The Prophet of Zongo Street

I just finished reading The Prophet of Zongo Street by Mohammed Naseehu Ali, writer and musician. It is a compilation of short stories by an African writer, from Ghana. The fresh innocence of native African folklore, peppered with the art and culture of young, educated Africans in the US. I enjoyed the book, especially stories centered around quirky characters living in the fictitious Zongo Street in the city of Kumasi. The unhurried, ambitionless, religion-steeped, rumor-filled existence of a small town. The culture of story-telling around a charcoal fire, while munching roasted peanuts.

My favorite stories are Mallam Sile, The Story of Day and Night, Live-In and Rachmaninov.

On the lines of, and almost as charming as one of my all-time favorites: the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Zimbabwean author, Alexander McCall Smith.