Kayus Bankole & Kei Miller: Outriders Africa from East to West

As part of the Book Festival's Outriders programme exploring the shifting landscapes of contemporary Africa, hear from award-winning writer Kei Miller, whose barnstorming latest poetry collection, In Nearby Bushes, was tipped as one of the best books of 2019 by the Telegraph. He's joined in this special event by writer-musician Kayus Bankole, a founding member of Edinburgh’s own Mercury Prize-winning band Young Fathers.

Together they reflect on the journey they embarked on together across Ethiopia and Ghana earlier this year. Contrasting the spiritual home of the Rastafari in Ethiopia with their ancestral links to West Africa, Miller and Bankole recall the people, religious sites and music that has served as inspiration to them ever since.

Returning from their trip just before the COVID-19 global pandemic struck, they found themselves with plenty of time to reflect on their adventure, and in this event offer a sample of the work that has emerged from the experience.

With a special introduction by Kenyan born, Nairobi based performing artist and writer Laura Ekumbo, who reads from Abiy’s Day by Linda Yohannes. In partnership with pan-African writers collective Jalada Africa, the place to discover specially curated new writers and voices.

This is a pre-recorded audio-only event.