bookshy: December 2015

It has been another awesome year for African literature - the 2015 Windham Campbell Prizes winners for fiction were all African writers (Teju Cole, Helon Habila and Ivan Vladislavic); Uzodinma Iweala's Beast of No Nation got its film adaptation thanks to Cary Fukunaga and Netflix; Chigozie Obioma's debut, The Fishermen, seemed to have a good year, being named FT's Emerging Voices Award fiction winner and shortlisted for a number of awards including The Man Booker and the Etisalat Prize for Literature. And the books - so many wonderful books published this year, including Ankara Press' Valentine's Day Anthology - seven short romance stories, which were also translated into the different language spoken by the authors, as well as amazing debuts (Sweet Medicine by Panashe Chigumadzi) and fiction in translation (Natives by Inongo Makome and Our Musseque by Jose Luandino Vieria).

With 10 days to go until the year ends, instead of a round-up of everything that happened in African Literature in 2015, I'm sharing my top moments. In no particular order, here they are:

Wonder Women

Women writers were unstoppable this year - Namwali Serpeli won the 2015 Caine Prize winner and shared her prize money; Laila Lalami was the first Moroccan-born author to be longlisted for the Man Booker Prize with her historical fiction, The Moor's Account (which also won the 2015 Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Legacy Award for fiction); women writers dominated the 2015 Morland Writing Scholarships and Wonder Woman came to Soweto thanks to Lauren Beukes'.

Image via LaurenBeukes.com

There was also Nnedi Okorafor, who was recently named Brittle Paper's African Literary Person of the Year 'for the many ways in which African inspires innovation in her approach to storytelling'. This year she published a novel (The Book of Phoenix), a novella (Binti), a children's book (Chicken in the Kitchen) and her feature film, The Camel Racer, which she created with Wanuri Kahiu was one of 8 films selected for the inaugural Triggerfish Story Lab, which aims to aid African writers and directors in developing their craft over a period of 18 months and beyond. And then there was Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People, having the Swedish edition of her book, We Should All Be Feminists, given to every 16-year-old in Sweden, Half of the Yellow Sun crowned the 'Best of the Best' of the Bailey's Prize (yes, it is a prize for women writers, but still ...), her commencement speech at Wellesley College, the New York Public Library Podcast also shared the podcast with Adichie and Zadie Smith from late last year.

The Wonderful World of SF
At the end of 2014, Omenana was launched and this year has given us some oh so amazing SF works. Including Nnedi Okorafor's books listed above, Jalada's Afrofuture(s), SSDA's Terra Incognito, SL Grey's Underground, Rob Boffard's Tracer, Ivor Hartmann's edited volume AfroSF volume 2, Jo Thomas and Margret Helgadottir's edited volume African Monsters, Nikhil Singh's Taty Went West, Fred Strydom's Raft, Cristy Zinn's The Dreamer's Tears and Andrew Miller's Dub Steps.

Debut Nigerian Novels
Nigerian fiction was on fire this year, and there were so many debut novels - Irenosen Okojie's Butterfly Fish, Chigozie Obioma's The Fishermen, El Nathan John's Born on a Tuesday, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim's Seasons of Crimson Blossoms, A. Igoni Barrett's Blackass, E C Osondu's This House Is Not For Sale, Tade Thompson's Making Wolf, Chinelo Okparanta's Under the Udala Trees, Ifeoluwapo Adeniyi's On the Bank of the River. Speaking about Nigerian literature, BBC Radio 4 treated us to a 2-part series on a new generation of Nigerian writers and poets. The programme featured Dami Ajayi, A Igoni Barrett, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, Wana Udoabang and Lola Shoneyin to name a few.

The A's of Literary Festivals
Because it's not only about reading, but about celebrating the joy of reading and literature in many different ways, and this year I had the pleasure of attending not one, but two amazing literary festivals dedicated to all things African literature - Africa Writes in London in July and the Ake Festival in Abeokuta in November. This fangirl of African literature could not ask for anything more.

