The African Church is thriving, but quality Christian books and articles that speak to local needs are scarce. MAI-Africa helps spearhead training for Christian writers, editors and publishers across the continent including Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Benin and Burkina Faso. Contact us at [email protected].
Rose Birenge
Kenya
Rose Birenge is Director of Partnerships and Project Management at Biblica Africa, and has over twenty years of experience in marketing, outreach, publishing and partnerships. She is also Board Chair of MAI-Africa.
“I love books, always have loved books. MAI gives me an opportunity to interact with other book lovers,” Rose says. “Joining the MAI-Africa Board means I not only enjoy sweet fellowship, but also serve those in my continent who need a hand-up in their publishing journey.”
“My prayer, dream and desire is for people all over the world to have access to life-transforming content that is biblical and contextual,” Rose says. “Books do change lives. They encourage, give us perspective, and introduce us to new worlds unknown. Books are a gem.”
Rose’s book tip: “The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey, My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers and God Chasers by Tommy Tenney. My first life-changing read was when I was about 11, Run Baby Run, the story of Nicky Cruz.”
Joan Campbell
South Africa
Joan Campbell, MAI-Africa’s Communications Coordinator, calls herself a ‘pilgrim and storyteller.’ She seeks to use her journey with Christ and love of writing to draw others into a closer relationship with Him through the books and blogs she writes, and the prayer and retreat ministry she serves in at her local church.
“I love the supportive ministry of MAI,” Joan says. “I have been the recipient of their training, networking and encouragement for a number of years, and it has opened many doors for me in publishing and ministry. I saw the invitation to join MAI-Africa as another open door where I could serve and encourage others in the same way I have been served and encouraged.”
Joan’s book tip: “It’s difficult to narrow down, but I would say Red Moon Rising by Pete Greig was significant to my faith journey. This book tells the story of the start of the 24/7 Prayer movement in 1999, leading to 25 years of continuous prayer. I loved the stories of God doing remarkable things through very ordinary people who were seeking and following Him as wholeheartedly as possible.
A book that shaped me as a Christian writer is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis as it gave me my first real glimpse of the power of story and creativity to impart deep truth.
Eskie Askew’s comment in A Silence and a Shouting on an Arabic proverb (‘I will set my face to the wind and scatter my handful of seeds on high’) is something I come back to constantly as a writer: ‘My little contribution to life is taken by the great wind of God and scattered where the wind wants to scatter it. We need not bother too much about that part. Seeds grow. But we must have the courage to keep ourselves facing the wind.’”
Kirimi Barine
Kenya
Kirimi Barine is Global Publishing Development Coordinator for United Bible Societies and Founding Director of the Publishing Institute of Africa.
Kirimi helps potential authors conceptualize, plan, prepare, publish and promote non-fiction books. He also seeks to engage leaders and teams to learn and grow their impact.
“My passion is writing, publishing and training because I believe I can contribute and impact the lives of others through my words—and I coach others to do the same,” Kirimi says. He is actively involved in publishing and writing training with MAI, facilitating webinars, running workshops and speaking at conferences such as LittAfrica.
Kirimi’s writings include African Christian Leadership, Transformational Corporate Leadership, Rediscovering Leadership, A Life Well Lived and Leadership Foundations.
Lawrence Darmani
Ghana
Lawrence Darmani is Managing Director and CEO of Step Publishers in Accra, Ghana.
“Right from the day I surrendered by life to Christ, I embarked on regular daily devotion with prayer and Bible study and meditation, and the reading of Christian literature,” Lawrence says. “These, as well as my involvement in Church life and Christian fellowship, have propelled my lifestyle as a child of God and helped me to maintain my Christian fervor.”
“In addition to managing the ministry, my calling and delight is also writing. I look forward to seeing God enlarge our ministry by the number of books we publish, helping authors realize their dream in writing. I long to see God enable me to encourage and develop the staff I work with, and the financial viability and growth of our ministry.”
