Michael Afenfia

Michael Afenfia has a Law degree and is a member of the Nigerian Bar. He also has a Master’s in Business Administration and is currently working towards a Certificate in Management Essentials at Harvard Business School. Michael’s most recent Canadian work experience came from his employment as a Cultural Bridging Facilitator and Acting Co-Team Lead with the Saskatoon Open Door Society. In the course of his career, he has acquired multi-disciplinary experience across private and public sector organizations, notably, working with the Presidency in Nigeria as Senior Special Adviser on Research and Documentation and was a Speechwriter to the Governor of his home state, Bayelsa in Nigeria.

He is the author of critically acclaimed bestselling novels, "The Mechanics of Yenagoa" and "Rain Can Never Know". His other books include "When the Moon Caught Fire", "A Street Called Lonely", and "Don’t Die on Wednesday". His sixth novel, Leave my Bones in Saskatoon, a novel about the immigration experience is scheduled for release in Canada and Nigeria in the fall of 2022. Afenfia has also served as Chairman, of the Association of Nigerian Authors, Bayelsa State Chapter while simultaneously serving as a Bayelsa State Library Board member.

Since arriving in Canada in the summer of 2019, he has volunteered as a member of the Inclusion Advisory Committee at the Saskatoon Public Library and is a member of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild. Afenfia is on the board of Word on the Street Saskatoon, the Biomedical Research Ethics Board of the University of Saskatchewan, the Heritage Festival of Saskatoon, the Community Radio Society (CFCR Radio), and the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan.

In addition to his writing and work in the settlement sector in Canada, he has also contributed to conversations around Truth and Reconciliation, Anti-racism and race relations as well as equity for the BIPOC population through his published articles and public speaking engagements. He is the host of The Global Voice, a weekly radio show on CFCR Radio 90.5 FM that celebrates diversity and inclusion.

In his spare time, Afenfia continues to mentor young creatives in his home country, Nigeria, and in Canada. At other times he can be found watching television, listening to music, or traveling.