THE PROLIFIC MEJA MWANGI

Meja Mwangi, from Kenya is one of Africa's most prolific authors especially of fiction. Like Nigeria"s Buchi Emecheta (to name only two) he has published many more novels than the illustrious Chinua Achebe, and deserves even more acclaim.

Mwangi was educated at Nanyuki Secondary School, Kenyatta College, and, much later, at Leeds University, leaving without graduating. He worked for French television in Nairobi and for the British Council. He was Fellow in Writing at Iowa University (1975-6).

His work in the film industry includes writing, assistant directing, casting and location management. He worked on such films as Out of Africa (1985), Gorillas in the Mist (1985), White Mischief (1988), Kitchen Toto (1987), and Shadow On The Sun (1988). His first novel, Kill Me Quick, was published in 1973 and won the Jomo Kenyatta Prize (Kenya) in 1974, and his novel, Carcase for Hounds (1974), was made into a film - Cry Freedom. Meja's books for children include Little White Man (1990) and The Hunter's Dream (1993). Translated into several languages, Little White Man has won major awards in Germany and France, and in Canada and the US.

Meja Mwangi's novel, The Last Plague (2000), explores the AIDS pandemic and its effects on a small village. It won the 2001 Jomo Kenyatta Prize (Kenya) and was shortlisted for the 2002 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

His most recent books are Power (2009), an adaptation for the stage of his novel, The Big Chiefs (2007) and Blood Brothers (2009), a dramatic adaptation of Mama Dudu, the Insect Woman (2007).

Mwangi himself has stated: "Why do I write? I rake my brain for the answer, something to justify my spending days and months in isolation with only words and ideas for company.  As anyone who has tried it knows, writing is a hard and lonely occupation; often without reward or gratification, critical or otherwise.

"Why do I do it?  Only career thieves get asked that question as often.  Granted, a fool might ask a labourer why he labours, a baker why he bakes, a doctor why he doctors, a farmer why he farms or a teacher why he teaches, but most of us know why we do what we do.  Thieves and writers, however, must justify or be damned, tell a good story to explain why they spend their lives in dark, lonely places when they could be out in sunshine and freedom.  They can make it short and truthful, admit they don’t really know why and trust their fate to the court’s mercy, or they can spin an impressive yarn full of good intention, humanitarian objectives or spiritual significance.

" The truth, however, is mundane and it is this - just as a baker bakes because he is a baker, and a farmer farms because he is a farmer, a thief steals because he is a thief, and a writer writes..." 

JUDE DIBIA

 

Interview by By Taiwo Ajayi

 The fact that Jude Dibia is not a desperate voice on social media,  trying to prove a point, jostling for “over-lordship” in a set-up that  is swallowed by too much noise and anxious to be heard at all cost-

 expressing thoughtless points, frantic plug-ins, casting unnecessary  judgements, whirling and dizzy and constipated by cultic frenzy, adds  to his aura- of a prince and his total disinterest in the moppet show.

 Jude Dibia as a daring writer is almost an understatement. And that iis on account of the controversial angles of his works - Walking with  Shadows (2005), Unbridled (2007), and Blackbird (2011). An

 award-winning author with well-received novels, Jude won the 2007 Ken Saro-Wiwa Prize for Prose (sponsored by NDDC/ANA) and ended as a finalist in the 2007 NLNG Prize. With short stories appearing on many platforms, Dibia is taking on even more ambitions as a publisher. Thymbleweed, his publishing outfit, is thundering into 2014.  He shares this and more in this interview with Taiwo Ajayi

...

 How have you been able to use your position as a celebrated author to

 influence society?

 Firstly, I really do not think of myself in those terms, that is:  celebrated! People get too carried away with such heady stuff that it  gets rather distracting. We all influence society with our actions. I  want to believe my stories and novels have had some sort of influence  in society. My writings have touched on issues as diverse as  inequality, abuse, migration as well as sexuality and how these things  affect the common person. As a reward, I have had a lot encouragement  and great feedback from my readers.

