TORONTO, ONT (December 2020) - Toronto publishing and communications company Kya Publishing has joined creative forces with Kenyan-based writer
Mutendei Akhaya Nabutete, and will be establishing collaborative promotional and cultural activities to highlight cultural products and writing.
"We have always admired Mutendei's unique sense of politics, the arts, and his ability to view culture and literature from an international perspective," said Kya Publishing founder Stacey Marie Robinson. "His intelligence and writing abilities will be an informative and welcome addition to our operations."
Manager of a book/comic and vinyl store in Nairobi, Mutendei is closely connected to the artist trends in the African city. Born in Kenya, he has moved between Toronto, Canada several times before settling back in Nairobi in 2014.
"The World's Loudest Library is an artspace that caters to support the artwork of local artists, functioning as a mini-marketing hub, as well as showcase gallery," said Mutendei. "I am currently the manager of the store, that focuses on select books from Kenyan authors with historical and cultural relevance as well as inspiring biographies of local iconic persons. In addition, we also focus on classical vinyl music of all genres--vinyl music is a very vogue thing in Nairobi, and patrons of vinyl also consume unique books."
Several of Mutendei's books have focused on the Black identity, the political economy, fighting the system (neo-colonialism) from within, and the generational divide of immigrants within an urban setting. He also enjoys writing untold stories of neglected genres, African mythology, and historical stories within a relevant modern context. He has converted his "Shadow Walkers" novel into a comic series, that was
featured on CNN African Voices.
Through the partnership, Kya Publishing and Mutendei will explore African comics with culturally diverse and culturally educative stories, in addition to producing and sourcing products from other Nairobi-based artists. Mutendei's leadership will present curated access to Kenyan culture, literary activities, and publications.
From being a participant at the first
Toronto Urban Book Expo in 2014, up until his recent contribution to the 2020 Book Expo (with a guest blog article "
The Role of the African Writer"), Kya Publishing looks forward to continuing the partnership and connecting new cultural works and experiences.
To learn more about Mutendei, and his books "Everything Mutendei," "Spruce Avenue," "A Thriller Story," and "Shadows in the Twilight," connect with his website "
Mutendei Writes."
