In our past First Draft interviews, we asked authors such as Helon Habila and Sarah Ladipo Manyika about the books they grew up reading. Here’s what they told us.
As he turns 90, Wole Soyinka discusses the current state of the world, the power of African literature, the social climate in Tinubu’s Nigeria, and the world ahead.
Nigerian writer, Chukwuebuka Ibeh, says the reception in Nigeria for his debut novel, Blessings, has been delightfully surprising: ‘I was prepared for much more vitriol, but that hasn’t been the case. I’ve also been amused by the split responses to events in the book, with some people wanting much less of the same thing that others seem to want much more of.’
Nigerian writer, Chimezie Chika, believes that fidelity to the quality of work is what makes an artist or artwork timeless: ‘I think art has a lot to do with quality—and I mean quality as substance: the quality of colour, the quality of light, the quality of strokes, the quality of mood, the quality of thought, and the quality of ideas. All great art possesses these qualities.’
South African writer, Nadia Davids, says her latest play, Hold Still, first came to her when she was living in London in 2015: ‘There was a constant stream of horrific news stories depicting families fleeing their homes. I wanted to explore how ordinary people responded to a humanitarian crisis and how family histories shape us. I also wanted to consider what happens when the crisis reaches our own homes.’
Music journalist and author of ‘The Songs of Jos’, Emmanuel Esomnofu, is interested in writing about creators whose influence extends beyond Lagos: ‘It is a purposeful mission to de-centre the city in Nigerian music discourse, as people seem to think our musical history begins and ends with Lagos.’
In our past First Draft interviews, we asked authors such as Leila Aboulela and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ about the books from their childhood they would pass on to someone younger. Here’s what they told us.
Sierra Leonean academic and author of So the Path Does Not Die, Pede Hollist, wants more people to know about the diversity of Sierra Leonean literature: ‘I wish people are aware of the efforts by Sierra Leoneans to write in the country’s national languages, and the financial struggles to support young writers through workshops, retreats, prize-bearing competitions, professional editors, and competitive publication outlets.’
Nigerian-American award-winning author of Every Body Looking, Break This House, and Salt the Water, Candice Iloh, wouldn’t change much about their 2020 debut, only that they would have celebrated it more: ‘The dream I’d had for the year my first book came out crumbled so quickly that it stopped feeling exciting.’
Nigerian feminist scholar and author of An African Feminist Manifesto, Ololade Faniyi, is drawn to writings about the digital and the African imaginary: ‘We must resist the universalizing mission disguised as bridging the technological divide. We have lost so much as a people; we don’t have any more to lose.’
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