 Running a successful nine-to-five and being one of Nigeria's top  authors, can you describe your work habits?

 My work habit is quite disciplined. I follow a strict time schedule  and try to fit in my writing and work within it. It has not been easy  but I do try. Some years are better than others. Another thing is that  I never put myself under unnecessary pressure to produce any work.

 How encouraging is Nigeria to authors of your calibre?

 Things are beginning to change for the writers in Nigeria. With some  of our writers winning international awards or being short-listed and  recognized, things have become better. And we have the internet and

 social media to be thankful for.

What drives you to complete a story?

The characters. I am very much interested in people and how they resolve issues. I still get a rush from having a completed work published and read by people. I think that pushes me, somewhat.

What is, in your opinion, the worst exaggeration in the literary scene in Nigeria/Africa? Oh dear! I hate speaking for others and this question assumes a generality that isn't quite becoming. In the first place we have a relatively small literary scene in the country, so anything that is noticed may be seen to be exaggerated. I am, coming to think of it, a little too removed from the literary scene to able to make an informed guess.

How has your writing habits changed over the years?

What clear difference do you personally observe in your works? Before it was all about finishing the story as fast as possible and sharing it with readers. Now, I have become much more particular and careful with what I write. I pay more time to styling and effect. This has made my writing slower.

Who do you love to read?

A number of writers! I absolutely love Toni Morrison and James Baldwin. I enjoy the writings of Andrea Levy, Arundhati Roy and a number of Nigerian authors as well.

What is your main focus when telling a story?

Cause and effect! These are the driving force of many stories. And then I am drawn to complex characters.

Congratulations on Thymbleweed...

Thank you, very much!

Now you are an author and a publisher. Tell us the story behind Thymbleweed?

I have always been interested in the entire process of book production and publishing. Seeing well written and packaged books is still a thing that gives me immense pleasure. I want to discover some great writers and hopefully see them through publishing and greater things. Not forgetting the ideology of Thymbleweed is to publish the books people want to read...

* The full text of this interview can be read elsewhere on the internet

FESTUS IYAYI DIES

By Abubakar Adam Ibrahim

The death of (Nigerian) novelist and academic, Professor Festus Iyayi in a ghastly accident along Abuja-Lokoja road has been greeted with grief and outrage...

Staggering from the blow of loss, the Nigerian literary fraternity is trying to come to terms with the death of writer, academic and activist, Professor Festus Iyayi.

He met his death close to Lokoja Tuesday November 12 in a car crash involving the Kogi State governor’s convoy, which had been involved in other accidents prior to this, one of which left the former governor Ibrahim Idris injured.

Before to his death, Iyayi had built himself a reputation as a an author of note with four novels to his name, (Violence, The Contract, Heroes and Awaiting Court Martial.) He topped his literary laurels with the Commonwealth Prize in 1988.

But in some circles, Iyayi is better known as an academic and an activist. His reputation as a former ASUU president is solid, having once been detained for his activism in 1988, and he had been travelling to Kano for an ASUU meeting over the four-month long strike, when he met his death aged 66.

Needless to say, his death has sparked outrage and condemnation from writers, academics and activists, many of whom have called for the arrest of the driver in the employ of the Kogi State government who was involved in the crash. It has also brought to light once again the notoriety of the Abuja-Lokoja road, with reports claiming that Iyayi was the 125th person killed on that road this year alone, according to official figures.

The leadership  of the Association of Nigerian Authors was in Minna during the 3rd MBA Colloquium when news of Iyayi’s death broke. The association later issued a statement condemning the death as caused by “recklessness” without mincing words or pulling punches in apportioning blame.

