Strange and Difficult Times

A devastating critique of global inequities and prejudices exposed by Covid-19, and a vivid first-hand account of Africa's pandemic.

‘An important body of work that highlights unforgivable injustices and the courageous systems and voices trying to counter them.’

‘Nyabola paints a powerful picture of Nairobi, Kenya, in lockdown.’

‘For the field of science and technology studies or the history of medicine, [Nyabola’s] thoughtful and thought-provoking essays offer various departure points for further research, especially in terms of learning from experiences of navigating the crisis in places beyond Euro-America.’

'A rapier-like voice in the wilderness of our uncertainties; eloquent and thorough. Beautifully delivered.'

'A disturbing indictment of the racialised injustices and profiteering inequity laid bare by Covid-19, and a stirring paean to the vital necessity of solidarity and sharing.'

'More than telling our story properly, Nyabola tells our story powerfully, beautifully, singularly. Her gift for connecting the dots across time and space, between people and places, is peerless. We are all richer for her voice in the world.'

'A thoughtful and powerful African perspective on Covid, reflecting on the unequal world in which we all live.'

'Nyabola is one of the most gifted, courageous, purpose-driven storytellers of our time. Rejecting the broken status quo and imagining a future of greater peace, she urges us to embrace the power of art to expose injustices and find solutions. A gift of a book.'

'Nanjala Nyabola is that rare voice who can bring insights from the Global South to bear upon the ironies and aspirations of our shared humanity, in a time of global pandemic.'

Nanjala Nyabola is a writer and political analyst based in Nairobi, Kenya. Her work focuses on structural injustice, the intersection between technology and politics, and migration and human mobility. Her previous collection Travelling While Black, also published by Hurst, was shortlisted for the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year.