Events

Join us for Makar to Makar, an exciting new series of live-streamed conversation, spoken word and music gigs. Created, curated and hosted by Jackie Kay, the Makar and the National Poet for Scotland, Makar to Makar will showcase a dazzling line-up of established lyrical talent and emerging voices on Thursdays at 7pm. This week Jackie is joined by Nadine Aisha Jassat, Hannah Lavery and Suzanne Bonnar. For more information visit makar2makar.com Produced by the National Theatre of Scotland in association with Home Manchester, Edinburgh International Book Festival and School of Arts and Media, Salford.

As part of the Edinburgh International Book Festival's Outriders programme exploring the shifting landscapes of contemporary Africa, rising star of Scottish poetry Nadine Aisha Jassat embarked on a poignant journey across the south-east of the continent with Zimbabwe-based writer and film-maker Tsitsi Dangarembga, whose 1988 debut Nervous Conditions was included in the BBC's 2018 list of the 100 books that shaped the world. Fascinated by the rich tradition of storytelling in their shared Zimbabwean ancestry and the voices erased within it, they set out to retrace the funereal route of David Livingstone, whose body was carried from modern day Zambia to the coast of Tanzania by his two attendants, Susi and Chuma. Their adventure took an unexpected turn when Jassat was forced to return to the UK at short notice during the height of the pandemic, leaving Dangarembga to complete the journey solo. They share their unforgettable experience, and some of the writing it inspired, with researcher Kate Simpson, whose own work seeks to bring the stories of the women of Livingstone’s expeditions out from the shadows. With a special introduction by Zimbabwean poet Tinashe Tafirenyika, who reads her poem Sarah Baartman, produced in partnership with pan-African writers collective Jalada Africa, the place to discover specially curated new writers and voices.

Bradford Literature Festival Digital programme 2020 www.bradfordlitfest.co.uk For ages 11-18+ Yorkshire poet Nadine Aisha Jassat shares poetry written by Yorkshire folk in Yorkshire dialect and accents, exploring the diversity of heritage and language in our county and showcasing the importance of voice and point of view.