ANA’s Authors’ Groove & the language question
By Sun News Publishing
Sunday, June 18, 2006

One of the highpoints of the recent Nigerian International Book Fair was the Authors’ Groove, an interractive session between writers of different sex, age, class, tribe and race, by the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA).

The first day of the Author’s Groove featured two writers, Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, former Head, Department of English, University of Lagos, and Akeem Lasisi, a journalist with The Punch newspaper. What made it more interesting was that, while the former has made her mark in prose fiction, the latter is a strong voice in the poetic genre.

Moderated by Ropo Ewenla, the two award-winning writers were asked questions ranging from their social background and responsibility, the focus of their writings, their projections into the future and the like, to which they responded accordingly. As an Igbo woman, Adimora-Ezeigbo said that she often draws from her social background, for a writer cannot write in isolation. Her works, she said, cut across the society, her family, the academic environment where she works and her vicarious experiences.

The mood of a writer, she pointed out, also affects his or her creativity.
On his part, Lasisi remarked that he was challenged to write his peculiar folkloric poetry by some Yoruba traditional poets. “As a writer, you cannot run away from your environment,” he noted. With this medium, which centres on performance poetry, Lasisi said that he tries to identify with the societal challenges and criticizes where necessary.

Speaking on the social responsibility of a writer as it concerns burning issues in society, Adimora-Ezeigbo affirmed that, though a writer should have an opinion on any issue, his or her opinion should not be against laid-down rules and orders. “You have a right to write whatever you want to write except it is against rules and orders,” she said. Likewise, Lasisi concurred that a writer cannot shy away from his or her social responsibility. Both writers also agree that there is need for critics to engage the works of new writers, but Adimora-Ezeigbo explained that, in the academia, if a scholar writes a paper on an unknown writer, it counts very little in rating. Lasisi urged fellow literary journalists to raise the level of literary criticism in the media.

The discussants also responded to questions on the challenges of writing literature in indigenous languages. Though the lecturer hinted of her readiness to write in Igbo language, her mother tongue, she stated that a writer runs the risk of limited readership if he or she ventures into that. Lasisi, however, said that the problem of using an indigenous language to write could be traced to the home, where many parents are putting their children under pressure to learn English language to the detriment of indigenous languages. Making a projection into the future, Lasisi promised to revolutionize performance poetry in Nigeria, while Adimora-Ezeigbo is leaving it to God to decide.

The audience, mostly writers and schoolchildren, also participated in the discussion. Speaking on the role of a writer in a society, former ANA President, Professor Olu Obafemi, emphasized that a writer should be committed to his society. According to him, “We can either write for the people or against them. A writer should be committed to the society, and there is no way you can write for the society without stepping on toes of those against the society. Situations determine what a writer writes. A writer cannot afford to write in alienation.”

Adolphus II Amasiatu, a lawyer-writer, in his contribution, said that the writing that it is dangerous is the one coated with propaganda, but “if you can justify what you write, you can have a your way.” Chike Ofili, who ran for the position of ANA president last year, criticized Nigerian academics into literary studies for blacking out the writers’ tribe outside the ivory tower from their literary activities. He said: “The academic dons don’t see the connection between what they do and publicity.” He advised fellow writers to critique one another, stressing that “writing is inconsequential without critical attention.”

Commenting on the state of publishing in Nigeria, Ebika Anthony, Chairman, ANA, Oyo, lamented that Nigeria publishers no longer publish young writers, especially poets, saying that poetry has no prospect in the marketplace. His counterpart from Imo, Camillus Ukah, challenged accomplished Nigerian writers, like Ezeigbo, to write in indigenous languages in order to encourage others to take after them, just as the moderator, Ropo Ewenla enjoined parents to encourage their children to speak in Nigerian languages. Dr. Wilson Orhiunu, an American-based medic-writer, observed that children no longer have role models in the English language, like late Nnamdi Azikiwe, to inspire them to speak good English, just as he said that Standard English is also under threat in the UK, as people interact more in colloquial language.

Still on the issue of language, Monday Michael, a writer working with an insurance firm in Lagos, averred that language has a life span, and that while some languages have died, some others are evolving. However, he said that the most important thing was to build a good literature on both indigenous languages and evolving languages. ANA National General Secretary, Denja Abdulahi, decried that months after Senator Ken Nnamani endowed the ANA/Ken Nnamani Prize for Igbo Literature (the first winner which would be announced at the forthcoming ANA Convention in Yengoa, Bayelsa State) no entry has been received by the association. Kamal Hamza, a writer from ANA, Niger State, advised that, if we want a revival in writing in indigenous languages, the remedy should begin at home. His view was supported by Abdulkadiri Alkasim from Abuja.

The second day of the Authors’ Groove, like the previous day, featured two writers, a male and a female – Ebereonwu and Mobolaji Adenubi. While the former is a playwright, a poet and a moviemaker, the latter is a basically into prose fiction and the epistolary. Adenubi enjoys being a writer but regrets she has not made commensurate money from her craft. The same goes for Ebereonwu, but his versatility is an advantage. In his case, the money he makes from Nollywood, the thriving Nigerian film industry, has helped to sustain his writings. “The average writer is poor in Nigeria,” he said, noting that the reputation and money he makes from Nollywood have been aided by his having to belong to the writers’ tribe.

The moderator of the interraction, Maxim Uzoatu, a.k.a. the God of Poetry, asked both writers to comment on their marketing strategies. Adenubi, who is published by Spectrum Books, Ibadan, disclosed that she receives her royalties annually from her publisher, though they are nothing to write home about.

She, however, makes additional sales from the American-based publisher, iUniverse Inc., and the online book marketing outfit, Barnes and Noble. Again, she engages in self-marketing. Ebereonwu, on his part, said that he has published all his books by vanity publishing. The writer, whose first work was published in 1995, lamented that a decade after, he has only been paid N1, 000 royalties. “I gave myself a ten-year target to make it as a writer, eleven years after, I am yet to make it,” he rued.

The writers differed on their appreciation of literary criticism. While Adenubi harped on objective criticism , she said that criticism is not bad to take. But the younger Ebereonwu is averse to criticism. According to him, “Where my works are concerned, my opinion is next to God,” noting further that it is out of place for a critic to tell him what to write or what he ought to have written, stressing that no matter what a critic says, he cannot be influenced.

To end the intellectual exchange and a most humorous evening, Adenubi read from one of her books, Splendid, while Ebereonwu read some poems from his collection of poems, The Insomniac Dragon, which he insists is the best poetry book written by a Nigerian poet. Prince Hassan from ANA, Niger, and Samuel Dour, a Liberian writer, are some of the writers that asked the writers questions on their writings and how they could tap from their experiences.

On the last day of the Writers’ Groove, the Filipino-Nigerian writer, Araceli Aipoh, and the American-based Nigerian medical doctor and writer, Dr. Wilson Orhiunu, took the hot seat, with the humour merchant, Chike Ofili, moderating. The audience subjected both writers to critical questions on their works. Many, at the end of the forum, voted for the sustenance of the innovation.