Arts/Literary
Nigerian Authors’ Int’l Awards In Retrospect
Cont’d from last Friday edition Arguably, the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited-sponsored Nigeria Prize for Literature, which comes with a prize cash of $100,000, and Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) literary prizes with awards in different categories are the biggest and most prestigious prizes in Nigeria.
ANA prizes roll of honour include, stellar names such as Niyi Osundare, Femi Osofisan, Akin Adesokan, Hyginus Ekwuazi, Obari Gomba, Dul Johnson and Tanure Ojaide.
Apart from these two prestigious awards, there are others that are open to Nigerian writers, albeit, via competing with their African counterparts. Such awards include, the Caine Prize, Commonwealth Prize, Etisalat Prize for Literature and others are intensely sought after by writers who aim to hit fame by the fact of their winning these prizes.
For instance, while commemorating a decade since its inception in Ten Years of the Caine Prize for African Writing, in 2009, Jonathan Taylor, Chairman of the Council of the Caine Prize, and Nick Elam, the then administrator, noted in the preface that “winners and shortlisted candidates have seen their careers immeasurably enhanced, typically by attracting the interest of leading literary agents, and having their books published by mainstream publishers, and winning further prizes with them.”
Notwithstanding the fame and recognition that go with prizes, critics have accused some of the writers of undermining their creative worth because they are conditioned by prize expectations.
Literary critic, Ikhide R. Ikheloa, recently in a Twitter chat on SynCity’s “Literary Lords and Ladies” deplored writers for being influenced by what they think would appeal to the prize judges. He stated that “writers are too fixated on winning prizes; they are writing crap that fits what they think the prize judges will like! All we seem to hear of these days are about folks winning prizes!”
Kolade Olanrewaju Freedom, a poet and secretary, Poets In Nigeria shared same sentiments with Ikhide as he observed, “many writers, in an attempt to clinch a literary prize, make it a point of duty to study the philosophy of such prize. Not only do they read up on past winning entries and their thematic engagements, they also beam their search light on the organizers/judges and their published works to know the subjects they are likely to favour.”
Freedom went on to suggest that writers more often than made it an effort “to study such details as hobbies, sentiments and ideologies of the organizers/judges in order for the writers to pattern their works to suit the those preferences.”
The desires of writers to win prizes have had the resultant effect of a large turn out of literary works with stock themes with stereotypical projection of the country.
Freedom noted, “though, literary prizes are primarily designed to promote creativity and excellence, they oftentimes, indirectly determine the flow of ‘literary energy’.”
Responding to the question of writers being conditioned by prizes, Professor Remi Raji said such writers have their ‘legitimate drive’ but he warned they are better be referred to as ‘hack authors’.
The University of Ibadan teacher said, “a writer who produces stock themes that fit the interest of a literary organisation (if any) has his own legitimate drive, but alas, such writer is better called a hack author or a commission author. The grant- or prize-seeking author does double damage to his writing and confidence should he fail to win in the end. The literary tradition itself is diminished by such mercantilist motivation.”
For Nduka Otiono, an assistant professor and Graduate Programme Coordinator at the Institute of African Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa, “awards have a way of stimulating creativity. It also rewards creativity. The reason being that, especially, in third world countries, where the paths available to many artistes for excellence are rather limited. It is not going to be that you hit gold, because you’re a Joanne Rowling, who has published Harry Potter. It is not like you have hit gold, because you’ve come upon this creative piece that is going to change your life. That’s not the way it works here. You produce works that are exceptional and they probably do not enjoy circulation. So you still have to struggle for the same thing that you had to deal with. However, winning awards have a way of drawing more attention to your work.”
Supporting the writer, whose work is conditioned to win, he said, “in Nigerian context, the mileage that people get from awards is not commensurate with the profiles of the awards that’s where the problem lies. You will think that winning an NLNG Prize is like winning a Pulitzer or the big ones like The Man Booker that becomes life changing. I don’t think it is possible.”
The ward winning scholar and creative writer, added, “awards offer financial reward that supports you in an ever-demanding environment that shortchanges you, like struggling with rights and others. It can be a stimulant for further work.”
