
Pagecast at OBF 2026: I.O. Echeruo and Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane in conversation
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Joining Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane of The Cheeky Natives is I.O. Echeruo, author of the debut novel The Comfort of Distant Stars - a bold coming-of-age tale where physics, philosophy and Igbo cosmology collide.
Echeruo's debut story collection, Expert in All Styles, was published by Nigerian publisher Farafina, and his short fiction has appeared in Transition and Eclectica magazines. The Comfort of Distant Stars, is a bold coming-of-age tale blending physics, philosophy and Igbo cosmology to explore how we understand our place in the universe. It asks some of the biggest questions we all grapple with about the nature of time and existence, ultimately revealing the startling vulnerability of the human mind.
Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane is a practising advocate and part-time in-counsel at the Centre for Applied Legal Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand. They were named one of the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans in 2018 and, in 2022, formed part of the judging panel for the Caine Prize for African Writing.
Echeruo's debut story collection, Expert in All Styles, was published by Nigerian publisher Farafina, and his short fiction has appeared in Transition and Eclectica magazines. The Comfort of Distant Stars, is a bold coming-of-age tale blending physics, philosophy and Igbo cosmology to explore how we understand our place in the universe. It asks some of the biggest questions we all grapple with about the nature of time and existence, ultimately revealing the startling vulnerability of the human mind.
Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane is a practising advocate and part-time in-counsel at the Centre for Applied Legal Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand. They were named one of the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans in 2018 and, in 2022, formed part of the judging panel for the Caine Prize for African Writing.





