Author of ‘The Shadow of Saint-Domingue’, Bomi Fagbemi, finds it difficult to separate good writing from a good story: ‘I think a good story can carry not-so-good writing (see Harry Potter), but good writing makes a story great.’
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?
It’s really difficult to relegate books to my childhood. Growing up, I read so many books that I would still read today. I would stay up late and sit in the bathroom to read so no one would know I was awake.
I was really reading anything I could get my hands on. I even binge read the whole Bible. I think I started off with a bunch of fantasy books—Enid Blyton, Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl, J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter, David Gemmel, historical fiction based on Greek mythology. I don’t think I’ve experienced world-building on the scale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson anywhere else. The Horrible Histories series by Terry Deary was great, too, and probably informs about 90 per cent of my current knowledge about the Aztecs and Mayans. Marvel comics were big for me also because they were rare imports and then manga became more accessible so I read Dragon Ball (Not Z) and Fullmetal Alchemist. I’m still a huge fan of animation.
My mum is really into thrillers so I would read her more ‘adult’ books by James Patterson, Harlan Coben, Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series whenever I got bored.
My first foray into reading non-fiction was probably Richard Branson’s Losing My Virginity (not sure if the title had anything to do with it) but it really opened my eyes to the fact that real stories can be just as compelling as the most fantastic scenarios. My dad had a copy of Robert Greene’s The Art of Seduction (I definitely read this because of the title) and reading that got me interested in power and social psychology.
I think my growing up ended with me receiving a liberal arts education in America, and reading Michel Foucault, Søren Kierkegaard among other Western philosophers. I felt a bit cheated that I had never been exposed to Black thinkers like Aimé Cesaire or Kwame Nkrumah growing up in Nigeria. There wasn’t really much ideology to absorb and my knowledge base was definitely not even close to being sturdy.
What book from your childhood would you pass on to someone younger?
Probably David and Leigh Eddings’ The Redemption of Althalus or Spiderman comics. I don’t re-read books often but that one caught my attention. It contains a good amount of irreverence for deities which was refreshing for me at the time. Spiderman because people need to know early that sometimes the good guy loses, badly. I think Kraven’s Last Hunt & The Death of Gwen Stacy get pretty dark. Superhero movies don’t really get that deep because they need to be family-friendly and all that but the characters in the comics can be very complex.
It’s really difficult to relegate books to my childhood. I read so many books that I would still read today.
If you could rewrite a classic book/text, which would it be and why?
The Merchant of Venice set in Lagos, 2021. I think the premise is fitting and there’s a lot of room for satire without being overtly derogatory. From a linguistic point of view, I think the dialogue would be really rich. Also, I think if you’re owing the wrong person money you would actually lose the pound of flesh.
What’s a recent book/text you disagreed with, and why?
I can’t think of anything really, mostly just social media stuff. I live in a curated bubble that is great for my mental health.
What’s one way the pandemic has changed your reading tastes/habits?
I used to spend most of my daily commute reading but now I do less in-office procrastination. So, my reading is a lot more focused and intentional these days.
I live in a curated bubble that is great for my mental health.
What’s the last book you read that changed your mind about something?
Adam Grant’s Think Again. Changing your mind is underrated. It shows growth and a willingness to be right. I think that’s important.
The book itself didn’t change how I felt about anything in particular I don’t think but its always nice to see anecdotal behavioural evidence backed up with scientific research.
What’s a common misconception about African history?
Talking about ‘African Culture’ is so weird because the histories are so different. Africa is really big. So, a misconception is that nothing was going on before the White man showed up, but trans-continental migration, commerce, and conquest have been going on in Africa for millenia.
The Horn of Africa might have more in common with South East Asia and the Middle East than it does with West Africa due to the dissemination of culture across the Indian Ocean. It feels like it gets overlooked but it is a whole other beast compared to the trans-Atlantic trade, but Africa has been important for a long time. Zanzibar was a beacon of Islamic learning in the eighteenth century, for example. Islam has also been around in West Africa for much longer than Christianity has, but that’s not necessarily the case in North and East Africa.
The formation of countries by European powers really muddled things up by overshadowing all the pre-colonial city-states and empires/kingdoms. Colonization is really just a blip in the history of the continent but it has had such an outsized impact on African realities. I guess there’s a lot of a fixation on the present state of decolonization, but I feel like the past has a lot to offer in terms of what future possibilities can look like.
Talking about ‘African Culture’ is so weird because the histories are so different. Africa is really big.
What’s your writing process: edit as you write or draft first, then edit?
It depends on how organized my thoughts are to begin with, and how close I am to a deadline. I think there are two distinct phases though. Typically I write a really rough outline that becomes something more concrete over time, while constantly chopping and changing things to make sure they fit right. After that I read through and edit again.
