New Kwani rate card available

KWANI? The Creative Writers’ Journal

I. Who we are
Kwani? (http://www.kwani.org) is a literary journal founded by some of Kenya’s most exciting new writers. The Kwani? web journal has been in existence for close to 2 years now.

“In exile we lower our heads so that we do not see in the mirror of another’s eyes, what we suspect about ourselves: that our precarious existence depends on the whim of another’s tolerance of our presence.”
Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
The Weight of Whispers, Kwani? 01
Winner, Caine Prize for African Writing 2003
II. Kwani’s Objectives

§ To provide a forum for Kenyan writers to have their work published.

§ To provide the Kenyan reading public with writing of the highest quality.

§ To get Kenyans reading quality writing again.

Our many thanks go to the Ford Foundation for partly funding this project.

III. Kwani’s Achievements

§ Honorable Najib Balala, the Minister For Culture, Sports, and Gender was guest of honour at the launch of the first hard copy edition of Kwani? at the Nairobi International Book Fair in August this year.
§ The first web issue of Kwani? proved that Kenya’s new writers are producing work of the highest standards. Yvonne Owuor, whose fiction had never been published before, won the 2003 Caine Prize for African Writing. This is Africa’s biggest writing award, worth 15,000 dollars.
§ We are part of the Ford Foundation’s Special Initiative for Africa, as members of the prestigious Writers Forum, which seeks to create synergies of mutual interest around the continent. Other members include: The Goree Institute, Nuriddine Farah, Ama Ata Aidoo and Mbasaam.
§ Our work has so impressed the editors of some of the world’s most prestigious journals, Paris Review (New York), Chimurenga (Cape Town), Transitions (Boston) and Story Quarterly (Chicago), that they have encouraged us to submit our best stories directly to their editors.

“When he opened his mouth I knew I was finished. Knew he would judge me by my eros and aras, just like those tao girls at school. Enyewe, these type of people scare me. When he talked, my mind became like a piki-piki togio-togiogioring. Thinking Ai! – how soon will he crack up and laugh at me? Ati me, clad to kill, sitting in front of the bar, those mathaa women watching, willing me to fail. They will see him laugh at me. Ai!”
Response to Vain Jango Letter, Kwani? 01

KWANI? The Creative Writers’ Journal

What I’d like to do – what I’d really like
Is to once again take between forefinger and
thumb
2 pinches of freshly ground highland’s snuff,
inhale it slowly through each eager nostril
then await in anticipated bliss
for that heady buzz and building rush
which steadily multiplies
into a heavenly
explosive
sneeze
in public
Next Christmas
Muthony wa Gatumu
Kwani? 01

§ Kwani? issue 1 proved that Kenyans are interested in Kenyan writing. Kwani? sales exceeded all our projections. In the first month, we sold 1000 copies. To date we have distributed and sold 2,500 copies. Sales remain brisk.

§ We are gratified by the variety of profiles of our readers: ages of our readers range from 18 to 50, from all income groups. The largest buyers are men and women 28-40 years old; they have postgraduate degrees. They work in corporate Nairobi, or in the NGO sector or policy institutes and think tanks. Many are in management. We have also had much interest from younger readers; still in university, or having just started their first jobs. We find that most sales happen through word of mouth.

§ Some of our member writers are under consideration for an anthology of short fiction to be published by Macmillan for African Schools.

I closed my eyes again- and breathed in, and let the paper open slowly. The pattern unraveled in my mind’s eye, angles and triangles shining and shadowed. I laughed – and let it break in every brittle seam, and let the shards of patterns fly high like the first crescendos of the Piano. Then, with arrogant ease – I made them fall into place again. I threw them high again, and lost the pattern as they came tumbling down, as Moses crouched over his Piano working through something intricate, caught in the most fragile of places, trying to juggle things at the far reaches of his ability. I could almost feel his relief as he passed the threshold and mastered himself. I joined his giddiness – throwing the jumble of patterns up again, and marveling at how my mind so effortlessly put the brittle paper together again. Then that crushing tearing sound of tape getting caught in the cheap tape recorder and the song whining to a halt. I swear I heard glass break as the shards came tumbling down, tearing into me as I tumbled.
An Affair to Dismember
Binyavanga Wainaina
Kwani? 01
§ We hold readings at popular venues every month.

§ We have had features for television done by the BBC, Reuters and, in Dec 2003, Book Television and Richler Inc of Canada.

§ We have had reviews from The Independent, The Nation Book Review, The Weekly Brief, The East African, Artscene, The Advertiser, The Miami Herald, The New York Times, The Guardian, the Observer, Africa Journal, The Sunday Times (South Africa), KTN’s Top 40 under 40, What It Takes and many others.

KWANI? The Creative Writers’ Journal

IV. Kwani? Reviews

Ø “ I laughed. I cried. My mind was opened up to amazing new ideas. Read Kwani? it will blow your mind.”
Cess Mutungi
Kiss FM

Ø “Wainaina has not only attempted to shoulder today's burden himself, and this generally well, but has also worked to inspire other young writers to contribute work to Kwani? Without his acute awareness of the awful state of Kenyan literature up to a year or two ago, Kenya would not have seen the emergence of what I suspect will become the towering presence of Yvonne Owuor, author of the truly excellent Weight of Whispers, and winner of the 2003 Caine Prize.”
Steve Partington
The Lifestyle Magazine

Ø "Binyavanga Wainaina's 'Discovering Home' is an accomplished and subtly imagined story. It shifts between different African locations with wit, wisdom and originality. It is a brilliant augur of future work by this author."
Dr Ahdaf Soueif,
Chair of the Judges, The Caine Prize

Ø Kenyans say the energetic and provocative 291-page quarterly called Kwani? - which means So? in Sheng, a slang mix of English, Swahili and several tribal languages -- is an exciting sign of new freedom for writers. Booksellers used to be terrified to sell anything more contentious then East African coffee-table volumes on wildlife or the commissioned and glowing biography of the autocratic former president, Daniel arap Moi.
By Emily Wax
Washington Post Foreign Service

Ø THIS IS THE FUTURE! Our kids need these kind of role models.
Blaze
Phat Magazine

V. Kwani? Advertising
Advertise in subsequent editions of Kwani? to reach Kenyans here and abroad. Our Rate Card (attached) offers competitive market rates. Support Kenyan writing, and help keep early editions of the Kwani? journal in print. Note that future advertisements will be interspersed evenly throughout the journal.

We have a special classified section for supporters of the arts, and look forward to hearing from you.

KWANI? The Creative Writers’ Journal

RATE CARD

BOXED CLASSIFIEDS

POSITION COST IN KSHS ANNUAL COST 4 EDITIONS
Inside Front / Back Cover 10,000 30,000
Full Page, Boxed (incl. logo) 8,000 25,000
Half Page, Boxed (incl. logo) 5,000 15,000
Quarter Page (text only) 2,500 8,000
Eighth Page (text only) 1,500 5,000

Full-page size 15.5 cm X 23.5 cm
All rates exclusive of VAT

June Wanjiru
Marketing Manager, Kwani?

Room 9A, 2nd Floor
Queensway House
Kaunda Street

P. O. Box 75240
Nairobi 00200

Phone :+254 20 316719
Cell :+254 721 934807
Cell :+254 733 526358
Email : [email protected]
URL : http://www.kwani.org