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Soila Kenya

@soila.bsky.social
1.7K followers 314 following 610 posts

🇰🇪 🇳🇬, africanist, womanist, award-winning data journo & pop-culturist @coldtakegeeks.bsky.social MA 🎓 @charlesuni.cuni.cz @au.dk @dmjx.bsky.social Re-imagining Africa @africansffhype.bsky.social Check out my Feeds and Lists tabs ↓↓↓ www.soilakenya.com

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Soila Kenya @soila.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Where the Naruto stans at? 👀
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Cold Take Geeks @coldtakegeeks.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
"Kishimoto kind of ate when it came to imperialism in his series and how Konoha is such a perfect example of it, both internally and externally." Our latest by Natalie Gumo #naruto #narutoshippuden #kenyangeeks #manga #anime coldtakegeeks.co.ke/otsutsuki-in...
coldtakegeeks.co.ke
Otsutsuki Indra and His Descendants Were Robbed by Imperialism
With the current global political climate (S/O Aquarius in Pluto) let’s revisit Naruto and Naruto Shippuden’s primary theme: Imperialism.
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Read #AfricanSFF!🫵🏾 @africansffhype.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
#AfricanSFF
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Soila Kenya @soila.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Check out our newest post!
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Soila Kenya @soila.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
After a long unintentional hiatus, we're back!
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Cold Take Geeks @coldtakegeeks.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
"I still believe that the general message the novel makes is a good one... Thought stopping techniques won’t cure your depression, but you can manage it by other means." By @verak.bsky.social coldtakegeeks.co.ke/cindy-pham-w... #thesecretworldofbriarrose #reading #yafantasy #yaromantasy #novels
coldtakegeeks.co.ke
Cindy Pham Was Not Ready for The Secret World of Briar Rose
When someone of great taste and a keen eye turns their hand to that same craft, there’s an expectation that anything they produce will be…
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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
"With fandoms rewarding chemistry-driven pairings and fan service continuing to generate enormous engagement," @tabbykibugiwriter.bsky.social writes, "production companies have little incentive to move away from the formula that helped Thai GL become globally successful in the first place."
fansplaining.com
The Limits of Fan Service in Thailand’s Vibrant GL Genre
Thai “Girls Love” thrives on real-life star pairings—for better and for worse.
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Tabby Kibugi @tabbykibugiwriter.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
#journorequest Are you a K-pop fan based in an African country? For @fansplaining.bsky.social, I'm covering the growth of K-pop fandoms across Africa and how fans are creating their own spaces through conventions, fan events, dance crews, etc. Email: tabbykibugiwrites@gmail.com, for a chat. Thx!
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Aja Romano @bookshop.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Happy Pride Month! Kick it off with the fantastic @tabbykibugiwriter.bsky.social diving into the Thai Girls Love genre for @fansplaining.bsky.social ! fansplaining.com/the-limits-o...
fansplaining.com
The Limits of Fan Service in Thailand’s Vibrant GL Genre
Thai “Girls Love” thrives on real-life star pairings—for better and for worse.
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Elizabeth Minkel @elizabethminkel.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Our latest piece is SUCH an interesting read, and so well-reported! Hollywood could do far better re: understanding and engaging with fans, but would I want them to be hyper-aware of fans' desires to the point where they're shaping whole projects around ~sharable shippy moments~? (No lol)
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Ancillary Review of Books @ancillaryreviewofbooks.org · 05/06/2026
Reviews, interviews, new podcasts & magazines to check out—check out @casella.bsky.social's latest Wow! Signal link round-up:
ancillaryreviewofbooks.org
Wow! Signal: June 2026
Jake Casella Brookins It’s been a distressingly busy month for me, but it’s mostly with good things. I’m over the moon about the success of ARB’s first fundraiser—backers, we’ll be getting rewards …
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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
@soila.bsky.social on non-native English speakers reading and writing fanfiction in English, the language that has the most global "linguistic capital" in fandom.
fansplaining.com
The Elation and Anxiety of Reading Fic in Your Native Tongue
For fans in Kenya, Nigeria, and Burundi, “uncringing” non-English fanfiction is an endeavor in decolonialism.
