Walking Cities: Marlon James and Akala in Kingston

In the latest Walking Cities video, Booker Prize-winning Marlon James takes poet and rapper Akala on a tour of Kingston, Jamaica


Photo: Marlon James and Akala. Credit: Matt Beavers

"I wanted to write a book with a beat… everything moves to a beat, to a rhythm, everything has a soundtrack. I sometimes wonder if that’s why I listen to music when I write.” 

Booker Prize-winning author Marlon James takes poet and rapper Akala around his hometown of Kingston, Jamaica, and explains how the noise and the rhythm of the city influence his work. The two also discuss gentrification, racism and what kind of music is best to listen to while writing. 

Walking Cities Kingston was filmed in partnership with the Jamaica Film Commission and the Calabash Festival.

 

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