Award-winning Photographer, Journey author and Creator of ‘Bitter Honey’ ‘In Each Mirror She Is Black’ and ‘The whole lot Is Not Sufficient’, Fola Akinmade Åkerström, has revealed why her fiction works concentrate on black ladies and Afro diaspora experiences.
The Nigerian Swedish multi-artiste who spoke at a Guide Studying of her newest novel ‘Bitter Honey’ on the Swedish Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria, mentioned there are little to no tales that spotlight black ladies’s voices or afro diaspora experiences, notably in Sweden and the Nordic area.
Åkerström who left Nigeria for America in her teenagers, lived and travelled the world as a photographer and journey author earlier than settling in Sweden along with her Swedish husband and youngsters.
“As a black lady, I felt that there isn’t quite a lot of literature that focuses on the Afro-diaspora within the Nordic space. That’s the reason I write about it.”
In keeping with Åkerström, there’s a robust Afro-diaspora group within the Nordic area – extra so – the Gambian, Somalian and Eritrean communities. Though there’s a Nigerian group within the area, there are lesser in quantity to what one’d discover within the UK, US and different nations. Therefore, it is smart to middle her work across the group that’s most accessible.
Moreover, she had referenced ‘Bitter Honey’ in her 2021 novel ‘In Each Mirror She Is Black’, with the character Tobias – who reappeared in Bitter Honey because the protagonist (Nancy’s) son, a Gambian who had a toddler along with her Swedish professor.
For Åkerström, moreover religion and spirituality, group is a serious grounding drive for minorities in international climes.
As a survival technique, some black folks choose to not affiliate with any group, notably coming off a society – the place there’s baldfaced racism, in comparison with the a lot quieter and peaceable Nordic area.
She, nonetheless, compares minorities in international climes with out communities to ‘holding one’s breath underwater’. In the end, one has to resurface for air, in any other case they might drown. The drowning manifests within the type of despair, loneliness, and so forth. skilled by the black/Afro diasporans as represented in ‘Bitter Reminiscence’, that unaddressed, has harmful penalties.
Whereas a group could not supply every little thing one wants, as folks are likely to gravitate in direction of one another for superficial causes like pores and skin color, its upside is their shared expertise.
“You might be all going by the identical experiences, regardless that you could have totally different values, backgrounds or convey various things to the combination. That’s how group grounds you.”
A exceptional high quality of the Åkerström, is the authenticity of the tradition and expressions conveyed in her tales. In ‘Bitter Honey’, she interviewed mates within the Gambian group, researched Mandinka and Wolof languages, and studied phrase books on each languages to use within the story. She additional consulted Gambian Beta Readers to make sure correct situating of the tradition.
“They’d say, “We wouldn’t say it this manner as a result of we’re Muslims, however there’s a Christian tribe within the Gambia that claims this on this means. So, I made the protagonist’s (Nancy) father marry a Christian from that tribe. Thus, Nancy grew to become a Christian like her mom, whereas her brother is a Muslim like her father. Then, as a result of the daddy married throughout faith, I made him very affectionate with Nancy. They’ve a great relationship as a result of he’s open-minded. That’s the best way to take cultural suggestions and actually elevate a narrative.
Whereas none of her characters are molded after her, readers can discover bits and items of Åkerström in her novels. This embrace her robust religion – which she brings into the story with the phrase ‘I serve a God of miracle’ and her open-mindedness, her desire of Cardamom Bun over Cinnamon Bun in scenes the place characters argued about each.
“These are the issues that make the story richer, while you pull out of your life; and I’m grateful to have lived the life I’ve.”
Cluing in readers to her subsequent guide, Åkerström hinted that it could function her love and expertise in journey writing.
“The clue to my subsequent guide, nonetheless a fiction, is a few journey author. I’ve travelled fairly a bit, stayed in locations like Fiji, Greenland, Mongolia and so forth. having the ability to pull all of that right into a story, makes it very genuine.”
Åkerström began out as a visible artist, earlier than transiting to pictures and journey writing, successful a number of awards like Conde Nast Traveler’s ‘Most Highly effective Lady in Journey’, Invoice Muster’s ‘Journey Photographer of the Yr’, and winner 2023 Pathfinder Prize as ‘Expedition Chief for In Tete Footsteps: A Cultural class.’ She returned to her past love fiction writing in 2021 with ‘In Each Mirror She Is Black’ which was nominated for the NAACP Award and the Pushcart Prize. It was adopted by ‘The whole lot Is Not Sufficient’ (2023), and ‘Bitter Honey’ (2025).