Otiono recognises these awards for spurring creative growth. “They are stimulant for creativity, for providing pecuniary needs that writers require to function in that case, they are desirable and I will support more of such awards,” he said.
Jude Idada, NLNG Prize nominee in 2014, has this to say: “I write about what interests me. If it wins an award, fine, if not, all good. The readership and assimilation of the message and theme is what is most important.”
He continued, “awards majorly influence some writers. But not me I am an artist through and through. For me awards are more for publicity and readership. It just gets people to know more about the title or book or theme or subject etc.”
Talking on young writers, whose craftsmanship is conditioned by award-winning mindset, Idada said, “If something or someone hasn’t won an award, they don’t give them any attention. When I meet them, that’s what they ask me. ‘Have you won any awards?’ it’s a plague.”
Winner of the NLNG Nigeria Literature Prize in 2013, Tade Ipadeola admitted, “there are themes, of course, that tend to fetch attention if the writer executes the work with a degree of passion and competence;” he, however, warned “it is always a bad idea for a writer to write for literary prizes or for a particular prize…If prizes come along the way, well and good.”
Instead of writing primarily to suit prize expectations, Ipadeola believes that writers should aim to create enduring works of art. His words: “A serious writer should aim to create a work of art that life itself would affirm. I say this because I know that some set out to win particular prizes. What is the use, if a work wins a prize today and isn’t part of the canon in a hundred years? Some of the greatest writers actually turned down literary prizes. Leo Tolstoy, Dennis Brutus, Sartre, Okigbo and a number of other really vital writers turned down important prizes at some point. Grand writing is its own reward, really.”
Raji, however, urged writers to create works that reflect their innermost expression as reaction to the world around and not be motivated by mercantilist drives.
He stated, “real writers don’t, should not write for prizes; real writers are those who produce the literary work as material of their innermost expression and as reaction to the world around them. They are not necessarily mercantilist; they do not compose fictionally in order to win: rather, prizes are established to affirm the quality of the work’s ingenuity.”
With reading habit at almost an all time low in the country coupled with the drive of writers to ‘break out’ and become stars, it is left to be seen if literary prizes will cease to dictate the themes and subject matters of what constitute the Nigerian literature in the foreseeable future.
Concluded
By: Jacob Obinna
It is the idea of God that family should exit. Children form part of the family. God loves family so much that Jesus was born into the family of Joseph.
Everyone’s family is good and important. Children should not look down on their family whether they are rich or poor.
Children should respect and honour their family and foster love among their siblings. They should work together and make peace in the family. They should always stand in the gap. It is good for family members to carry all along since everyone may not be doing well.
The Christianity that children learn is practised in family. Faith-based organisations do a great job in moulding children’s character. Those are the behaviours that children exhibit towards siblings in family.
Every child born in a family is there for a purpose. A baby born into a family is supplying something. It may be joy, wealth and so on. Everyone is important in a family.
Adolescents who have graduated from school but may not be contributing financially can do one or two things at home. You can engage in preparing meals at home while parents are away for a job or business. Contributing in house chores will go a long way to relieve parents of stress after a day’s job.
What do you contribute to your family, especially during holidays both in nuclear and extended family?
The family you were born is constant but friends are temporary. You can decide not to continue in friendship but you cannot cut off your family. No matter how bad you think your family is and you decide to leave home, you must surely return. Your friends can harbour you for a while.
The child’s first identity comes from the family. What the child learns first comes from the family.
Family is the centre of love and care. People have started playing down on marriage because of neglect on basics of family. Marriage starts today and and the next few months, it is threatened. Respect for family plays a crucial role in marriage.
No child grows without parental control and influence. If a child refuses to grow without taking instructions from parents, he may grow up being wild. There are consequences when children do not obey their parents. There are those who want to be rebellious against their parents. They should know that their length of days are tied to their parents.
Your bioligical parents know you more than every other person. There is the wisdom and knowledge your parents have that you do not so it is proper to listen to them before choosing carriers both in academics and job. A young man or woman can choose who to get married to, but a greater role in the choice of who to marry and the marriage proper comes from the parents.
They know what is best for you. No matter how modern trends will influence you and prove it wrong, parent is the key. No one can love you more than your parents because they are your blood.