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Soila Kenya @soila.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Y'all, I can't overstate how much I enjoyed working with @lincodega.com and @elizabethminkel.bsky.social on this story!!!! Lin really made me rethink and refine my arguments in the essay. You should have seen the first draft 😩 Very knowledgeable and passionate people 🙌🏾
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T. K. Rex @tkrex.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
I would do unspeakable things for a first contact novel by @shingai-be-like.bsky.social … that doesn’t help you I just had to say it
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Wole Talabi | Preorder THE FIST OF MEMORY @wtalabi.com · 18/05/2026
Oh and as part of prep for my forthcoming novel THE FIST OF MEMORY, I'm making a list of science fiction novels by BIPOC or non-Western authors that include either 1) First Contact or 2) a Big Dumb Object (BDO) or 3) A Hivemind. Really want to get as many as possible. All recommendations welcome!
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Fansplaining @fansplaining.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
“If I post a fic in Isoko, how many people can actually read it? English makes fanfic feel universal, while local languages can make it feel limited.” @soila.bsky.social talks to Nigerian fic writer si11yw0rm alongside other fans from Kenya and Burundi about the dominance of English in fandom:
fansplaining.com
The Elation and Anxiety of Reading Fic in Your Native Tongue
For fans in Kenya, Nigeria, and Burundi, “uncringing” non-English fanfiction is an endeavor in decolonialism.
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Elizabeth Minkel @elizabethminkel.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
This piece is SO GOOD. @soila.bsky.social & editor @lincodega.com worked magic to bring this final product together. As I was editing the audio version, I kept finding myself nodding at particularly sharp points, e.g., how only English gets to be the language of "play." Please read and share widely!
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Lin Codega @lincodega.com · 13/05/2026
I was so delighted to help shepherd this piece through the edit process. @soila.bsky.social digs into why she -- and many other African fans -- feel "cringe" when reading or writing fanfic in their native languages. A fantastic discussion of colonial history, contemporary lit, and fandom.
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Anne Jamison @prof-anne.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
SO IMPORTANT (goes straight to fanfic class next week)
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Le Joyeux Scribe @joyeuxscribe.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
OK, cet article est aussi fascinant qu'instructif. Lisez-le si vous avez un intérêt pour les thèmes de la littérature, la fanfiction, la décolonisation et les interactions langue / culture. // English TL;DR: read this! Thanks to @soila.bsky.social. It moved me and made me reflect on many things!
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Aja Romano @bookshop.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Today's Fansplaining article is a must-read. @soila.bsky.social was part of several of my fave panels at Seattle Worldcon, and I was elated to see her write about decolonizing fanfiction for us! fansplaining.com/the-elation-...
fansplaining.com
The Elation and Anxiety of Reading Fic in Your Native Tongue
For fans in Kenya, Nigeria, and Burundi, “uncringing” non-English fanfiction is an endeavor in decolonialism.
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Soila Kenya @soila.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Peeps! I have arisen from my social media slumber (again 😅) to come promote my new article with Fansplaining! Super excited for this to be out as it's been in the works for a while now. 5,000 words. African fandom deep dive. Language capital. Decolonialism. Let's go! 🚀
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Soila Kenya @soila.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
I have achieved the ultimate. I have been chibi-fied 🙌🏾 Praise be
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Soila Kenya @soila.bsky.social · 25/10/2025
Aww, I can't believe my height-mate (almost, I'm 2cm taller than her lol) is fine with the tracks. She's seemed immortal all these years... worldathletics.org/women-in-ath...
worldathletics.org
The last dance for Fraser-Pryce | World Athletics
For once, the woman widely regarded as the greatest female sprinter the world has seen wanted to take it slow
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Joyce (Wolf) Chng/Ch'ng 🐺 Wolf's Path is a finalist! @jolantru.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
Maybe the last time I will comment about the genre/sff scene (and maybe it will not be the last time). There is so much nastiness, so much bullying that sometimes you forget that you have the kind folk. The brutality forces people into silence. But the kind folk are there. Just hidden.
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Soila Kenya @soila.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
Oh, he tried it... www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.bbc....
www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org
Man who appealed Pelicot rape conviction handed longer jail term - BBC News
A French court increases by a year the jail term of the only man who challenged his conviction for raping Gisèle Pelicot.
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Etan Comics | Home of African Superheroes @etancomics.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
Tokoloshe Hunters ships worldwide!
