Artist in Residence
Priya Basil: November 2011
Priya Basil was born in the UK in 1977, and grew up in Kenya. Her first novel, Ishq and Mushq, was published in 2007, and was nominated for several prizes. Her second novel, The Obscure Logic of the Heart, came out in June 2010. Her novella, Strangers on the 16:02, was one of the annual ten Quick Reads published in February 2011. She has written essays and other non-fiction for various publications including The Guardian.
Priya’s work is driven by an intense curiosity about people, and both her novels explore, in different ways, the dilemmas of characters forced to make difficult choices due to social and political pressures.
Priya first visited Lamu in February 2011. She was intrigued by the local claim that ‘Lamu is not Kenya’. She felt that the island is not only distinct from the mainland, but somehow removed from the world at large – even though it bears very visible signs of modernity. She is pleased to have the opportunity to return to this unique place in November 2011, and further explore its paradoxes, myths and mysteries.
Priya is a co-founder of Authors for Peace, a platform from which authors can actively use literature in different ways to promote peace.
Stories meet Images
The author Priya Basil, and the painter Hinnerk Bodendieck, have been invited by the Lamu Artist in Residence Program to collaborate on a book about Lamu. A book that will contain no photos – only paintings that capture the spirit of Lamu, accompanied by a narrative that tells a bigger story through the personal tales of Lamu’s inhabitants.
Starting in November 2011, the two artists will travel around the island and the surrounding archipelago, visiting villages and meeting locals. They will select themes and issues to focus on, Priya putting everything into words and Hinnerk capturing it all with paint.
The result will be a book that crosses many genres: part travel-guide, travelogue, history, memoir, non-fiction, art book…. The hope is that this multi-layered approach will convey the richness and complexity of Lamu’ s culture and people.
