Arts/Literary
Icons Behind Unprecedented Rise Of Nigerian Fiction
Nigerian literature is known throughout the world through the exploits of literary icons like Wole Soyinka who won the 1986 Nobel Prize for Literature and the first black African to receive the award. Other Nigerian literally giants with world wide audience include Chinua Achebe, Buchi Emecheta, Flora Nwapa, , Gabriel Okara, Kole Omotoso, John Pepper Clark, Ben Okri and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, among others.
Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and Ben Okri led the way, but a wave of women writers have taken over. In October 2019, writers from all over the world converged in Lagos for the Ake Arts and Book Festival, one of the biggest literary events on the African continent. Among them were authors whose narratives are helping to propel the phenomenon that is Nigerian Fiction on the global stage.
The festival showcased a newly minted Man Booker Prize Winner in Bernardine Evaristo announced as joint winner for her novel, Girl, Woman to win the prize. It does not hurt that she is born in London to a Nigerian father.
Now in its ninth year, the festival is a major highlight of the burgeoning Lagos Art Season, but this vibrant scene would not have been possible a few decades ago.
The pioneer generation of Nigerians writing in English emerged prior to independence from Britain in 1960 and included Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and Amos Tutuola, then followed long periods of military dictatorship leading to a decline in the publishing environment with many intellectuals fleeing the country in one of the darkest episodes. A renowned writer and environmentalist and the former President of Nigerian Authors , Ken Saro-Wiwa was hanged with eight other activists of Ogoni extraction by the military regime of General Sani Abacha in 1995.
The second spring of Nigerian fiction came from abroad, from the first sign of resurgence as well as the international character of much of future literary expression came in 1991 when Ben Okri won the Booker of the Famished Road. Okri has been living in London for many years and his win energised writers back home.
It took another 10 years for the promise to come to fruition with Helen Habilas emerging as the seasoned winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2001. Her winning story, Love Poems was an urban fable about the triumph of the imagination, over military repression, just as Nigerian writers would use the internet to find new publishing opportunities and readers.
By the time Chimamada Ngozi Adichie showed up on the orange prize shortlist with her debut novel, ‘Purple Hibiscus’ in 2004, Nigerian fiction was in full stride. She won the prize with ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ in 2007, the year Vanity Fairs Africa Issue described her as parting the literary waves like Cleopatra and parted the wave she did. Following closely behind were many of her compatriots now taking the literary world by storm with publishing deals and awards in tow.
Decades after independence, there are concerns different from that of their pioneer generation, grappling instead with shifting notions of freedom and individuals in a globalised world. They are exploring themes including gender, sexuality and feminism, many are based in the west and thus are making significant contributions to the growing canon of immigrant stories.
Adichie is now firmly established as a literary superstar and cultural icon, winner of Mac Arthur Genius Giant, her TED talk, “We shall all be feminists” was sampled by Beyonce and also distributed to 16 year-old in Sweden. Her third novel, ‘Americanah’ is being made into a film starring Lupita Nyonyo.
The 2019 Booker also recognised Chigozi Obioma for his second novel “An Orchestra of Minorities”, his second time on the shortlist. Several Ake Festival guests have been long listed including Oyinkan Braith-Waithe, (My Sister the Serial Killer) and Ayobami Adebayo (Stay With Me). 2013 Caine Winner, Tope Falarin was also listed with his debut novel, “A Different Kind of Blackman”. So was Uzodinma Iweala, author of “ Beasts Of No Nation”, which was adapted for Netflix movie starring Idris Elba. It is very important to note that the festival was also organised by a writer, Lola Shoneyin, author of “The Secret Life Of Baba Segi’s Wives”.
Whereas the independence era, was dominated by male, the table has turned with the current generation as many of the most prominent players are women. The latest Caine Winner, Lesley Nneka Arimah is the sixth Nigerian to win it, making the country the most successful at the award so far. Also on the list was Nnedi Okorafor, a leading author in the fantasy genre she tags “African Futurism”.
She is responsible for several projects in the Marvel Comics, Black Panther stable and her novel “Who Fears Death” has been optioned for a series by Cable Network HBO, with the involvement of Game of Throne Creator, George R. Martin, NLNG Nigeria for Literature Winner, China Wigwe was also at the festival with her collection of short stories, ‘Better Never Than Late’.
These are some of the writers driving the increasing visibility of Nigerian fiction on book shelves around the world perhaps for a country of nearly 200 million people and 250 ethnic groups who like to call their country, the “Giant Of Africa”. With more of the country’s writers finding their voices to explore their live experiences and history, the rise of Nigerian fiction looks set to continue its exploits on the global stage.
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
