Writing history’s silences: Interview with Parselelo Kantai

Parselelo Kantai is a Kenyan investigative journalist, academic and creative writer. A founding member of the East Africa literary magazine, Kwani?, Kantai has published several provocative short stories and novellas, among them ‘The Reddykulass Generation’, ‘The Cock Thief’, ‘The Story of Comrade Lemma and the Jerusalem Boys’ Band’, and. ‘You Wreck Her’. The last two were nominated for the prestigious Caine Prize for African writing in 2004 and 2009 respectively. Kantai is currently working on a novel based on the life story of iconic Kenyan trade unionist and politician Tom Joseph Mboya, who was assassinated in 1969 in Nairobi.