Brilliant books. And bold voices. That’s what visitors will discover in Celebrating 21st Century African Literatures, a new exhibition in UC Berkeley’s Doe Library. The exhibit showcases contemporary writing from across the African continent and diaspora — stories that challenge, enchant, and expand the imagination.
Among them is Djeliya: A West African Fantasy Epic, a graphic novel by Senegalese-born author and illustrator Juni Ba. Across the book’s gorgeously illustrated pages, Ba spins a postapocalyptic tale of a prince and a storyteller confronting a mysterious wizard. Inspired by West African folklore, the story uses fantasy to explore real-world concerns: preserving tradition, confronting colonialism, and imagining new futures.
“Ba’s work is consistently a delight,” said Bee Lehman, the literatures and digital humanities librarian at the UC Berkeley Library. Lehman co-curated the exhibit with Michele McKenzie, the Library’s social and cultural studies librarian.
The graphic novel is emblematic of the richness and range of the works on display. Selections represent a variety of sub-Saharan countries and span genres from romance to politics, short fiction to poetry. Though the exhibit offers only a glimpse of the continent’s vast literary landscape, it invites viewers — and readers — to engage with more of the remarkable titles available in the Library’s collections, particularly those in English.
To mark the exhibit’s launch, the curators will host an opening event on Tuesday, Oct. 7. The gathering will feature a reading by Zambian and American writer Namwali Serpell, who taught at UC Berkeley for more than a decade before joining Harvard University’s English Department in 2020. The event is free and open to the public.
Celebrating 21st Century African Literatures
Where: Doe Library’s Bernice Layne Brown Gallery
When: Through Feb. 26, 2026, with exceptions; the gallery is open the same hours as Doe Library. Check the hours before you go.
Cost: Free
Serpell’s highly acclaimed 2022 novel, The Furrows: An Elegy, makes an appearance in the exhibit. The twisty drama is sure to shimmer on anyone’s to-read list. Other notable works include Kintu, Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s genre-defying epic that reenvisions Ugandan history through myth and family legacy, and Kwezi, Loyiso Mkize’s South African graphic novel that chronicles the journey to self-awareness for a streetwise superhero.
Introducing viewers to books such as these was a major goal of the exhibit, according to McKenzie. “I’m excited to be able to share this with our students,” she said, “expanding their options for reading and discovering new authors from new places.”
McKenzie noted that the biggest challenge in curating the exhibit was narrowing down selections from the Library’s expansive collection. Thankfully, the curators had support, drawing on the expertise of Library colleagues and Berkeley faculty members.
Beyond books, the exhibit highlights other facets of the continent’s literary scene, including noteworthy journals and magazines. These periodicals offer not just original writing, but a window into the creative and cultural currents shaping contemporary African literary discourse.
One example is Brittle Paper, an online journal founded in 2010 that publishes everything from poetry to literary reviews. Unlike traditional magazines, it breaks with periodic schedules, publishing material as it becomes relevant.
For the Library exhibit, submissions editor Tahzeeb Akram assembled a special anthology: Brittle Paper: Digital Village Stream of African Literature. Lehman called the collection “phenomenal” and encouraged readers to engage with it.
Founded in 2019, Doek! Literary Magazine focuses on the digital dissemination of Namibian literatures. Its editors merge striking visual and textual imagery, drawing readers deep into each issue.
By spotlighting these journals and others, the curators have crafted a celebration of literary innovation, editorial labor, and the power of grassroots storytelling.
Through books, journals, and magazines — and even maps — this must-see exhibit offers insight into how the Library acquires its extraordinary materials and introduces readers to literary worlds they may not yet have explored.