A lot of parents have been traumatised due to the fact that children they nurtured and trained turned their back on them at older age. Children should not abandon their parents for any reason.
As you grow up, situations may arise in marriage when you decide it is over with your spouse, but no matter the level of provocation with your parents, they will not despise you. Parents will also play a role in that regard. Problem arises in every family but how it is handled matters a lot.
Some children honour their mentors more than their parents. Although there are parents who shy away from their responsibilities. It is important that parents take full responsibility of their children. You cannot bring a child to the planet earth and refuse to perform roles as a parent. But parents may not quantify what they spent from childhood to adolescence. That is a blessing children cannot get from another person.
There are people who have attributed their failure in life to the fact that their parents, especially mothers are witchcraft. It is wrong to feel that your mother is instrumental to your failure in life. The only way to success is hardwork.
Let money not determine the level of love for your parents. Wherever a child goes, family is constant.
Eunice Choko-Kayode
Naturally, when a child is born, it is the role of the father and mother to decide a suitable name for the child. The husband and wife normally discuss and suggest the English or vernacular name of the baby.
But sometimes, when a baby comes into a family, grandparents hearts are usually filled with joy to the extent that they want to answer present, by giving their own names not minding the fact that the biological parents have given theirs.
This happens mostly when the marriage is an inter-tribal one. It also happens even in intra-tribal marriage. Grandparents want equal representation as far as naming a child is concerned. They also have special names as a result of circumstances surrounding the birth of the child.
This is still happening till date.
A lot of people have viewed this in different ways but there is nothing wrong about it. The most important thing is that the child bears as many names as he or she can. But one thing is certain, the child must bear one name in school.
Should circumstance determine a child’s name?
Women who are more emotional are always eager to name their children considering the circumstances surrounding the child’s conception and arrival.
The issue of grandparents naming a child comes up mostly when it is the first of the family.
In naming children by some parents in the olden days, they named their children according to the days in the week in which they were born, like Sunday, Monday, Friday and so on.
You may be shocked to hear that whether a child is given 10 names by parents or grandparents, when he or she grows up, will decide to change. There are several cases where some persons decided to change especially when they feel that the names given by their parents and grandparents do not give them joy. If they are not doing well in life, they may claim that their misfortune is caused by the name their parents.
Competition among children in schools be it primary, (kindergarten) and secondary come in different forms. It can be Mathematics , debate, quiz, spelling bee,competition, from organisations like Cowbell, multi-national companies, faith-based organisations among others.
They are organised mostly for selected intelligent ones, the best among their peers to represent a class, school or group. Prizes are normally set aside for the best as well as consolation prizes for runners-up at the end of each session.
The question is, are children willing to accept defeat when they fail? As parents, guardians, can you encourage your children or wards to accept defeat instead of shouting and comparing them with others who may be performing better either in schools or outside.
Some parents may be blaming their children for not doing well in competitions. They will like to tell their children if others who may perform better have ten heads. Those group of parents blame their children for every failure.
For your children to do better in competition, the parents too must have emotional intelligence. When you continue to blame your children for failure, how intelligent are you?
Some parents always want their children to be in the 1st position and unhappy whenever they secure 2nd position. There were instances where children smashed their trophies because they never got the position they wanted to get and their parents supported them.
Children should be able to accept it whether they win or not. They should be encouraged for every performance. Discourage the issue of “shame, shame, shame, shame”.
A parent says she always tells her children to win even if they will fail. Always give them the mentality that they can win. Children should be given the impression that they can win prizes and laurels in every competition.
Parents should not isolate their children from others in the neighbourhood. Allow them to play with others. Don’t threaten your children that you may not pay their schools fees if they fail. Comparing them with others may encourage or discourage them.
Coming first or getting award as a first class student from the university sometimes does not mean that the person is the best. And if the child does not merit any award in the lower classes, does not mean that he can not merit first class also.
It should be noted that coming first in academic competition may not really mean that the competitor will be the best at work place or business.
Accepting defeat is a way to move higher. Even if a child who competed with others did not come first, there are consolation prizes for runners-up. When you advise the child to accept defeat, you are encouraging her to win in next competition.
Remember all children cannot be on the same knowledge level Their learning abilities defer.
Eunice Choko-Kayode