“In this time of great loss, the Association would like to categorically excoriate the recklessness of those in the service of public officials in Nigeria as well as the embarrassing underdevelopment of infrastructure in the country. The untimely death of Festus Iyayi, professor and novelist, was caused by the recklessness of officials in the employ of the Governor of Kogi State, Captain Idris Wada, in an ungodly hurry to obscure ends. The Lokoja-Abuja road, which poor condition has long been decried, also claimed the life of multi-talented poet and dancer, Ify Omalicha, in March 2012. This state of affair, where we lose the best and the brightest as well as those with unfathomable potential, is absolutely condemnable,” a statement signed by Prof. Remi Raji, president of the association said.

However, the Kogi State sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr Olakunle Motajo said it was rather too early to categorically apportion blame as investigations into the cause and circumstances of the crash have started and no conclusions have been reached.

So far, five people had been treated for injuries from the accident, four in the governor’s convoy and one Dr. Ngozi Ilo, who had been travelling with the late author. She was said to have sustained minor injuries and have since been discharged.

Dr. Iyayi was said to have died as a result of an object that pierced his heart during the accident.

Prof Remi Raji who said that the late writer has been a lifelong member of the association maintained that he will still remain relevant in death as he had been in life, saying, “Apart from his numerous publications as a scholar, his four major novels – Violence, The Contract, Heroes, and Awaiting Court Martial – will continue to be relevant in the cultural and intellectual landscape of Nigerian literature as remarkable fictional perceptions of our social realities. He will be greatly missed even as his life work in intellectual activism, in the course of which he met his death, is equally and appropriately lauded.”

Also reacting to this death, Publisher Mr. Hyacinth Obunseh in his capacity as the president of the African Writers Forum said, “The most saddening news of the passing of Prof. Iyayi comes as a rude shock and calls for legislation to stop and punish the unbecoming recklessness of senior government functionaries.”

He adds that the former ASUU president will be greatly missed.

“His family, academics and the Nigerian literary community will miss his contribution to the growth of our national life,” he said.

Iyayi was born in 1947 in Esanland in presend-day Edo State and was educated at the Annunciation Catholic College in the old Bendel State and later at Government College, Ughelli. He furthered his studies in Industrial Economics at the Kiev Institute of Economics in the former USSR and obtained his PhD from the University of Bradford, England.

Upon his return in 1980, he took up a faculty position with the University of Benin and almost immediately became an active member of ASUU, rising to the position of the association’s president in 1986.

Two years later, ASUU was briefly banned and Iyayi was detained for sometime. In that same year, his novel Heroes clinched the Commonwealth Writers Prize thereby cementing his position as a writer of reckoning in the country and beyond.

Reports indicate that a burial is being planned for sometime in December as his corpse has been conveyed back to his native Benin by his brother Peter Iyayi who is a lecturer at the Federal University, Lokoja.

While the rhetoric and lamentations continue, the reality remains that Nigeria has lost yet another shining lamp in the hallowed halls of academia and literati.

* Courtesy of Sunday Trust

CELEBRATING A GREAT AFRICAN FEMALE WRITER....

For decades, she took up the pen and told the most gripping stories that hooked many a reader. She is no doubt a woman who has powerfully influenced East Africa’s literary narrative.

Grace Ogot is a pioneer. She earned a distinctive position in Kenya’s literary and political history. In 1984, she was the best-known writer in East Africa. It is then that she decided to join politics.  She became one of the few women to serve as a Member of Parliament and the only female assistant minister in President Moi’s Cabinet. She also worked as a midwife, tutor, journalist and a BBC Overseas Service broadcaster.

Ogot was born Grace Emily Akinyi in Asembo, in Nyanza district on May 15, 1930.

She was the child of pioneering Christian parents in the traditional Luo stronghold of Asembo. Her father, Joseph Nyanduga, was an early convert to the Anglican Church and one of the first men in Asembo to receive Western education.

He later taught at the Church Missionary Society’s Ng’iya Girls School. She remembered her father reading her Bible stories, as well as hearing the traditional stories told by her grandmother. Later, Ogot’s writing reflected this dual background of tradition and modernity and the tensions between the two.

