Tourism is at an all time low here in Nepal, so it's a good time to go with the flow and do some planning for the future. I've decided to continue to use the guest house to host volunteers at no charge. Right now I have 5 who are helping in various ways to provide something for the people that they could not provide for themselves. Such dedication and open hearts are so wonderful there don't seem to be words to express my gratitude, shared by all of our neighbors here and in Saku. Not only have these New Zealanders come with skill and kind hearts, but they have even raised money and will be helping some of the most needy of families in Changunarayan and Saku. Here is Kerensa's blog post about their arrival in Nepal. The Wellness {R} Evelution We also have a talented young man, Chris, who has put together a few videos for youtube. Here's the link to the latest movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBObGazMihM Additionally, we are fortunate to have Livio, our web de...

African writers are traumatized. They forever have to defend their work. If it’s not someone questioning why they are not tackling the problems of their societies, it’s someone wondering why they only write about misery and gloom in the continent. When they discover that African writers are churning out stuff like speculative fiction, they say ‘copycat’. Or something worse. The something worse happened to me. Shortly after my book came out, a Ugandan living in the UK asked; ‘Are you really Ugandan?’ I said yes, and she said, ‘But your names….’ And I said Is your name Margaret (anonymised) more Ugandan than mine (Dilman is Asian, Dila is Luo/Nilotic)? And her next question, ‘But surely, you didn’t grow up in Uganda. No one who grew up in Uganda can write such stories.’ I stopped responding. A muti market in Durban, South Africa, where you can buy any charm. In recent years, there has been a burst of activity with regard to SFF in Africa. Some liken it to Afrofuturism, but I don’t like ...