“I, like all artists in Western cultures, am a shaman…come in the guise of a comic…to heal perception by using…’jokes’.”

I love playing with words and texture.

I’m extremely optimistic about rapid transformation and change of things in Africa in general.

I, Binyavanga Wainaina, quite honestly swear I have known I am a homosexual since I was five.

Africa is to be pitied, worshipped or dominated

I believe in, and will to the best of my ability fight for, equal rights and freedom of opinion for everyone, regardless of colour, religion, nationality, orientation – you know the rest.

A stretch of my body would surely stretch as far as the sky. The whole universe poised, and I am the agent of any movement.

All people have dignity. Theres nobody who was born without a soul and a spirit.

I like the idea of readers feeling a familiarity, whether its with Africa or childhood.

People reach an age… where somebody elses platform is no longer yours.

Everywhere I go, I see young people: Confident, forward looking. I have seen them in Lagos, in Rwanda, in the suburbs of London.

What’s the best way to build a brand for the long term? In a word: culture.

Your brand is your culture.

Hong Kong film audiences are very quiet. It’s their culture.

Your culture is your brand.

I’m not silly enough to think I’m going to change the whole culture … but I do have a belief that soccer can go to a different level.

Company culture is the backbone of any successful organization.

Company culture is a religion, not a sermon.

Your culture sets your expectation for what is normal. Surround yourself with people who have the habits you want to have yourself.