Emerging from the promised land in the anthills of the Savannah, Ogot attended Ng’iya Girls’ School and Butere High School. The young woman trained as a nurse in both Uganda and England. Several years of working as a nursing sister and midwifery tutor at Maseno Hospital, and later at the Student Health Service at Makerere University College, provided her experience in a number of different careers.

She worked as a script-writer and broadcaster for the BBC Overseas Service (later having her own popular weekly radio programme in Luo), as a community development officer in Kisumu, and as a public relations officer for Air India. In the late 1960s, she opened two branches of a clothing boutique known as Lindy’s in Nairobi.

Ogot was a founding member of the Writers’ Association of Kenya and served as its chairman from 1975 to 1980.  She began to publish short stories both in English and in Luo in the early 1960s.

She was famous as much for what she represented as for what she wrote, giving literature a whole new meaning for African pupils.

Her first novel, The Promised Land, was published in 1966. It featured challenges faced by Luo pioneers who moved across the border into Tanzania in search of greater opportunities. Land Without Thunder, a collection of short stories about traditional life in rural Western Kenya, appeared in 1968. These stories were immensely powerful...

* This article written by Peter Ngangi Nguli can be fully read online via STANDARD DIGITAL

FREE STATE BREWED SHORT STORIES

Amazingly, this new anthology of short stories was published just a few days before Alice Munro was internationally announced as the 2013 winner of the Nobel award in literature. The blurb of this book states emphatically:

"Alice Munro, celebrated writer of fiction of the shorter variety describes a story as ‘a world seen in a quick glancing light’. In other words, every day events, gongs and tragedies are briefly illuminated in the best of short stories.

The stories in this collection – written by talented African writers - epitomize some of the best in recent writings...Enjoy the Cornucopia of stories!”

This new book, edited by Pule Lechesa, is a collection of interesting, wide-ranging short stories. At first brush one can see that the contributors to this work are essentially proficient wordsmiths, hence the fine quality of most of the stories published here. Indeed this is a cross-section of the contributors:

Charles Matorera

Already making his name as an astute writer of short stories. His story, Singwizi: The golden journey is already quite celebrated – hence its inclusion in this work. Matorera is working on his first full-length novel now.

Maxwell Perkins Kanemanyanga

An accomplished writer of short stories. He churns out such stories “with disarming fecundity”. He has already published three books – collections of short stories – Enemy of the State, How do I talk about my ordeal? and Chapindapasi (2013) Maxwell was featured in the book, Interviews with effervescent Writers (2012)

Teboho Masakala

Even in his late teens, he was tipped by literary pundits to take the literary world by storm. Since then he has remarkably been fulfilling his potential by publishing works like Mind, pen, paper and ideas (2010), Through it all (2011) and The fall of Marcus Desmond (2012) He has also published the book, Shout to the Lord (2013)

O Bolaji

Multi-award-winning author who has published fiction, literary criticism, poetry, drama, biographies etc. Author of novels like Impossible Love, The ghostly adversary, and People of the townships. Creator and writer of the “Tebogo Mokoena Mystery series” which now incorporates eight volumes (adventures)

Tseliso Masolane

Tseliso Masolane is the author of a rip-roaring Sesotho poetry book, Bo naka bo maripa; which the controversial critic Pule Lechesa described “as a must read, a page-turner, coherent, didactic and thought-provoking to boot.” This dynamic polyglot works as the Deputy Director at Bloemfontein based Sesotho Literary Museum which is the first in indigenous languages. He is also the founder of Motheo Award winning newspaper called Shwehwe and Qwaqwa community radio station.

Mathibeli George Rampai

Rampai is a skilled writer of fiction whose monumental work From Where I stand is still being celebrated liberally in many literary circles. Rampai came out tops as Author of the Year (2012) courtesy of the esteemed Mbali Literary Awards.

