Vita Books: Publishing Against Imperialism
Vita Books: Publishing against Imperialism: Interview with Shiraz Durrani and Kimani Waweru
New Book: Durrani, Shiraz: Kenya’s War of Independence: Mau Mau and its Legacy of Resistance to Colonialism and Imperialism, 1948-1990 (2018)
Vita Books moves to Kenya in 2016
Vita Books was established in London, UK in 1986 to “publish progressive books on issues related with anti-imperialist struggles and with the establishment of just and democratic societies”. This remains its vision today.
Over the years, Vita Books has worked with many progressive individuals and organisations. For a time, it published books in partnership with the Mau Mau Research Centre, then based in New York, now in Kenya. It was always the intention at the time of its establishment that Vita Books be based in Kenya which has provided it with its main inspiration.
The move finally happened in 2016 and the first book to be published in Kenya will be Liberating Minds, Restoring Kenyan History by Nazmi Durrani. The move has been made possible by the enthusiasm and hard work of a number of people, including Kimani Waweru who will now be managing the Vita Books from Nairobi. At the same time, Vita Books are now being distributed worldwide by Africa Book Collective.
Contact details:
Vita Books
P.O.Box 62501-00200
Nairobi. Kenya
Distributed Worldwide by:
African Books Collective
PO BOX 721
Oxford, OX1 9EN
orders@africanbookscollective.com
www.africanbookscollective.com
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Vita Books is an independent publisher which focuses on supporting people’s struggles to create societies based on the principles of equality and justice for working people across the world.
It is Vita Books’ intention to help redress the lack of power over communication and the media held by ordinary, working people by giving access to ideas, issues, action and views that resist imperialism.
At Vita Books, we counter-balance information about working people that has been written from the point of view of imperialism and the ruling classes by offering alternative material from the opposite – the working class – point of view, and which is based on active political struggles by people. This struggle is endorsed by the very name of Vita Books – “Vita” meaning war, battle, struggle in Kiswahili.
As well as books and published papers and articles on the politics of information, the Vita Books website features unpublished articles, creative works, proceedings from meeting and reports relating to the anti-imperialist struggles.
There is a particular focus on Kenya – before, during and since independence – where the popular image created by corporate financial interests and the media they control is one of a tourist paradise, and snubs the reality of the lives and struggles of working people against colonialism and imperialism.
Vita Books strives to connect progressive people everywhere, and to unite them in a global battle for justice and equality that will lead to a fair and just society for everyone.
To this end, as much material as possible, is provided free of charge under the Creative Commons License. Also included in this site are some relevant articles, documents and talks by Shiraz Durrani.
Such material is invaluable for research and for war against the ruling class ideology of greed and imperialism which will remain dominant if it is not challenged.
Shiraz Durrani
Tottenham, London, UK
September, 2014