Nii Ayikwei Parkes is a Ghanaian-British writer, essayist, poet and performer. He has published prose, poetry and children's literature and performed poetry at many international festivals.

Estonian readers can enjoy Parkes' novel "Tail of the Blue Bird," published in 2009 – a poetic insight into the clash between old and new, urban and rural worlds.

A young forensic pathologist named Kayo, educated in Britain and enjoying a fine lifestyle, arrives in a village in rural Ghana to examine the human remains that have been found there. He must apply his scientific worldview in a village whose inhabitants have been accustomed for centuries to communicate with forest spirits and live together with the spirits of their ancestors.

A plot characteristic of the detective novel begins to reveal shades and shadows of the traditional way of life, with the author's poetic voice and local spoken language adding to the color of the book.

Nii Ayikwei Parkes' full discussion with Heili Sepp can be viewed via the video player above.

More videos with authors at the HeadRead Festival from 2025 and previous years can be found here.

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