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Nigerian visual artist and book cover illustrator, Olusegun Tosin Kalejaye, says his work transcends mere social commentary: ‘Rooted in storytelling, representation, identity, and historical documentation, my work as an artist aims to evoke a profound emotional response in my audience, serving as a
Nigerian visual artist and book cover illustrator, Olusegun Tosin Kalejaye, says his work transcends mere social commentary: ‘Rooted in storytelling, representation, identity, and historical documentation, my work as an artist aims to evoke a profound emotional response in my audience, serving as a catalyst for change.’
First Draft is our interview column, featuring authors and other prominent figures on books, reading, and writing.
Our questions are italicized.
What books or kinds of books did you read growing up?
I grew up reading a variety of novels, religious texts, and self-development books. Growing up in a Christian home, my mother was a schoolteacher, while my father was an artisan and businessman. Alongside a number of school textbooks from my mum, I was exposed to novels such as The Drummer Boy by Cyprian Ekwensi, Eze Goes to School by Michael Crowder and Onuora Nzekwu, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, and Animal Farm by George Orwell. Through my dad, I was also exposed to some self-development books like Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Paele. As the years went by, I got my first book by Donald Trump and Bill Zanker—Think Big and Kick Ass: In Business and In Life.
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About the Author
is a Nigerian-born visual artist whose artistic passion stemmed from his childhood habit of drawing portraits on every available surface.
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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