Images of the West

by Yvonne Vera

Two organisations have collaborated in this beautifully produced book: Images of Africa in Denmark and Baobab Books in Zimbabwe. Images of Africa is one of the world's largest festivals of African art and culture, and this book is published in conjunction with the third festival in 1996. It brings together a range of perceptions of the West from writers throughout the African continent. Personal or political, intimate or rhetorical, abrasive or tender, they arise from deeply held convictions and experience. A recognition of the ambivalence of the relationship between the West and Africa is apparent in both the text and the photographs; but the book suggests that there is room for dialogue, honesty, and greater understanding.

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Yvonne Vera (September 19, 1964 – April 7, 2005) was an award-winning author from Zimbabwe. Her novels are known for their poetic prose, difficult subject-matter, and their strong women characters, and are firmly rooted in Zimbabwe's difficult past. For these reasons, she has been widely studied and appreciated by those studying postcolonial African literature.

Vera was born in Bulawayo, in what was then Southern Rhodesia, to Jerry Vera and Ericah Gwetai. At the age of eight, she worked as a cotton-picker near Hartley. She attended Mzilikazi High School and then taught English literature at Njube High School, both in Bulawayo. In 1987 she travelled to Canada and she married John Jose, a Canadian whom she had met while he was teaching at Njube. At York University, Toronto, she completed an undergraduate degree, a master's and a PhD, and taught literature.

In 1995, Vera returned to Zimbabwe and in 1997 became director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, a gallery that showcases local talent ranging from that of professional artists to school children. In 2004 she went back to Canada, where she died on April 7, 2005, of AIDS-related meningitis.

(from Wikipedia)