Mildred K Barya

With all the questions and buzz around me about Kony 2012, I can't help but add my say. And am going to offend some people, I know, but can't help it.

I find myself contemplating life, writing, and while in the past I’ve done so generally, nowadays bouts of clarity drop in, a mercy, and help concretise what is and has to be.

Mary Watson is the 2006 Caine Prize winner for her short story 'Jungfrau'. Her collection of interlinking stories, 'Moss', was published by Kwela in 2004. She has contributed several short stories to published anthologies, including in translation in Afrikaans, Italian, German and Dutch.

Segun Afolabi was born in Kaduna, Nigeria, and grew up in various countries including Canada, Indonesia and the United Kingdom. His first novel, ‘Goodbye Lucille’, was published in 2007 and won the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award.

Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor roams inner and outer landscapes. She is the winner of the 2003 Caine Prize for her story 'Weight of Whispers'. Currently she is flirting with the Aga Khan University as they plan for a liberal education campus to be established in Arusha, Tanzania.

Binyavanga Wainaina was born in Nakuru, Kenya, in 1971. His story, 'Discovering Home', won the Caine Prize in 2002.

Henrietta Rose-Innes a South African author of two novels, Shark’s Egg and The Rock Alphabet (2000 and 2004, Kwela Books). Her short stories and essays have appeared in various South African and international publications, and her writing has been translated into German and Romanian.

Brian Chikwava is a Zimbabwean writer. His novel Harare North was published by Jonathan Cape in 2009. He lives in a matchbox-sized flat in London. He eats fish but only on some days. He is also a staggeringly good cyclist.

MILDRED KICONCO BARYA: Why do you write?

Leila Aboulela was born in 1964 and grew up in Khartoum, Sudan, and now divides her time between Abu Dhabi and Aberdeen. She is the author of two novels, The Translator, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and Minaret, long listed for the Orange Prize and IMPAC Dublin Award.

Helon Habila was born in Nigeria where he worked as a literary editor and lecturer. His first novel, Waiting for an Angel (Hamish Hamilton, 2002), won the 2003 Commonwealth Prize for best first novel, Africa region. His short story, Love Poems, won the Caine Prize in 2001.