Nsah Mala

Nsah Mala (real name Kenneth Toah Nsah) is a Cameroonian poet,[1][2] writer,[3] author of children's books and literary researcher.[4] He writes in English, French, and Iteanghe-a-Mbesa (Mbesa language).[5]

Nsah Mala
BornKenneth Toah Nsah
(1988-09-10) 10 September 1988
Mbesa, Cameroon
OccupationPoet, writer, children's author, literary researcher
NationalityCameroonian
EducationErasmus Mundus Masters Crossways in Cultural Narratives, Bachelor of Arts in Bilingual Studies, DIPES 1 Bilingual Letters
GenrePoetry, Short Fiction, Children's Literature
Notable worksConstimocrazy: Malafricanising Democracy, Bites of Insanity, Les Pleurs du mal

Biography

Early life and education

Born in Mbesa (also Mbessa), Nsah Mala did his primary education in CBC School Mbesa.

He wrote his first play in Form Two in Government Secondary School (GSS) Mbessa, and obtained his General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary Level in 2007. He did high school education in CCAST Bambili where he obtained his GCE Advanced Level in 2009, emerging as the national overall best candidate in Literature in English which earned him an award from the Cameroon Association of English-Speaking Journalists (CAMASEJ).[6][7] In 2012 he graduated from École Normale Supérieure (ENS) de Yaounde and University of Yaoundé I.[8] From 2016 to 2018, with an Erasmus Mundus Scholarship, he studied for the Erasmus Mundus Masters Crossways in Cultural Narratives[9] and graduated with triple Masters from the University of Perpignan Via Domitia (France), University of St Andrews (UK), and Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (Spain). He enrolled in 2018 in a PhD programme in comparative literature at Aarhus University (Denmark).[10]

Writing career

Nsah Mala wrote his first play in the second year (Form Two) of secondary education at GSS Mbessa.[11] He published his first poetry collection entitled Chaining Freedom in 2012 and has gone on to publish three other poetry collections in English and one in French. He has published three picture books in Cameroon and France while his poems and stories appear in magazines and anthologies.[12][13][5][14]

Constimocrazy: Malafricanising Democracy (2017), his fourth poetry collection, received reviews. Nelson Mlambo described it in Tuck Magazine as "a profound expression of Afro-talent and the personification of an Afropolitan voice."[15] Global Arts and Politics Alliance (GAPA) observed that Nsah Mala "reminds despots that they are a minority and they thrive on using the masses to gain popularity and benefit from power".[16]

In 2016, Nsah Mala's short story "Christmas Disappointment" was one of the ten winners of a competition organised by the Cameroonian Ministry of Arts and Culture.[17] In December 2016, his short story "Fanta from America" received a special mention in a competition organised by Bakwa Magazine in Cameroon.[18][19][20][5][21] His French poem "Servants de l'État" received a "mention spéciale du concours littéraire Malraux" (France) in December 2017.[5] He attended the Caine Prize Writers' Workshop in Gisenyi, Rwanda, in March 2018.[22]

In summer 2020, POW! Kids Books acquired world rights (excluding Africa) to Nsah Mala's North American debut picture book entitled What the Moon Cooks to be published in spring 2021.[23]

Works

Poetry collections
  • (fr) Les Pleurs du mal, 2019, ISBN 978-1942876465
  • (en) Constimocrazy: Malafricanising Democracy, 2017, ISBN 978-0998847665
  • (en) If You Must Fall Bush, 2016, ISBN 978-9956763856
  • (en) Bites of Insanity, 2015, ISBN 978-9956792672
  • (en) Chaining Freedom, 2012, ISBN 978-0615692852

Children's Books
  • (en) Andolo: the Talented Albino, 2020, ISBN 978-978-956-124-7
  • (fr) Andolo : l'albinos talentueux, 2020, ISBN 978-978-956-139-1
  • (fr) Le petit Gabriel commence à lire, 2020, ISBN 978-2368686621

Edited Books
  • (co-edited with Mbizo Chirasha) Corpses of Unity – Cadavres de l'unité, 2020, ISBN 978-9966133991
  • (co-edited with Tendai Rinos Mwanaka) Best New African Poets 2019 Anthology, 2020, ISBN 978-1779296108
  • (co-edited with Tendai Rinos Mwanaka) Best New African Poets 2018 Anthology, 2018, ISBN 978-1779063601

Short fiction
  • Departure,[24] Redemption Song and Other Stories, Caine Prize Anthology, 2018, ISBN 978-1623719708
  • America at Midnight, Kalahari Review, 2017.
  • Stubborn Miniskirt, PAROUSIA Magazine, 2017.

