Kwani?

Kwani? (derived from the Sheng slang "so what?") was a prominent Kenyan literary magazine headquartered in Nairobi. It has been hailed as "undoubtedly the most influential journal to have emerged from sub-Saharan Africa".

The magazine originated from discussions among a group of writers based in Nairobi during the early 2000s. Its inception was led by Binyavanga Wainaina, who initiated the project after winning the 2002 Caine Prize for African Writing. The inaugural printed edition was released in 2003.

Kwani? was produced by the Kwani Trust, an organization dedicated to fostering Kenya's and Africa's intellectual, creative, and imaginative resources through strategic literary initiatives. The organization received substantial funding from the Ford Foundation.

During its run, the magazine evolved into a significant platform for African continent literature and propelled the careers of various writers, including Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, who won the 2003 Caine Prize; Uwem Akpan, acclaimed author of the bestselling short-story collection Say You're One of Them, and Billy Kahora, a former managing editor of the magazine. Each edition of the journal comprised over 500 pages of new journalism, fiction, experimental writing, poetry, cartoons, photographs, ideas, literary travel writing, and creative non-fiction.

Each volume of Kwani? revolved around a central theme. For instance, the seventh issue (2012/3), titled "Majuu" (a Sheng word meaning "overseas"), was "a 570-page testament to the journal's diasporic roots".

After the Ford Foundation changed its funding models in East Africa and ended support programs for arts and the media in 2014/15, Kwani? ceased publication.