African Authors Quotes

“Don't blow off another's candle for it won't make yours shine brighter.”
― Jaachynma N.E. Agu, The Prince and the Pauper

“Most people write me off when they see me.
They do not know my story.
They say I am just an African.
They judge me before they get to know me.
What they do not know is
The pride I have in the blood that runs through my veins;
The pride I have in my rich culture and the history of my people;
The pride I have in my strong family ties and the deep connection to my community;
The pride I have in the African music, African art, and African dance;
The pride I have in my name and the meaning behind it.
Just as my name has meaning, I too will live my life with meaning.
So you think I am nothing?
Don’t worry about what I am now,
For what I will be, I am gradually becoming.
I will raise my head high wherever I go
Because of my African pride,
And nobody will take that away from me.”
― idowu koyenikan, Wealth for all Africans: How Every African Can Live the Life of Their Dreams

“You can no longer see or identify yourself solely as a member of a tribe, but as a citizen of a nation of one people working toward a common purpose.”
― idowu koyenikan, Wealth for all Africans: How Every African Can Live the Life of Their Dreams

“Don't set your goals by what other people deem important.”
― Jaachynma N.E. Agu, The Prince and the Pauper

“Relaxing your hair is like being in prison. You're caged in. Your hair rules you. You didn't go running with Curt today because you don't want to sweat out this straightness. You're always battling to make your hair do what it wasn't meant to do.”
― Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah

“Alexa and the other guests, and perhaps even Georgina, all understood the fleeing from war, from the kind of poverty that crushed human souls, but they would not understand the need to escape from the oppressive lethargy of choicelessness. They would not understand why people like him who were raised well fed and watered but mired in dissatisfaction, conditioned from birth to look towards somewhere else, eternally convinced that real lives happened in that somewhere else, were now resolved to do dangerous things, illegal things, so as to leave, none of them starving, or raped, or from burned villages, but merely hungry for for choice and certainty.”
― Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah

“Why did Africa let Europe cart away millions of Africa's souls from the continent to the four corners of the wind? How could Europe lord it over a continent ten times its size? Why does needy Africa continue to let its wealth meet the needs of those outside its borders and then follow behind with hands outstretched for a loan of the very wealth it let go? How did we arrive at this, that the best leader is the one that knows how to beg for a share of what he has already given away at the price of a broken tool? Where is the future of Africa?”
― Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Wizard of the Crow

“Whatever you are looking for is also looking for you. You see, don't only look. Be available and ready when it shows up”
― Sahndra Fon Dufe

“A PHD is not the end of education. Education exists even among the bees who feed their queen only with the purest”
― Sahndra Fon Dufe

“Africans must change their mind and actions.
The keys to building your continent depends on your will-power, persistent effort and action towards self liberation.”
― Lailah Gifty Akita

“Looking at a king's mouth, ' said an old man, 'one would think he never sucked at his mother's breast.”
― Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart

“Whatever you enjoy doing without the need for a reward or specific result is divine.”
― Kayambila Mpulamasaka

“If the past isn't weighing me down, I could have climbed higher. Who knows what I could have been, a free spirit and a better person, if the memories had set me free. For years, I haven't been able to close the door to the room that keeps pulling me in to my past.”
― Fidelis O. Mkparu, Tears Before Exaltation

“Sometimes this bag gets heavy
from carrying the weight of our tears
diluted in laughter.”
― Elizabeth Awori, These Things

“I have nothing tangible to offer but only the intangible, my love.”
― Fidelis O. Mkparu, Tears Before Exaltation

“That which is revealed to man has been created for him only. That which he thinks he knoweth shall remain hidden until such a time that his eyes are open.”
― Kayambila Mpulamasaka

“Can you define the colour of my pigment? Can you write a story about yourself? Can you spell your mother’s name?
Do you know the skulls quiver?

Depth of colour”
― Tapiwanaishe Pamacheche

“When all of life's questions are answered, reality is but a poke in the flesh.”
― Kayambila Mpulamasaka

“If life brings to you what you don't like, try and learn to love what life brings to you.”
― Kayambila Mpulamasaka

“We are more inclined to render love to another than to oneself. Howbeit, to love thyself is to love truly.”
― Kayambila Mpulamasaka

“nothing reminds me of you
you are all i think about.
you infest my mind
like a swarm of bees
buzzing too loudly,
i can’t think clearly.”
― Elizabeth Awori, These Things

“At this time of the year, far away in a place some may consider a hallowed ground, the wind incessantly whistles my name with a flutelike sweet melody that permeates the seasonal dense air. Occasional interruptions by cacophony of birds’ chirps only add suspense to the allure of the mystical pronouncements. This is the place I call home where I cherish my return with barefoot walks on the ground my ancestors treaded.”
― Fidelis O Mkparu

“Your smile tells me you have arrived at your God's appointed life destination where even you a belated princess will thrive”
― Fidelis O. Mkparu, Love's Affliction

“Never forget your home as you sojourn in foreign lands my son. We’ve waited for your return to our beautiful land where winds still whistle your name and wooden gongs pronounce you a worthy son of your ancestors daily. That soulful journey to our mystical river to cleanse your naked feet is in the journal of your life written by your forebears. As it’s written, the full moon will guide you through the narrow path to your destination. You'll arrive at a special place where your ancestors will witness your transformation into a Shaman, a spiritual healer you’re destined to become.

