JJ Bola


JJ Bola is a Kinshasa-born, British writer and poet, based in London. He has written three collections of poetry as well as a novel, No Place to Call Home, and a non-fiction book about masculinity and patriarchy for young people, Mask Off: Masculinity Redefined.

Life and work

Bola was born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He migrated to London with his parents at the age of six. He was a basketball player as a teenager, competing in national-level tournaments.
Bola spent many years as a youth worker, working with young people with behavioural and mental health problems. He currently works for several projects to raise awareness about the human rights situation in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Publications

Publications by Bola