Biography
Names: Kossi Amékowoyoa
Surname: KOMLA-EBRI
Born in Togo (Tsévié) on 10/01/1954, Kossi Amékowoyoa KOMLA-EBRI (Basile KOMLA) graduated in France, arrived in Italy in 1974 in Bologna as a guest of the late Card. Giacomo Lercaro at the International College "Villa San Giacomo ". After completing his university studies in Medicine and Surgery in Bologna, he specialized in Milan in General Surgery. After a work experience at Hospital St Jean de Dieu of Afagnan in Togo, he worked at the Fatebenefratelli hospital in Erba (Co) before retiring. He is married, has two children and lives in Ponte Lambro (Co).
Winner of the first prize for fiction on the occasion of the third edition of the Eks & Tra competition in 1997 with the story “Quando attraverserò il fiume” (When I will cross the river), he is also awarded in the 1998 edition, with "Mal di ..." (Home…sickness). Other stories: "Sognando una favola” (Dreaming of a fairy tale), "Vado a casa” (I'm going home),
"Le due scatole di fiammiferi” (The two matchboxes) have been reported for publication in various anthologies. His essays were published in the magazine "Lettere" and in the magazine "Caffè". A short story, "La manif" (The nanif. ), was published in the magazine "NarraSud" and on the website "Sagarana" and another, "Il buio della notte” (The dark of the night), in the newspaper "L'Unità". Two works have been published in the anthology "La lingua strappata”, Leoncavallo Books 1999.
One of his essays "Anch’io sono l’Italia" (I’m Italy too) , dedicated to the Italian Literature of Migration, was published in the German magazine Die Brücke "Auch ich bin Italien" by Brücke-Forum for antirassist politik und kultur-N ° 4 / XIX. Juli-August 2000.
Together with the itinerant doctor Aldo Lo Curto and the Brazilian designer Ubiratan Porto, he is the author of "Afrique. La santé en images ", manual (also available in English:" Africa Illustred Health Book ") published with the contribution of the Rotary Club of Lugano Lago and the Rotary Foundation, is distributed free of charge in various African villages for health education among local populations. For this work he receives the appointment to Paul Harris Fellow.
Until 1999 he was Vice President in charge of Scientific Research of the IPAL (Pan-African Institute of Lugano) and Vice Director of CERA (Centre d 'Etudes des Réalités Africaines) in Lugano. In 1995 he received the "Africa Memorial" diploma from Ipal.
Former President of A.S.A.E (African Solidarity Association in Erba), which disseminates knowledge of African values in a role of cultural mediator, he has been an honorary member since 1995 of the association "les cultures-Onlus" - laboratory of international culture - which intends to favor the affirmation of a cosmopolitan mentality and spread the knowledge of peoples, their history and their culture.
He is the founder and honorary president of REDANI (Network of the Black African Diaspora in Italy).
He spends his free time as an intercultural mediator in the world of school and health. For his social commitment, in April 2000 he received the "Microcosmo d’Oro" award annually for three people of foreign origin who distinguished themselves in Lombardy for their contribution to the meeting and dialogue between cultures.
The VI 2011 edition of the Amilcar Cabral Award organized in Bologna by the Tabanka Onlus Association in collaboration with the Amilcar Cabral Library awarded him with the Amilcar Cabral 2011 Award. The Amilcar Cabral Award is awarded every year to personalities and institutions who contribute to their work to the knowledge of Africa with a view to justice and peace.
In June 1999, he applied for the municipal elections of Erba on the civic list "L' Altracittà". Candidate of the "Ulivo per Rutelli" (moderate center left party) list for the Chamber of Deputies in the 2001 political elections in the Uninominal College of Erba (Lombardy District 2) reported a moderate personal success with the result of 33% (26,297 votes out of 79,728 voters) against his opponent of the League (nationalist and populist party).
He has participated as a speaker at various conferences in Italy and abroad or as a teacher in courses on issues related to Africa, integration, interculture and migration literature.
