Sylvia Arthur

Blog

  • Erasure: Musings on American Fiction

    Erasure: Musings on American Fiction

    On its own, American Fiction is a great movie. But by making the stories of three Black women integral to the narrative, it elevates itself to a whole other level. There’s a scene in the movie, American Fiction, in which Coraline, a lawyer who’s recently become involved with Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, a writer and the film’s main character,… Read more

  • New interview on OkayAfrica

    New interview on OkayAfrica

    Growing up in the U.K., Sylvia Arthur did not read one African writer throughout her school years, even up to university. “That was a while ago. Things may have changed slightly, but not much,” she tells OkayAfrica in an interview. “There are African writers who go way before Chinua Achebe. None of those people and our literature are generally… Read more

  • Annick Balley | 1964-2024

    Annick Balley | 1964-2024

    I’m saddened to hear of the passing of Annick Balley, a pioneering journalist and broadcaster who I interviewed at her home in Cotonou, Benin, in October 2022 for A Women’s Oral History of West Africa. Madame Balley had a long and distinguished career in public service broadcasting, rising to the top of her profession as… Read more

  • The compound interest of compound housing

    The compound interest of compound housing

    Interesting article in The Guardian about an intergenerational care home in the U.K. that incorporates a nursery where children and residents come together daily, and the positive benefits this has for both seniors and toddlers. “If the idea is familiar to you,” the article states, “it is probably from the Channel 4 series, Old People’s… Read more

  • The Sarjo Effect

    The Sarjo Effect

    “It’s not like male photographers are better than female. I want people to recognise me as a photographer who is as good as male ones. I want Gambia to see how passionate I am.” Sarjo Baldeh in The Guardian I’m so pleased for and proud of my friend, Sarjo Baldeh, my photographer on The Gambia… Read more

  • In Communion With Madame Jobe

    In Communion With Madame Jobe

    My professional highlight of 2023 was spending five weeks in The Gambia travelling along the Atlantic coast interviewing women aged over 60 about their lives. This fieldwork was part of my research for my National Geographic Society-supported project, A Women’s Oral History of West Africa. Of the 27 elders I had the privilege to commune… Read more