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Soila Kenya @soila.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
This is a common conundrum for us marginalised folks now that the world is so globalised but I'm super lucky to have an easily pronounceable name 😀 africa.businessinsider.com/careers/i-ca...
africa.businessinsider.com
I called myself 'James' on my résumé and finally got a job. Here's why I've started using my birth name again at work.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with 28-year-old Mwangi Wanjau, who is from Kenya and based in Canada
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Jessica Price @delafina777.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
So anyway, turns out plasma in menstrual blood can completely heal wounds in 24 hours. hudson.org.au/news/womb-to...
hudson.org.au
Womb to wounds: menstrual fluid could repair damaged skin
Scientists are demonstrating how the womb’s unique ability to rapidly rebuild itself could be harnessed to heal difficult chronic wounds.
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Soila Kenya @soila.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
I passed my Master's thesis defence yesterday! 🙌🏾 It's the hardest journey I've ever had to take academically so far because my mental health broke down severally due to unrelated issues, but I made it! 😭🤟🏾
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Soila Kenya @soila.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
Oooh love this list by @pdjeliclark.bsky.social ! www.nytimes.com/2025/09/10/b...
nytimes.com
Great Fantasy Novels With Unlikely Heroes
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Harare Review of Books @hararereview.com · 10/09/2025
August 2025 reads Here's almost every book I read in August (not true, but mostly true). Everything was pretty good! But here are links to reviews so far, more to come: Patchwork x Tom Comitta The Nga’phandileh Whisperer: A Sauútiverse Novella x Eugen Bacon Weepers x Peter Mendelsund The Frequency…
hararereview.wordpress.com
August 2025 reads
Here's almost every book I read in August (not true, but mostly true). Everything was pretty good! But here are links to reviews so far, more to come: Patchwork x Tom Comitta The Nga’phandileh Whisperer: A Sauútiverse Novella x Eugen Bacon Weepers x Peter Mendelsund The Frequency of Living Things x Nick Fuller Googins Last Night in San Francisco: Tech’s Lost Promise and the Killing of Bob Lee x Scott Alan Lucas
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Kemi Ashing-Giwa @kashinggiwa.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
THE KING MUST DIE comes out in just two months! And if you have a B&N Rewards or B&N Premium Membership, you can save 25% on preorders during the next 3 days! (The Rewards membership is free. 😉) www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-king-m...
barnesandnoble.com
The King Must Die|Paperback
From the USA TODAY bestselling author of The Splinter in the Sky comes a pulse-pounding science fiction adventure following the daughter of rebel instigators and the heir of a power-drunk ruler who te...
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Soila Kenya @soila.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
media.tenor.com
a woman is standing in a doorway with her arms outstretched and says `` i 'm baacckkk '' .
Alt: a woman is standing in a doorway with her arms outstretched and says `` i 'm baacckkk '' .
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E.D.E. Bell @edebell.com · 14/08/2025
$4600 over the next 17 days is not a big ask for the English-speaking literary world, and nothing I am seeing here at #Worldcon is changing that opinion. Please support. Please share. We can do this. I truly believe that in fighting genAI, it is at least as important to support human language.
ko-fi.com
Support African Translation Project
African Translation Project; Current Goal: $2500 by the end of August - to begin translation of: The Crocodile Doesn’t Hunt / Zvinobvinza by Pauline Chirata-Mukondiwa, translated from Shona by Zukiswa...
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Soila Kenya @soila.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
#africansff
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Black Page Turners @blackpageturners.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
Birth of a Dynasty is a novel inspired by African myths, geography, and culture, but with a wholly fresh spin to the genre with an incredible cast of characters that immediately feel fully realized, intense high-stakes, political intrigue, and a magic system that creates a dangerous and unforgiving
blackpageturners.wordpress.com
{2025 New Release} Birth of a Dynasty : A Novel by: Chinaza Bado
Combining the political intrigue of She Who Became the Sun with the gorgeous world-building of Children of Blood and Bone, Birth of a Dynasty is the start of a thrilling epic fantasy trilogy centered around three families’ fight for power in Ahkebulin, a land where magic is feared, giants are real, and prophecy holds sway. We shall not forgive. We shall not forget.
