The Guardian view on new stories: helping others tell tales | Editorial

Everyone’s favourite stormtrooper will be developing new movies with Netflix – one of several creators who have turned to enabling the work of othersToni Morrison knew a thing or two about stories. In 1994 she saw the “political correctness debate” as being about “the power to be able to define. The definers want the power to name. And the defined are now taking that power away from them.” The actor John Boyega is the latest to empower the previously mute. Last week his production company said it had signed a deal with streaming giant Netflix to develop non-English language films from parts of Africa, initially focused on Nigerian and Sudanese work. “It’s important that we take charge of telling our stories, and with this deal, we will do just that,” wrote the actor, of British-Nigerian heritage.His mission chimes with the brilliant Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich’s recent announcement that she will launch a publishing house specifically for other female authors this year (“Men, they are everywhere, and women’s works are rarely published,” she told the Nasha Niva website). Stormzy, having already founded a record label, joined Penguin Random House to launch the #Merky imprint: the only prerequisite for the titles it publishes are that the authors are “from under-represented communities”. Similarly, the novelist Nikesh Shukla co-founded the Good Literary Agency for talent that otherwise might be excluded. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2020-03-15 18:32:03 UTC ]

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