Sonja | Nadia Cassim | 65
Sonja lifted the mug of hot tea to her lips as she stared out the kitchen window at the pink-blue sky. It was the first day in months that the clouds had parted, revealing behind its curtain a bright and daring palette.
“I miss it,” she muttered, almost to herself.
“Hmmm?” came a voice from behind her.
“The sun. I miss the sun.”
“Hmmm.” She turned around to look at her husband Noel, who had his nose buried in his laptop. He used his middle finger to shift his glasses up the bridge of his nose without looking up. His fingers rattled across the keypad, pausing only once to lift the buttery croissant she had left next to him, up to his mouth.
“We should go north while we can,” she commented. No response. She pushed on. “They say that everything is better that side.”
“You know that my work is here, Sonja. I can’t just up and leave in the middle of it,” he replied.
Sonja rolled her eyes. “You’ve been trying to find a solution to this climate crisis for more than a decade, but things are only getting worse. I want to start a family. I want to live a full life before everything goes to shit. You promised me that we would do that when you asked me to marry you.”
Download and read Nadia’s story on Page 65.
Binary Bisecting- Anthology of African Writings on AI
Editor Tahzeeb Akram’s invitation
Brittle Paper has been hearing all of the watercooler whispers and late-night talks you have all been having about Artificial Intelligence and we would like to join in on the conversation. So, here we are with our collection, Binary Bisecting: An AI Anthology. Download for Free at the link below.
Binary Bisecting- Anthology of African Writings on AI
Binary Bisecting is made up of 17 pieces from 16 talented writers from across the continent, including countries such as Botswana, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and South Africa. The collection is divided into three parts:
Part I: Tentative Technology looks at the hesitancy surrounding interactions with AI.
Part II: Digital Discourse presents arguments and explorations of the technology.
Part III: Distrust the Rust focuses on the fears and anxieties of the digital evolution.
Not only are we excited to join the conversation, we are particularly happy to be showcasing the opinions and voices of our writers. We’ve put together a thought-provoking, witty, and slightly haunting collection centred on AI and we hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed curating it!
Binary Bisecting- Anthology of African Writings on AI
Nadia Cassim describes herself as a free spirit and an independent thinker. She obtained an honours degree from the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2008, but chose to pursue a career in fine arts instead of city planning. She has already held two solo exhibitions and her paintings have been on display at the iconic former women’s jail at Constitution Hill. While she continues to paint on commission, she has also taken on the role of financial advisor as well as that of writer and editor. One of her short stories has been included in the anthology Riding the Samoosa Express (published by Modjaji Books) and she has edited the online magazine Irtiqa of which she was also the founder. After running this magazine with the aim of empowering Muslim women in her community for eight years, she has taken a step back to focus on writing her first novel.