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Iska Press For African Perspectives @iskanchipress.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
It’s finally here! African Folktales for the Young at Heart by Abubakar Yusuf Ibrahim is out now 🎉 A vibrant collection of Hausa stories—filled with tricksters, talking animals, and timeless wisdom. Grab your copy: www.iskanchi.com/product/afri... #AfricanFolktales #Iskanchi
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Olivia Kidula @dontcallmeliv.blacksky.app · 01/08/2025
Will This Be A Problem? is open for non-fiction submissions (essays & reviews) until the 16th! Send in your reviews & essays that highlight African spec fic in its many forms. Submission guidelines: willthisbeaproblem.co.ke/submissions/
willthisbeaproblem.co.ke
Submissions
Will This Be A Problem? is a Kenyan-based SFFH journal dedicated to showcasing the very best in African fantastika. Submission guidelines here:
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University of Manchester School of Social Sciences @uomsoss.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
In the @theconversation.com, he shows how stories by Okorafor, Onwualu, Tsamaase & others critique colonialism, climate injustice & exclusion. These Africanfuturist tales imagine bold alternatives to today’s dominant climate narratives. 🔗 theconversation.com/african-sci-...
theconversation.com
African sci-fi imagines new ways of living in climate-changed worlds
In his new book, Carl Death weighs up climate policies in African countries with each country’s stories and films about climate change.
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University of Manchester School of Social Sciences @uomsoss.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
📘 African Climate Futures by Carl Death @uompols.bsky.social is out now with Oxford University Press It explores how African climate fiction can challenge mainstream climate politics, blending postcolonial, feminist & queer theory. 🔗 global.oup.com/academic/pro...
Image of the African Climate Futures book
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Die Sankoré-Schriften @sankoreschriften.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
Nnedi Okorafor's 'Death of the Author' is significant in imparting agency to its Black readers who want to explore africanfuturism, redefining Black scholarship through science fiction and proving that scientific development does not exclusively lie outside literature or within Western countries.
rpublc.com
Book Review: Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
Nnedi Okorafor's 'Death of the Author' is significant in imparting agency to its Black readers who want to explore africanfuturism, redefining Black scholarship through science fiction and proving tha...
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Dan Hartland @danhartland.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
The last review of the @strangehorizons.bsky.social Afrosurrealism week is from @hararereview.bsky.social on Ytasha L. Womack’s The Afrofuturist Evolution. She reprises a theme of the week: “Afrofuturism is not just an ‘artistic aesthetic’ but also ‘a practice and a method.’”
strangehorizons.com
The Afrofuturist Evolution by Ytasha L. Womack
It’s Afrofuturism’s time in the sun (Black skin gleaming with Vaseline), and Ytasha L. Womack is its prophet.
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Joachim Heijndermans @jheijndermans.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
Have you supported the latest #kickstarter project from @paganinistories.bsky.social yet? Gods Untold Africa is live now. Comics on African myth. Find it here: www.kickstarter.com/projects/pag...
kickstarter.com
GODS: UNTOLD - AFRICA
A continuation of our successful anthology GODS: Untold, but with a focus on African gods by African creators! It's time to be told!
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Longtail News @longtail-news.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
Feed: "Flame Tree Fiction New" By: Olivia Jackson on Friday, July 11, 2025
blog.flametreepublishing.com
Africanfuturism Short Stories | Submissions
We are very excited to announce a new call for submissions which is now open!
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Kevin Rigathi @formerlykevin.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
Will This Be A Problem? The Magazine Issue 2 is now out. For your fix of African horror, sci-fi, and fantasy. willthisbeaproblem.co.ke/will-this-be...
willthisbeaproblem.co.ke
Will This Be A Problem? The Magazine Issue 2
Will This Be A Problem? The Magazine : Issue 2. This edition features speculative fiction from Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and the USA.
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Will This Be A Problem? @willthisbeaproblem.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Quiz categories for the night: African Fantasy African Horror African Sci-fi International Fantasy International Horror International Sci-fi QUICKFIRE ROUND: KENYAN SFF (category questions will pick from short stories, books, TV and film) RSVP here: willthisbeaproblem.co.ke/rsvp/
Poster for our first ever SFF Quiz Night presented by WTBAP
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Soila Kenya @soila.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
New from CTG! ✨️
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Soila Kenya @soila.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
New article from me on IJNET! @icfjorg.bsky.social African countries really need to up their dedication to open data and research. The gap left from the USAID cuts could be the opportunity/impetus to do so. ijnet.org/en/story/us-...
ijnet.org
US aid cuts curb journalists' access to vital health data in Africa
Scientists and researchers working in global health have called for the restoration of the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) program, which tracks health-related data in over 90 low- and middle-inc...
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