Wasafiri

About the organization

Wasafiri has become the UK’s leading magazine for international contemporary writing. Launched in 1984, it is now renowned for publishing some of the world’s most distinguished writers including Chinua Achebe, Kamau Brathwaite, and Ben Okri amongst many others. Its name stems from the Kiswahili word for ‘travelers’ which reflects the magazine’s longstanding engagement with cultural traveling, diverse histories and its continuing commitment to extending the established boundaries of literary culture. The magazine played a pioneering role in reviewing the first novels and early poetry of writers who are now well-known, challenging the predominant assumption that their work would only be of ‘minority interest’. In today’s increasingly divided world, the magazine’s original mission to provoke cross-cultural dialogue and provide a space for the publication of distinctive new work from across the globe is ever more vital.