He attended the AAIS (American Association of Italian Studies) conference in Washington in March 2003 at the round table on "Radici e Orizzonti: la letteratura della migrazione” (Roots and Horizons: the literature of migration.) following meetings with students in Boulder (University of Colorado). In July 2004 in Munchen "Literature of migration in Italy" at the conference "Va bene - Europe verstehen: Italien Veranstaltungen zu Politik und Kultur; München, 14. - 16. Juli 2004 and that of the Österreichische Gesellschaft für Literatur in Vienna in November 2004. He was invited by the consul of Italy as an Italian writer to the "Time of the writer" literature festival (4-9 April 2005) in Durban (South Africa)
He was invited as a speaker to the "Xa Settimana della lingua italiana nel Mondo (18-24 October 2010)" (Xa Week of the Italian Language in the World in Lille at the Italian Consulate and in Lisbon by the Italian Institute of Culture in Lisbon.
Since 2011 he has been a member of the scientific committee of the "Scritture Migranti" conference at the University of Palermo which is in its sixth edition.
In October 2013 he participates at UNISA (University of South Africa) in Pretoria at the "Africa Speaks" conference followed by a Workshop with South African poets.
In 2014, 2015 and 2016 he was appointed to teach at the Master FILIS (Intercultural Trainers of Italian Language for Foreigners).
It receives from the Togolese government the nomination as a focal point for the cultural events of Togo during Expo 2015 in Milan.
He is a founding member of "El-Ghibli" online magazine of migration literature. He was director of the migrant literature series of the Edizioni dell'Arco and edited the Blog (Imbarazzismi) on Il Passaporto - the magazine of multiethnic Italy then Metropolis.
For these works, he was mentioned by the jury of the first "Popoli in Cammino" Competition 2004. He was the winner in 2005 for the "literature section" of the journalistic-literary prize "Mare Nostrum". In 2009 he received the Graphein prize from the Society of Pedagogy and Didactics of Writing.
Recently he published: "Identità trasversa" (Anthology "Parole di sabbia", Ed. Il Grappolo, 2002), "Imbarazzismi- quotidiani imbarazzi in bianco e nero” (Embarrassments-daily embarrassments in black and white) with an introduction by Laura Balbo (Ed. Dell'Arco-Marna, 2002 ), the novel "Neyla" (Ed. Dell'Arco-Marna, 2002) which was translated and published in the United States by Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. The collection of short stories "All’incrocio dei sentieri” (At the crossroads of paths) (Ed. EMI-Bologna , 2003), and "Nuovi Imbarazzismi- quotidiani imbarazzi in bianco e nero …e a colori” (The new embarrassments - daily embarrassments in black and white ... and in color) Edizioni dell'Arco-Marna 2004. "La sposa degli deì”- nell’Africa degli antichi riti vodù (racconto lungo) (The bride of the gods" - in Africa of the ancient voodoo rites - (long story) Edizioni Dell’ Arco-Marna 2005 and "Germogli recisi” (Clipped wings) (short story) in the Anthology "Italiani per vocazioni" (edited by Igiaba Scego) Edizioni Cadmo 2005
- "Le huitième péché" (short story in French in the homology anthology)
Editions Ndzé 2006
- Del Rap-Hip Hop (the eighth sin) Italian version on El-ghibli N ° 13 September 2006.
- “Vita e sogni”-racconti in concerto- (Life and dreams - tales in concert -) Edizioni dell'Arco 2007
- "Madiba" short story in French in anthology in homage to Nelson Mandela "Je suis né en prison" Editions Tropiques Ifrikiya 2008
- “All’incrocio dei sentieri”-racconti dell’incontro-(At the crossroads of paths" - tales of the meeting -) Edizioni dell'Arco 2009
2018 RE-EDITIONS
- “All’incrocio dei sentieri”-racconti dell’incontro (At the crossroads of paths - tales of the meeting -) Edizioni Touba Culturale Italy 2018
- "Neyla"- Edizioni Touba Culturale Italy 2018
- "Imbarrazzismi" - Touba Culturale Italy 2018
All books are in re-edition at Touba Culturale Italy
The book "Imbarazzismi" was released in French in France: "Embarracismes-Le racisme au quotidien" Lille, Editions Laborintus 2016. The English version was released in the States with the title "EmbarRACEments -daily embarassments in black and white ... and color "New York Bordighera Press 2019.
