Join us in Celebration of the 54th year of Independence for the Republic of Cameroon with An Evening with Acclaimed Cameroonian Actress, Producer and Philanthropist Sahndra FonDufe as she debuts her highly anticipated groundbreaking novel, “Yefon: The Red Necklace” (ISBN: 978-1495452369; African Pictures International; May 3, 2014). The first in a powerful trilogy, Yefon aims to bring attention and a call to action to the issue of women's rights and more specifically, the right of women around the globe to attain an education. The release will be followed by a world wide speaking tour which will include cities in North America, Europe and Africa.
Inspired by African historical fiction writers like Chimamanda Adichie and the late Chinua Achebe, Sahndra FonDufe's "Yefon: The Red Necklace", is a book with an important message, coupled with with strong female characters who survive great tragedy and overcome seemingly impossible obstacles in order to break down barriers and make their mark in the world. This gripping novel begins in early 1950 Northwest Cameroon at a time where the women were not given the same opportunities for education as their male counterparts. Yefon, a a name meaning “Mother of the King', is the main character who finds herself in the unprecedented position of wanting a life outside of the roles dedicated to women in her village. She yearns to be educated.
“I wrote this book for the Nelson Mandela's of our communities who are willing to stand up for change and people who are oppressed or suppressed from fulfilling their life's purpose”, says Author FonDufe. “This is very close to my heart because education for women is something that has plagued the world for a very long time. When I saw this problem firsthand, I knew I had to write about it. Yefon is not just a story, its a movement to create awareness about the woman's right to have the world at her fingertips through the opportunity to be educated”.
Yefon promises to be a wonderful benchmark for new writing from Cameroon that can compete with writing produced anywhere in the world. Ms. FonDufe is the product of a new brand of upcoming African writers emerging to carry the torch of African Literature and committed to changing the paradigm of how it is viewed around the world
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cameroonian-born Actress/Writer Sahndra Fon Dufe (Saa'ndrah Fon-du-fey) is best-known for creating the Yefon Trilogy. The movie version is due to premiere on the silver screen in 2015, with Fon Dufe stepping into the lead role. The film also stars Isaiah Washington, Adriana Barazza, Jimmy Jean Louis, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Leleti Khumalo, Uti Nwachukwu and original music from Award winning singer Kelly Price.
Fon Dufe, a Meisner trained actress and graduate of the New York Film Academy, is also known for her stellar performances in blockbuster International Nollywood movies such as Frank Rajah's "Refugees" "One Night in Vegas" "Unconditional Love", "Lost in Abroad", "Standing The Rain", "Two Princes", "The Successor of Katunga" and "Bad Accent". Her career began when she dabbled on to a local film set, during her first year in Buea University in Cameroon, where she was studying law. She was 17 years old at the time. After scoring a few small film roles, she moved to Los Angeles so she could further pursue her dream of acting.
At a mere 22 years of age she opened her own production company; the revolutionary African Pictures International and has continued to work towards exposing the history, culture and truth of Africa, women in general and the spirit within. Fon Dufe has worked with the American Embassy in Yaoundé, Cameroon to conduct “Know Your Craft” workshops which attracts artists from all over Africa.
Fon Dufe presently lives in Los Angeles.
Learn more at: www.yefonthenovel.com
BOOK SUMMARY:
Title: “Yefon: The Red Necklace”
Authors: Sahndra FonDufe
Publisher: African Pictures Inc
Paperback, $14.99 ISBN: 978-1495452369
On sale May 3, 2014.
Also available as an e-book.