On the appointed day, as your name travels throughout our land, choice palm wines will find worthy palates to celebrate your soulful return. As your ancestors had written in the book of promises about your return before the last moon of the year, African sun will massage your skin during the day and harmattan wind will fan you to sleep at night. Hurry back home my son.”
― Fidelis O. Mkparu, Soulful Return

“A memoir in which the author shares his impressive journey of emigrating to the United States to escape a difficult life in an impoverished Nigerian village.
Born into an extremely poor family in Nigeria, ‘Deji Ayoade had early memories of wanting to come to America to do better for himself. For years, he dreamed about having a bright future in the United States. At seven, he promised his mother that one day he would be a doctor in America and take her and his siblings away from their dangerous and impoverished existence. By the age of thirty-three, ‘Deji had been in the United States for five years and was living his dream. He had earned a master’s degree, married and had a child, been recruited into the Navy, and become a US citizen. He makes good on the promise to his mother and brings her, his sister, and his sister’s baby to the United States.

UNDERGROUND: A Memoir of Hope, Faith, and the American Dream is a well-structured, compelling memoir written by a determined man with big dreams, ambitious goals, and the strength to never lose sight of where he is headed. Commitment, intelligence, and drive contribute to his fulfilling what he deems to be his purpose in life. His accomplishments in the armed services are nothing short of admirable. Ayoade draws readers into the 1980s culture of the poorer regions of Nigeria with vivid descriptions of the sights, sounds, and smells of areas in which they lived. His credible recreation of scenes reveals insight into the civilization that had considerable influence on him. Family dynamics also play a significant role in Ayoade’s life. His recollection of his father’s contradictory behaviors both confuse and enlighten him. His fond memories of his grandmother—the family member he trusted the most—are heartfelt and touching.

While coming to the United States offers many positive experiences for Ayoade, it doesn’t come without problems, and one that the author talks about with deep emotion and candidness is racism. Thoughtful in the way he acknowledges possible differences of perspectives, he describes how it feels to be looked at differently. One scene in particular demonstrates just how prejudiced and insensitive people can be when it comes to racial biases. Ayoade writes from the heart with emotion and honesty that demonstrate his passion for what he does in life. His ability to weave together a cohesive story from so many disparate fragments is remarkable. His religious faith and commitment to never-ending improvement for himself are inspiring and a basis for being a role model for others.

UNDERGROUND: A Memoir of Hope, Faith, and the American Dream–author ‘Deji Ayoade’s reflections on overcoming enormous obstacles and emigrating from Nigeria to the United States–is candid, heartwarming, and inspirational.”
― IndieReader

“Poet Ayoade, the first African immigrant to serve as a nuclear missile operator in the United States Air Force, debuts with an inspirational memoir chronicling his childhood in Nigeria and journey to become a doctor and American citizen. Ayoade, who at the age of seven promised his mother “One day, I will take you far away from here,” details his upbringing with an abusive father and the many family tragedies he endured—along with his dedication to creating a different life: “Underground is my unusual journey from childhood poverty to where I am today. How the impossible became a reality.”

Readers will be swept into Ayoade’s vivid recollections of his early years, including his strict education, brushes with death, and a strained relationship with his father. He recounts the family’s passion for American movies that made “America seem like the perfect place,” sparking his desire for a better future, and details his decision to become a veterinarian and eventually pursue a career in the U.S. military to ensure the best life for his family (and future generations). Ayoade’s story is moving, particularly his reconciliation with his father and hard-earned American citizenship, and his message that it’s never too late to chase your dreams resonates.

That message will evoke strong emotions for readers as Ayoade highlights the importance of hard work and the benefit of a committed support system, alongside his constant “wishing, praying, and fighting to be free from all the sadness and injustice around me”—a theme that echoes through much of the book, including in his acknowledgement that the fear he experienced as a nuclear missile operator was a “cost of this freedom.” Ayoade’s poetry and personal photographs are sprinkled throughout, illuminating his deep love for family and his ultimate belief in liberty as “The reason for it all./ A foundation for a new generation,/ The best gift to any child.”

Takeaway: This stirring memoir documents an immigrant’s fight for the American dream.

Great for fans of: Ashley C. Ford’s Somebody's Daughter, Maria Hinojosa’s Once I Was You.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A”
― Booklife

“Lord I am just another activist in silence. Let my books speak what lacerates deep into my spirit.”
― Tapiwanaishe Pamacheche

“You think you are the greatest sufferer in the world? Do you know
that men are sometimes banished for life? Do you know that men
sometimes lose all their yams and even their children? I had six
wives once. I have none now except that young girl who knows not
her right from her left. Do you know how many children I have
buried--children I begot in my youth' and strength2 Twenty-two. I
did not hang myself, and I am still alive. If you think you are the
greatest sufferer in the world ask my daughter, Akueni, how many
twins she has borne and thrown away. Have you not. heard the song
they sing when a woman dies?
"'For whom is it well, for whom is it well?
There is no one for whom it is well.'
"I have no more to say to you.”
― Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart”
― Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart

“Grace had always found the old priest's inflexibility towards the spirit world baffling. He accepted angels and the Holy Spirit but rejected outright ancestors and any other spirits as pagan superstitions. This seemed illogical to her; either you believed in spirits or you didn't.”
― Iris Mwanza, The Lions' Den

“Grace understood that her job as a lawyer was to bear witness to these atrocities of the past, and to keep telling the truth, the whole truth, so help her God and her ancestors.”
― Iris Mwanza, The Lions' Den