AfroHeritage Book Club – The Death of Vivek Oji
Featuring
- Vuma PhiriSee more about Vuma Phiri
Aug 29, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Centre for Stories
AfroHeritage Book Club is a meeting space for Africans in the diaspora (living outside of the African continent).
Here, we connect Africans living in Australia with literature (and other relevant bodies of artwork) created by Africans. By engaging with popular (and less known) literature from the African continent, our members will leave feeling connected to stories of their heritage as we discuss and share what we are getting out of what we are reading.
We want to see the world through African lenses in the hopes of stirring up our creativity in the content we all create in our world. Any poets, writers, musicians, social media content creators will be able to garner inspiration from the literature we read and discuss. Innovative thinkers and dreamers will have a space to engage with others who desire to build our homeland and continue to build Australia as it grows multiculturally.
This month’s book is The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi.
Raised by a distant father and an understanding but overprotective mother, Vivek suffers disorienting blackouts, moments of disconnection between self and surroundings. As adolescence gives way to adulthood, Vivek finds solace in friendships with the warm, boisterous daughters of the Nigerwives, foreign-born women married to Nigerian men.
But Vivek’s closest bond is with Osita, the worldly, high-spirited cousin whose teasing confidence masks a guarded private life. As their relationship deepens—and Osita struggles to understand Vivek’s escalating crisis—the mystery gives way to a heart-stopping act of violence in a moment of exhilarating freedom.
RSVP essential – scroll below to secure your spot.
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Vuma Phiri
Collapse BioAs a young woman living in Perth, Vuma has always found herself engaging with the stories around her as a form of entertainment, learning and to gain empathy. Her life began in storytelling, from the origin of her name, to living with parents who collect novels to add to their bookshelves at home. Migrating to Australia at the age of 7, Vuma has always felt disconnected to the stories from her home country, Zambia, and from the African continent overall. Vuma created her Instagram book account, @diaspora_reader, in 2019, to share reviews and recommendations for books she has read. In deciding she wants to read more from African authors, Vuma is hoping to bring other avid readers alongside her, so we can learn and share the works of Africa’s finest writers.
Help us do more
We’re on a mission to create a diverse, inclusive, and cohesive society through the art of storytelling. Join us in supporting emerging artists and sharing powerful stories from across our community.