Lawrence was invited to join MAI-Africa at the time he had been serving with MAI as Africa Regional Trainer. “I gladly accepted the invitation,” Lawrence says. “Serving MAI gives me the opportunity to continue training Christian writers, which has been my delight since I got into Christian writing and publishing. I believe it is imperative to train Christian writers and publishers to sharpen their skills to enable them effectively serve the church by delivering cutting-edge contents for Christian growth. As this is the working ethos (mission and vision) of MAI-Africa and Global, I am delighted to join the team to provide this service.”
Lawrence’s book tip: “Let me mention just two among many others: Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan and Peace with God by Billy Graham.”
Joanna Ilboudo
Burkina Faso
Joanna Ilboudo is Founder and Senior Advisor of ACTS-Burkina Faso, which runs various community programs including in literacy and training for writers.
Fluent in French and English, Joanna offers a unique perspective to help bridge the gap between Francophone and Anglophone writers in Africa. She helps create opportunities for cross-language collaborations such as translations, bilingual publications, and networking between English-speaking and French-speaking writers. “My bilingual skills help our team create training programs that cater for both linguistic groups,” Joanna says.
Joanna also represents Francophone writers so that they have a voice in strategic decisions. “International literary platforms tend to be dominated by English-language content,” observes Joanna. “My presence within MAI-Africa allows me to advocate for better visibility and opportunities for Francophone African writers, to ensure their voices reach a wider audience. This also helps MAI-Africa to remain inclusive and relevant to both English and French speaking communities.”
Joanna’s book tip: “One book that marked my life is Sous l’orage by Swiss writer Madeleine Secretan, which I read when I was fourteen.”
Photo courtesy of Tyndale House Foundation.
Kingston Ogango
Kenya
Kingston Ogango is Africa Regional Director at Alpha International, and describes himself as “a leadership catalyst, author, trainer, minister, thought leader and designer.”
“Life resembles a generational relay, with each succeeding generation tasked with passing the baton of distilled knowledge, experience and wisdom,” Kingston says. “Senior leadership should strategically focus on developing future leaders by proactively identifying and vigorously establishing coaching processes that create a pipeline of leaders. I believe this is what God has called me fulfil—I partner with Him for a great impact on my generation.”
“I joined MAI-Africa to inspire my fellow Africans to actively and intentionally share knowledge through writing and publishing, to be a catalyst for those in leadership by championing for writing and publishing as a way of influencing and creating culture, and because I am passionate about mentoring.”
Kingston believes that to make meaningful change, one needs to be in a place where one has the latitude to create, innovate and lead. “Being an MAI-Africa trustee affords that opportunity,” he says. “One of the most effective ways of sharing experiences and knowledge with the rising generation is by capturing what God has done in my generation through the written word.”
Kingston’s book tip: “Chase the Lion by Mark Batterson is an inspirational call to take action, urging readers to embrace their full potential and pursue their dreams fearlessly. It draws inspiration from the biblical story of Benaiah who chased a lion and killed it on snowy day with his bare hands, reminding us that true greatness lies in daring to chase what seems impossible. Batterson suggests that if your dream doesn’t scare you, it’s not big enough to truly challenge or inspire you to see what God can enable us to do.”
Lekan Otufodunrin
Nigeria
Lekan Otufodunrin is Executive Director of Media Career Development Network, which provides career support and training for media practitioners in Nigeria. He is also President of Journalists for Christ International Outreach, whose vision is to share the gospel with journalists and other media professionals. “I am trusting God to fulfil His purpose for our ministry in journalism, through which the gospel can be spread directly and indirectly,” Lekan says.
He joined MAI-Africa to support the development and growth of Christian publishing in Africa. “I want to support the training of Christian writers to enhance the publication of local books, journals and other relevant content to the continent,” Lekan says. “I have been immensely blessed by being part of MAI with lots of resources and networks—locally and globally.”