What was your process for writing ‘The Shadow of Saint-Domingue: The First Great African Revolution’?
To begin with, I read the prompt and was excited to nerd out and write about regime change and revolutions. Then I did more thinking, and research on revolutionary theory to think about what story needed to be told from the African context. It was important to write something that I could personally relate with. The main question I had was: What is the most dramatic revolution in African history (in terms of a change in the system of governance)? and Why are our governments so resilient to regime change? These questions led me to Haiti. Choosing the Haitian Revolution was strategic—I knew there wouldn’t be (m)any submissions about it and I didn’t want to write about an individual.
I did some historical research, read some articles, and watched like three documentaries on YouTube while I wrote to make sure I was constantly aware of different perspectives. I wrote it fairly quickly because I’m familiar with how rigorous the editorial process is at The Republic, so I knew any foibles would be covered up by the editors once it was out of my hands.
Unfortunately, the president of Haiti was assassinated shortly after I submitted my essay. Then, once the editing process started, Haiti was struck by an earthquake. This was awful of course, but it made my essay a bit more of a hot topic I guess.
Typically I write a really rough outline that becomes something more concrete over time, while constantly chopping and changing things to make sure they fit right.
What three books/texts should be on everyone’s bookshelves?
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- The Corpse Walker by Liao Yiwu because its cool to see China’s model of development and understanding the context is important before you form a judgment.
- Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics by Richard Thaler because life makes a lot more sense when you realize that human beings aren’t rational.
- False Dawn by Steve Cook details how despite the Arab Spring and the consequent regime changes, the region did not see any immediate social improvements. It also illuminates the role that US foreign policy had in the outcomes of these revolutions. I think it’s important to see how foreign intervention has destabilised the Middle East especially as the effects have been so far reaching
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What’s more important to you: the story or how it is written?
I think a good story can carry not-so-good writing (see Harry Potter), but good writing makes a story great.
It is really hard to separate them. Delivery is really important, too, but it probably comes across more in writing for non-text mediums. For example, I’ve heard probably 5,000 different gangster rappers describe drug dealing and murder to me—but I’m still very receptive to the most vivid and creative depictions though. There are also a bunch of awful book-to-film adaptations that show that it’s really easy to ruin good stories
I think a good story can carry not-so-good writing (see Harry Potter), but good writing makes a story great.
What’s the most meaningful piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?
I don’t know. If I got some advice I probably didn’t take it. Most of my writing feedback has been academic and I was never really that attached to academia.
‘Find out what you want to say, and say it’. I might have said this myself but this is pretty much the only writing advice I follow. It isn’t always as easy as it sounds!
What is your favourite topic to write or read about these days?
Exploring diasporic connections. Definitely. People spend too much time and energy generating unnecessary conflict when it’s all really just the extensions of the same story. As far as reading, I was late to the party but Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing is fantastic, and so is Retelling Black Radicalism for the 21st Century.
On a daily basis, I read TechCabal, Native, Office Magazine, Zikoko, Monocle, and The Republic’s Today in History series. To stay au courant and because content hits differently when you know its for you.
I feel like the lines between reading and listening blur these days. I don’t listen to audiobooks but they apparently count as reading. In the past month I’ve listened to several Vince Staples’ interviews as I pondered how musicians make money today, watched my friend Lika’s thesis presentation which also led me to Alicia Ajayi’s research and Yewande Komolafe’s recipes on NYT Cooking give me joy even though I do no cooking at all these days.
‘Find out what you want to say, and say it’. I might have said this myself but this is pretty much the only writing advice I follow. It isn’t always as easy as it sounds!
What can we expect you to write about next?
We’ll be publishing an interview on gelbsy with BbyAfricka, an American rapper, soon. In that vein, I’d like to do more music journalism and design-centric writing around Africa. I’ve always thought the buildings in Lagos were really ugly and I’d love to interrogate why nobody is as upset about it as I am.
I don’t know if this will ever happen but I really want to shoot a documentary concerning Nigerians/West Africans and our relationship with water. Concerning everything pirates, spirtituality, riverine communities to the slave trade. I’ve had the idea for a while so it would be cool to bring that to life.
Probably more agriculture-related stuff. I have a start-up in the space and I’m constantly thinking about sustainable food systems.
A deep dive into the music infrastructure of Nigeria focusing artists make money these days and the missing pieces of the creative ecosystem to make it all work properly. There’s a lot more money flowing around but it doesn’t quite seem to reach artists.
Question from Lennon Mhishi: Do you have a specific reader in mind when you write?
Yes, but it’s a pretty corporate sentiment. Most of my writing these days is persuasive because I’m looking for money. Other than that, if it makes sense to me then it’s good to go.
Bonus: Please suggest a question for a future author’s First Draft.
What book would you adapt to film/television, and who would be the director?⎈
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