The novel Neyla in 2019 wins the Prato CittAperta prize dedicated to migrant culture.
NEWS 2021
*Avant que tombe la nuit – Lomé, Collection Fil Bleu- Editions Les Continents 2021
*Neyla (v slovenščini)- Prevod Ingrid Vidmar-Ljubljana, Iskanja 2021
*Imbarazzismi. Esercizi di razzismo quotidiano (libro bi-fronte italiano-arabo)- Roma, Edizioni Q 2021
مواقف عنصریة حرجة مطبوعات Q قوصّي كوملا-اِبري
Bibliography
- “Quando attraverserò il fiume” Antologia “Memorie in Valigia” Fara Editore, Santarcangelo di Romagna 1997 – Antologia “Voci Migranti” Lunaria, Roma 2000)
- “Mal di…” (Antologia “Destini sospesi di volti in cammino” Fara Editore Santarcangelo di Romagna 1998- in (“Parole di Babele- percorsi didattici sulla letteratura dell’immigrazione” Loescher Editore 2002)- in Ponti –intermediate Italian, Italiano terzo millennio- pag. 279, a cura di Tognozzi /Cavatorta, Houghton Mufflin Company Boston New York 2004
- “Sognando una favola” (Antologia “Destini sospesi di volti in cammino” Fara Editore Santarcangelo di Romagna 1998-) e in (“Parole di Babele- percorsi didattici sulla letteratura dell’immigrazione” Loescher Editore 2002)
- “Vado a casa” (Antologia “ Parole oltre i confini” Fara Editore, Santarcangelo di Romagna 1997)
- “Le due scatole di fiammiferi” (Antologia “Anime in viaggio: la nuova mappa dei popoli” AdnKronos Libri.Aprile 2001-).
- “Differenze” Lettere il mensile dell’Italia che scrive; Anno II N° 7- ottobre 1999 “Caro fratello mio” in Caffè n°9, 1999)
- “La Manif” sulla rivista NarraSud.-Roma- Distrazioni Editoriali -scritti e percorsi migratori Anno I N° 1- marzo –aprile 2000. Sul sito www.sagarana.net (N° 2 Gennaio 2001- in Ibridazioni) e in (antologia “Saudade” Bevivino Editore 2003)
- “Imbarazzismi” e “Albanese? Non è un passaporto vero, è falso questo”. Antologia “La lingua strappata”. Testimonianze e letteratura migranti Kossi Komla-Ebri-Abdel Malek Smari-Saidou Moussa Ba-Hossein Hosseinzadek-Marcello Vega-Said Sahm (a cura di Alberto Ibba e Raffaele Taddeo), Leoncavallo Libri 1999
- “Auch ich bin Italien” (Anch’io sono l’Italia) Di Brücke-Forum für antirassistiche politik und kultur-N°4/XIX. Juli-August 2000
- “Il buio della notte” (racconto) pubblicato sul giornale L’Unità del sabato 24 Agosto 2002 pag. 27
- "Imbarazzismi –Quotidiani imbarazzi in bianco e nero" - con una introduzione di Laura Balbo- Edizioni dell’Arco-Marna 2002
- “Bel negro vuoi guadagnarti 500 lire” da “Imbarazzismi”in Das Italienisch-Lehrwerk 3 Allora, Andiamo! pag. 78 A cura di A. Esposito e N. Grandi ; Munchen Langenscheidt 2002
- “Identità trasversa” (Antologia “Parole di sabbia”-Edizioni Il Grappolo novembre 2002)
- “Neyla” (romanzo) Edizioni dell’Arco-Marna dicembre 2002
- “Neyla a novel by Kossi Komla-Ebri” translated in english and introduced by Prof. Peter N. Pedroni; Madison: Farleigh Dickinson University Press 2004
