S1 Ep. 7: Angela Franklin, Chez Alpha Books (Dakar, Senegal)

There is only one English-language bookshop in Dakar, Senegal and it's called Chez Alpha Books. Initially located inside the owner's garage, it turned into an independent bookshop with a rich and diverse collection of fiction and non-fiction, with a particular focus on writers from Senegal, other parts of Africa and diaspora but also international classics. The bookshop doubles as a library service, a summer reading camp for children who want to learn English, a college test prep centre and study abroad counseling. Educator, artist, and activist Angela Franklin is the founder of Chez Alpha Books and our guest today. Originally from the US, Angela has more than 20 years of experience in higher education administration. Chez Alpha Books was born out of calamity: her studio in Baltimore burned down and she was forced to start over. Angela is making history and we're very honoured to have her in our podcast today as a beacon of inspiration. Books recommended by Angela: The Snowy Day, by Ezra Keats I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou Sisters and Champions: The True Story of Venus and Serena Williams, by Howard Bryant The World According to Fannie Davis: My Mother's Life in the Detroit Numbers, by Bridgett M. Davis A Velocity of Being: Letters to A Young Reader, by Maria Popova & Claudia Bedrick The Home That Was Our Country: A Memoir of Syria, by Alia Malek The Hundred Wells of Salaga: A Novel, by Ayesha Harruna Attah Of Women and Frogs, by Bisi Adjapon The Mermaid of Black Conch, by Monique Roffey Segu, by Maryse Condé Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Half of a Yellow Sun, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie  Everfair: A Novel, by Nisi Shawl  In Pursuit of Disobedient Women: A Memoir of Love, Rebellion, and Family, Far Away, by Dionne Searcey Black Tudors: The Untold Story, by Miranda Kaufmann Senegal: Modern Senegalese Recipes from the Source to the Bowl, by Pierre Thiam The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother, by James McBride Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter, by J. Nozipo Maraire The Third Life of Grange Copeland, by Alice Walker