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Author of ‘Don Jazzy Global Machine’, Oyindamola Depo–Oyedokun believes brilliant storytelling lies in the writer’s ability to connect readers with the narrative: ‘There are some stories I’ve read that I didn’t realize I could care about, but because of the powerful language and sheer skill, I found myself deeply invested in these stories.’
You can write about the most mundane subject but tell its story in such a way that it leaves an indelible mark on the reader’s mind.
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About the Author
is a writer and self-proclaimed polymath, who’s passionate about telling authentic African stories and making complex concepts plain. Her writing portfolio spans everything from news articles to prize-winning short stories, and two fiction books which have sold hundreds of copies combined.
Nigerian novelist, poet and author of Graceland, Chris Abani, does not believe ‘Nigerian literature’ exists as a category: ‘It is a common misconception that there is a fixed category that can be read as essentially “Nigerian literature”. Nigeria has 500 nations, 500 languages and about 2,000 dialects. While culture and language can overlap, the level of diversity is such that Nigerian literature cannot be easily narrowed down.’
For the co-founder and publishing director, of Cassava Republic Press, which marks its 20th anniversary this year, Bibi Bakare-Yusuf, it is telling that African literature is often pronounced dead in recent years, when more women and queer voices are becoming more prominent: ‘The loudest obituary writers about African literature tend to be men. These elegies seem to come from a tacit sense of personal or generational displacement rather than from the actual state of the field.’
Nigerian poet, novelist and author of Madame Sosostris and the Festival for the Broken-Hearted, Ben Okri, argues that Nigerian literature doesn’t always have to be about Nigeria: ‘Nigerian literature limits itself to Nigeria and then limits even the ways in which the country can be written about. What we want is a vast literature, a great literature…that speaks to all humanity.’
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