Matatu is a peer-reviewed journal focused on African literary and cultural studies, open to interdisciplinary dialogue with fields such as the social sciences, cultural anthropology, and history. Matatu is animated by a lively interest in African and Afrodiasporic literatures and cultures that moves beyond well-worn notions of “cultural authenticity” and “national liberation” towards critical explorations of African modernities. The East African public transport vehicle from which Matatu takes its name symbolises these modernities: though built on “Western” (or often "Asian") technology, it is a vigorously African institution. It is a space that, despite often being viewed with apprehension, frequently serves as an important means of transport which creates temporary communicative communities and provides a transient site for the exchange of news, storytelling, and political debate. Matatu is firmly committed to providing a forum for scholarly transcultural dialogue and exchange. Matatu was published as book series until the end of 2015. All back volumes are still available in print(*)https://brill.com/view/serial/MATAS .