Category Archives: Kenya

From Czech: UNBREAKABLE, by Hana Hindráková

October 2019

I recently translated a novel by the Czech author Hana Hindráková. It’s called Unbreakable (Nezlomný in Czech) and is based upon the life of a street child in Kenya who grew up to become the director of a centre for street children. The press release reads as follows:

CZECH AUTHOR BECOMES KENYAN CELEBRITY

And that happened literally overnight, during the book launch of the English translation of her latest novel Nezlomný – Unbreakable, which is published by Moran Publishers in Kenya.

The book launch took place on 10 September 2019 from 2 pm in the main hall of the Kenyan National Library. Despite the African understanding of time, it really did commence at 2 pm, by which time the hall – which has capacity for 150 people – had filled up with about 400.

Six-year-old Moses, a former street child, started the event with a short prayer. “When Moses prays, God listens,” said Joseph “Njoro” Njoroge, the main hero of this book, and director of the Global Hope Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre for street children. After this, everyone sang the Kenyan national anthem.

After a performance of dance by boys from Joseph’s centre, there were a number of speeches by the book’s “godparents”, including the Kenyan MP Joseph Manje and Dr Adam Piňos. Dr Piňos was deputising for the Czech Ambassador in Kenya, Martin Klepetko, who had been suddenly called to a diplomatic briefing with the Kenyan Minister of Foreign Affairs and was therefore unfortunately unable to take part in the book launch.

“This is an amazing event that has important diplomatic significance,” Dr Piňos said.

During the event, most of the copies that had been made available were bought, and three days afterwards a third of the print-run had been sold. There is a great deal of interest about the book in Kenya, and a second print-run will follow soon. In addition to Kenya, the book is being sold in other East African countries where Moran Publishers operate.

“It’s like a dream,” said the author Hana Hindráková, smiling. I’ve never before given so many interviews on the day of a book launch or sold 500 books or had so many photos taken. She was the principal guest of the live morning show on Metropol TV, and she was also interviewed by the well-known Kenyan television station KTN and by other journalists, of whom there was a large number at the book launch.

“And I hope,” Hana added, “that the book will help to change attitudes towards street children and their general situation. As soon as you manage to imagine what lies behind their stories, you look at them in a completely different way than as little, stinking thieves.” And she explained that she and the book’s translator, Francis K Johnson, had decided to donate their royalties to Joseph’s centre for street children.

 

VIVIANE SASSEN: ANALEMMA – FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY 1992 – 2012 │ Photographers’ Gallery, London → 18 January 2015

In ɖs māvḷs xibišn, Vīvian Sasn z ls fašnftogṛfr, mr cntmprri ātist. Hr fwmz r ofn sculpčl, bt most strîcñ z hr breʈtecñ culrpalit.  

     ***** Īvnñstandd

Aṇlema: Fašnftogṛfi 1992–2012 z ɖ frst Lundn prezntešn v wrcs bî Dučborn ftogṛfr Vīvian Sasn (b. 1972), wn v ɖ most xîtñ n crietv figrz wrcñ acrs cntmprri āt n ftogṛfi tde.

Woč âr inṭvy wɖ Vīvian.

Fr m, fašn z wn bg plêgrând, a plês t xperiment. Bt I hv olwz hd ɖs luv/hêt rlešnšp wɖ it.

Vīvian Sasn, inṭvy wɖ ɖ Gādı̣n, 2013

Hr hîli dstnctv stîl rflcts an iṇvtv n dînamic aproč t ɖ mīdı̣m, pṛdysñ imijz ɖt fwgrând an xpresv ys v culr n tôn, unyžl vypýnts n a sculpčṛl cnsrn wɖ fwm n šêp ɖt ofn lendz a sriyl qoḷti t hr comṗzišnz.

Ɖs xibišn fôc̣sz on hr fašnwrc n fīčrz arnd 350 imijz ɖt sbvrt ɖ limits n cnvnšnz v ɖs žãra. Sasn hz cnsivd an imrsv insṭlešn fr Ɖ Ftogṛfrz’ Gaḷri, prizntñ hr imijz az a siriz v dînamic lūpt pṛjẋnz ẇč swīp ovr n acrs ɖ Gaḷri wōlz n flor.  Mirrz n spešli dfînd pṛjẋnerı̣z dsct ɖ fôṭgraft bodiz n dstrb ɖ vywrz’ sens v gravti n vywñxpectešnz.

Ɖ tîtl Aṇlema rfŕz t an astṛnomicl trm dscrîbñ an êtšept crv, ẇč maps ɖ pzišn v ɖ sún in rlešn t tîm. Hír it ivocs ɖ tranzı̣nt sīznl flo v fašn, az wel az ecowñ ɖ constntli muvñ pṛjẋnz in ɖ spês.

Sasn’z wrc z caṛcṭrîzd bî an unwilñṇs t cnfwm t privelñ côdz n cnvnšnz, ispešli ɖoz ɖt hv cm t dominet ɖ wrldz v fašn n advtîzñ. Hr intrest z in a vižl frem drivn bî šêp n siluet, volym n lîn. Ilabṛt leyrñ v bodiz, txčrz, bacgrândz n culrz fwm pāt v a dsctnct isʈetc, wɖ modlz’ limz ofn obskrd, mrjd or trnsfwmd intu tūdimnšnl patnz. Ʈru ɖs xūbṛnt fwṃlizm, in ẇč fiğṛtv n abstract cnsrnz rmen in constnt daylog, hr subjcts apir unristrend, wɖ ɖ flex̣biḷti t b réd az fizicl n grafic fwmz.

Fašn itslf têcs a secndri rôl t hr pârfl imajinešn… Sasn’z stātlñ n xperimntl vižn… z wn wɖt rstrent.

Dezd Dijitl

Vīvian Sasn studid Fašndizîn n Ftogṛfi at Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, Ytrect, n at Ateliers Arnhem in ɖ Neɖrḷndz. Š hz wrct on awōdwinñ campenz fr Stela MCātni, Adīdas, Miu Miu, n Mișoni, n fr maġzīnz sč az, i-D, Prpl, AnUɖr Maġzīn, Dezd n Cnfyzd n POP. Š hz bn awōdd ɖ Pri d’Rom (2007), ɖ ICP Infiṇtı̣wōd fr Aplîd n Fašn Ftogṛfi (2011) n in 2013 xibitd at ɖ Venis Bienāle.

A fŭli iḷstretd caṭlog t acumṗni ɖ xibišn z aveḷbl fṛm âr bcšop.”

GAḶRI WEBSAIT

Continue reading VIVIANE SASSEN: ANALEMMA – FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY 1992 – 2012 │ Photographers’ Gallery, London → 18 January 2015