Lbla

Lobela is the first volume of poetry written by Justo Bolekia Boleka, poet, author, and linguist. In these poems, Boleka expresses his connection to his native land, Equatorial Guinea, the only nation in Sub-Saharan Africa whose language of colonization is Spanish.

Gods, goddesses, adoration of elders, customs, longing for a lost land, and lost way of life are all part of these poetic expressions. Originally in Spanish, replete with songs, expressions, chants, and cadences from his native Bubi language, English readers will now have access to these expressions in this bi-lingual edition.


""Ugarte's translation of Lobela superbly conveys Boleka's interweaving of spirituality and sensuality. The empowering poems included in this bilingual volume display a world vision simultaneously grounded on ancient African knowledge and on contemporary African experiences. This is an extraordinary resource for scholars and a delightful read for everyone.""
--Elisa Rizo, Iowa State University, Ames, IA

""In Justo Bolekia Boleka's Lobela, you will discover the mythical world of Bubi goddesses, gods and ancestors; a world that is rendered intuitively relatable through the rhythm and song of Boleka's masterful verse. This collection of poetry, crafted in Spanish and interspersed with Bubi ballads, is a mosaic that is pleasing to the ears. Lobela is unreservedly an innovative contribution to Afro-Hispanic spoken word.""
--Dorothy Odartey-Wellington, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada


Justo Bolekia Boleka was born in Equatorial Guinea in 1954. He is Professor of French Philology and Linguistics at the University of Salamanca, Spain. He is the author of several volumes of poetry, a dictionary of the Bubi language, and historical essays.

Michael Ugarte is Professor of Spanish language and literature at the University of Missouri-Columbia.