Teboho Letshaba

Teboho Letshaba has carted away many awards and laurels thanks to his dexterity in writing, including the Best Vodacom Journalist of the year in sports and feature writing. Essentially known for his sterling works in Sesotho, his published books include Lejwe la kgopiso, Pelo ya Lerato, Ntshunyakgare, and Mehlolo e tsamaya le badumedi·         

     
     * Free State brewed Short Stories, edited by Pule Lechesa, is published by Mbali Press. Sponsored by the National Arts Council of South Africa 

THE VUVUZELA MURDERS By Aryan Kaganof

Publisher: MBALI PRESS, Ladybrand
Sponsored by the National Arts Council of South Africa

"Aryan Kaganof is arguably South Africa’s most versatile and resilient cultural activist. He is an eclectic film-maker, novelist, poet, fine artist and an indefatigable blogger.

Kaganof worked in Holland (where he also studied feature film direction, et al) at the Dutch Anti-Apartheid Movement as a researcher activist. In 1996 he pioneered the use of digital video as a feature film medium with the transfer to 35mm NAAR DE KLOTE! (Wasted!). 

In 2000 a retrospective of his films was held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco where he was also Artist in Residence. In 2005 he shot the world’s first feature film made on a mobile phone camera, SMS SUGAR MAN. 

In 2008 he was a Visiting Professor at K3 Malmo University (Sweden). He continues to orchestrate award-winning documentaries and films. He has published about 30 books comprising general fiction, short stories, poetry, non-fiction, and philosophy.

Aryan Kaganof has published many intriguing novels like Hectic, Cortado, Laduma and Uselessly. In this his very latest work, he creatively unleashes his apocalyptic vision in splendid, if disturbing undulations..." (blurb)

KOFI AWOONOR (1935 - 2013

Writers and poets from around the world have joined in mourning following the news that Professor Kofi Awoonor, a Ghanaian poet and diplomat, died after sustaining injuries during the terrorist attack on Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya.

Professor Awoonor, who was 78, was in the city to participate in the Storymoja Hay Festival, a celebration of writing and storytelling. He was due to perform on Saturday evening as part of a pan-African poetry showcase.

Professor Awoonor’s death was confirmed by the Ghanaian High Commission in Nairobi in the early hours of Sunday morning. One of the main aims of the Festival is to encourage reading and literacy among Kenya’s young people.

A statement issued by the Festival said: “We were honoured to be graced by his appearance at Storymoja Hay Festival, and deeply humbled by his desire to impart knowledge to the young festival audience. Professor Awoonor was one of Africa's greatest voices and poets and will forever remain a beacon of knowledge and strength and hope.” The Festival was brought to an end on Saturday evening "in sympathy with those who have lost their lives or were injured" and for the safety of attendees.

Professor Awoonor was joined by his countrymen at the four day event, in what he called “the best representation of Ghanaian authors that we have ever had”. Among them were poet Nii Parkes and writer and film-maker Kwame Dawes. Both paid tribute to Professor Awoonor on Twitter, with Parkes writing: “I muse on gifts given and swiftly taken away. I waited my whole life to meet my uncle, Kofi Awoonor, and 2 days later he is gone.” Dawes posted: “Kofi Awoonor's death is a sad sad moment here in Nairobi. We have lost one of the greatest African poets and diplomats. I've lost my uncle.”

Warsan Shire, a Somalian poet who was due to speak at the Festival, tweeted that Professor Awoonor was “one of our greatest poets”.

Book blogger Kinna Reads congratulated Professor Awoonor for his command of language, saying “He spoke Fanti as fluently as Ewe”. Professor Awoonor’s early poetry was heavily influenced by the dirge-singing traditions of his native Ewe tribe.

Professor Awoonor’s first collection, Rediscovery and Other Poems, was published in 1964, and he wrote three subsequent collections and a prose poem between then and 1971. Following his incarceration for helping a ‘political criminal’ in the Seventies, Professor Anoowor wrote mainly non-fiction. He became an important diplomat for Ghana, and was the country’s Ambassador to the United Nations between 1990 and 1994.

Earlier this year it was announced that The Promise of Hope, a collection of Professor Awoonor’s new and selected poems from 1964 to 2013 will be published in March 2014.

* Courtesy of THE TELEGRAPH