- “All’incrocio dei sentieri” Raccolta di racconti con apparato didattico a cura di Giovanna Stanganello del CRES di Milano, collana CREScendo-casa editrice EMI 2003
- “Nuovi imbarazzismi- Quotidiani imbarazzi in bianco e nero…e a colori-” Edizioni dell’Arco-Marna 2004
- “La letteratura africana(subsahariana) contemporanea” sulla rivista Piroga (N° 8 Novembre 2003 pp.91)
- “Due lezioni” (favola) su El- Ghibli (N° 6 Dicembre 2004)
- La sposa degli dèi” (racconto lungo) Edizioni dell’Arco-Marna 2005
- “Germogli recisi” (racconto) nell’Antologia “Italiani per vocazione” (a cura di Igiaba Scego) Edizioni Cadmo 2005
- "Il colore delle parole" (saggio)in "Il mondo in classe" a cura di Lorenzo Luatti, UCODEP 2006
- "Le huitième péché" (racconto in francese nell'omonimo antologia)Editions Ndzé 2006
- "Del Rap-Hip Hop" (l'ottavo peccato) versione italiana su El-ghibli N°13 settembre 2006.
- "Kossi Komla-Ebri- Selections from Ethnicollisions: Daily Embarassments in Black and White translated by Anna Strowe" in Metamorphoses-Spring and Fall 2006-Vol 14. issues 1-2; Amherst/Northampton Massachussetts
- "Home...sickness" "Crossroads Identity" of Kossi Komla-Ebri; translated by Marie Orton" in "Multicultural Literature in Contemporary Italy" Edited by Marie Orton and Graziella Parati-Fairleigh Dickinson University Press-Madison.Teaneck 2007
- "Vita e sogni"-racconti in concerto- Edizioni dell'Arco 2007
- "Madiba" racconto in francese nell'antologia in omaggio a Nelson Mandela "Je suis né en prison"-Editions Tropiques Ifrikiya 2008
- . "All'incrocio dei sentieri"-racconti dell'incontro- Edizioni dell'Arco 2009
- "Embarracismes-Le racisme au quotidien" , Lille, Editions Laborintus 2016.
- "Neyla"- Edizione Touba Culturale Italy 2018
- "Imbarazzismi" - Edizione Touba Culturale Italy 2018
- "Moglie e buoi dei paesi tuoi" e "Eufemismo" da "Imbarazzismi" in "Pubblichiamoli a casa loro" a cura di Matteo Andreone e Raffaele Taddeo-Edizioni Ensemble-Roma 2018
- "All'incrocio dei sentieri"-racconti dell'incontro- Edizione Touba Culturale Italy 2018
- Vita e sogni"-racconti in concerto- Vedano al Lambro, Edizione Touba Culturale Italy 2019
- « Il destino di Avoloto il tessitore» di Anku Komla-Ebri –Traduzione di Kossi Komla-Ebri , Vedano al Lambro, Touba Culturale Italy 2019
- "EmbarRACEments -daily embarassments in black and-Roma white ...and color" New York Bordighera Press 2019
- "Gente udite la mia favola" Vedano al Lambro, Touba Culturale Italy 2020
- "Avant que tombe la nuit" – Lomé, Collection Fil Bleu- Editions Les Continents 2021
- "Neyla" (v slovenščini)- Prevod Ingrid Vidmar-Ljubljana, Iskanja 2021
- "Imbarazzismi". Esercizi di razzismo quotidiano (libro bi-fronte italiano-arabo)- Roma, Edizioni Q 2021 مواقف عنصریة حرجة مطبوعات Q قوصّي كوملا-اِبري