program: If God Were A Ninety-Five-Year-Old Ebony Black Swahili Woman...
Drawing on my experience of being forced off stage at Sauti Za Busara in 2007 , I will talk about the power and impact of fully-embodied live oral poetry. Examine who determines what African audiences hear, and in what languages; how women who speak the body threaten hierarchies of race, class, gender; and explore the enactment of political agendas in the guise of "protecting local culture."

To Buy Migritude I: When Saris Speak

The book costs 13 Euros ($20). If you're outside Italy, or Europe, I'm sorry to say that the shipping costs are high. Especially when you factor in the weakness of the dollar against the euro. For reasons I haven't yet fathomed, the Italian online book retailer doesn't offer a cheaper shipping alternative than Fedex. So the total cost of ordering the book online, if you're in the US, comes to $46, and the delivery needs to be signed for.

But here are more affordable alternatives:

1) Copies of Migritude I: When Saris Speak , are now on sale in Nairobi. Pick up one or more at Bookstop, Yaya Centre.

2) If you're outside Kenya, you can order the book directly from me, at regular postal rates. With discounts, if you buy more than one! Email me your name, address, and how many books you want, and I'll let you know the cost. I'll be happy to autograph copies on request.

But........if you have to have your collector's item copy within the next few days, here's how you do it (for non-Italian speakers):

1) Open Babelfish, my preferred translation site. Choose the Italian-English option from the dropdown box. Keep this window open as you go through the online buying steps. Copy and paste into it any Italian text you don't understand, to get it translated.

2) Go to the Migritude Page on ibs.it internet bookshop

Click on Altre Valute (top right hand corner) to convert prices to $, sterling, yen, or swiss francs.

Scroll down past the book title and photo. Click on the little green button with the trolley picture (bottom right hand corner): Metti Nei Carrello (Add to Cart)
Ignore the boxes for offer codes, etc. Below, there's a dull green bar that says Speze di Spedizione (Shipping expenses). Click on the drop-down box and select your destination.

Procedi all' acquisito - proceed to checkout.

You'll need to register as a user, by entering your email and a username. The site will then take you through the familiar process of mailing address, credit card details, etc. You will receive an order confirmation by email.