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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.
What books or kinds of books did you read growing up?
I remember hearing a lot of P-Square and 2Face earlier on, when I was around five to nine. Those were the years I really took an interest in music. Later, I listened to Asa, Lagbaja and Flavour, who were some of the artistes whose songs were popular that time. I grew up in the mainland of Lagos so no surprises. 9ice was my favourite artiste at some point.
At home, the musical tastes of my siblings and parents informed my listenership. My elder brothers were interested in gothic music and soft rock. Very heavy-sounding and sometimes feathery music; I really liked James Blunt and Enya. My dad always played Congolese rumba and Igbo highlife, and even its more rootsy strain of masquerade music, on Sundays! In contrast, my mother played Christian music—story-laden and optimistic—which I associated with resting after a hard day’s work.
What’s the last thing you read and disagreed with?
It has to be on my X (formerly known as Twitter) feed, LOL! Really, I don’t think there are more influential platforms at the moment. Its importance is undeniable, but so are its toxicity and potential for harmful discourse. One is always finding something to disagree with on X.
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About the Author
is a culture journalist, media consultant and creative strategist. His works have appeared in OkayAfrica, NATIVE Mag, Open Country Magazine and Reader's Digest UK.
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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