Essays
  • The virality of letters: the Covid-19 literary archive keeps growing, Corona Times, 2020.
  • Alleged corruption in academic appointments highlights Cameroon’s PhD glut, Times Higher Education, 2020.
  • Comment expliquer la timide mobilisation de la jeunesse africaine pour le climat ? The Conversation, 2019.

References
  1. Ojaide, Tanure; Ashuntantang, Joyce (29 April 2020). Routledge Handbook of Minority Discourses in African Literature. Routledge. ISBN 9781000053050 – via Google Books.
  2. Ngongkum, Eunice (2017). Anglophone Cameroon Poetry in the Environmental Matrix. Peter Lang. ISBN 978-3-0343-2898-2.
  3. N, Gomia, Victor; Shang, Ndi, Gilbert (20 February 2018). Re-writing Pasts, Imagining Futures: Critical Explorations of Contemporary African Fiction and Theater. Spears Media Press. ISBN 9781942876182 – via Google Books.
  4. réd/clp (17 December 2017). "|e-cahiers littéraires – Nsah Mala : deux poèmes inédits". Malraux.org (in French). Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  5. Rinos, Mwanaka, Tendai; Ricardo, Félix, Rodríguez (6 April 2019). Writing Grandmothers: Africa Vs Latin America Vol 2 (in Spanish). Mwanaka Media and Publishing Pvt Ltd. ISBN 978-1-77906-356-4.
  6. Mbunwe, Chris (19 March 2010). "CAMASEJ Rewards Best GCE Candidates | CameroonPostline". cameroonpostline.com. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  7. "Cameroun: Education – CAMASEJ prime l'excellence académique". fr.allafrica.com (in French). 18 March 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  8. "Official communique" (PDF). www.ens.cm. 6 October 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  9. "Forum of Inspiration: Erasmus Mundus Students and Alumni Association". www.em-a.eu. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  10. "Kenneth Toah Nsah – Research – Aarhus University". pure.au.dk. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  11. Writers Space Africa, WSA (1 June 2018). "WSA Africa Magazine June 2018" (PDF). Writers Space Africa. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  12. "Remembering Big Bees in Mbesa". The Tiger Moth Review. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  13. aslebr. "Talking about Africa and the Environment: The Contemporary Poetry of Nsah Mala – ASLE Brasil". Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  14. "Current Events | St Andrews Poetry Forum". poetryforum.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  15. Mlambo, Nelson (18 January 2018). "'Constimocrazy: Malafricanising Democracy' by Nsah Mala: A Review – Tuck Magazine". Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  16. Chirasha, Mbizo (17 April 2018). "The African Poet Patriot in Nsah Mala – Unpacking CONSTIMOCRAZY: Malafricanising Democracy". Global Arts and Politics Alliance. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  17. Mala, Nsah (11 December 2017). Constimocrazy: Malafricanising Democracy. Pski's Porch. ISBN 978-0-9988476-6-5.
  18. admin. "Bakwa Magazine Short Story Competition". Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  19. "Poetry – Tuck Magazine". Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  20. "Category: Nsah Mala". SCARLET LEAF REVIEW. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  21. "Executive Mandates written by Nsah Mala at Spillwords.com". Spillwords. 20 July 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  22. "Rwanda 2018". The Caine Prize for African Writing. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  23. "Rights report". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  24. REDEMPTION SONG AND OTHER STORIES | Kirkus Reviews.

See also

Further reading
  • Tanure Ojaide and Joyce Ashuntantang, Routledge, 29 April 2020 (ISBN 978-1-000-05305-0)
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