#Love4Binya and #Naija4Binyavanga

The way the African literary community came out to support Binyavanga Wainaina after he suffered a stroke and was later flown to India for treatment. A Medical Fund was set up by Kwani Trust, in Lagos there was a fundraising event while in Nairobi as part of the Kwani Litfest, there was a #Love4Binya concert. So much love, and truly inspiring! Wishing him a speedy recovery.

Image via BrittePaper

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So it's that time of year again, where the lists of the best books of the year come out ... and I decided to check them out to see which books by African writers made it. This year, from Book Riot to the Wall Street Journal - and many publications in between - there were 3 books which were on most of the best of lists, with The Fishermen having seven mentions.

Over on the Wall Street Journal and Book Riot, there was The Fishermen, which was also on NYTs 100 Notable Books of 2015 and the Guardian's Best Fiction in 2015, where it was described as 'the best debut of the year by some distance.' The Mersault Investigation made it onto NYTs best books of 2015 and Boston Globe, while NPRs list included Under the Udala Trees (also on BuzzFeed's 24 Best Fiction Books) and The Fishermen. The Fishermen and Under the Udala Trees also make it on to the The Root's 15 Powerful Works of Fiction Published by Black Authors in 2015 (and also check out their 14 of the Best Non-Fiction by Black Authors in 2015).

Clearly there were more than 3 awesome books published by African writers this year, as highlighted in The Sunday Times Book Reviewers Best Books of 2015. The Fishermen was there, but other top books included 101 Detectives, Beastkeeper, Green Lion, What Will People Say? and The Raft to name some. It was also a breath of fresh air to see BuzzFeed have Lagoon (which was published in America this year) on their 24 Best Science Fiction Books of 2015.

Update: I initially included Paula Hawkins' Girl on the Train on this list (but decided in the end to not include it, as while Paula Hawkins was born and raised in Zimbabwe and lived there until she was 17 - she is described as a British author. Still, NPRs list included The Girl on the Train (which also tops Amazons list of best selling books of 2015 and was on Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Goodreads, HuffPost Canada and Barnes & Noble's best of list) - giving it the same mentions as The Fishermen.

Another update: After I posted this morning, LitHub announced their best books of 2015, which included Tram 83 and Folly (published for the first time in the UK in November). I also stumbled on FTs Best Fiction in Translation, which had The Mersault Investigation and A General Theory of Oblivion.

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On to part 2 of my Aké experience. Disclaimer: I tried to capture as much as possible the content of the sessions I attended, but due to either being so absorbed in discussions or a wane in energy later in the day (and definitely towards the end of the Festival), some sessions definitely have more detail than others. I also met a lot more people as the Festival went on, including Kinna (from Kinna Reads), Emmanuel Iduma, Diekoye Oyeyinka, George Gachara, Yewande Omotoso, James Murua, Nouvoyo Tshuma, Dami Ajayi and many many more. Let's go!!!!

Day 4: Aké officially begins! In her speech, Lola Shoneyin discusses how in the last three years, Aké has welcomed over 200 guests from Africa and beyond and has physically reached over 10,000 people. For the 2015 edition, guests came from over 18 countries to share their passion for the advancement of arts across the continent. The theme, ‘Engaging the Fringe’ was trying to introduce topics away from the mainstream – topics that are sometimes provocative in a world not accepting of new ideas.

The opening ceremony included a dance from Qudus Onikeke, a musical performance by Aduke and the announcement of the Marine Platforms Literary Programme – which aims to support children in northern Nigeria by providing 50 book libraries with 100 beautiful books for ‘kids to dip in and get lost’, as well as another platform to support northern Nigerian writers by building and developing their writing through a fund that awarded NGN200,000 to 5 authors (Samira Haruna Sanusi for S is for Survivor; Halima Aliyu for Fire on the Tip of Ice; Abubakar Adam Ibrahim for Season of Crimson Blossom; Elnathan John for Born on a Tuesday; and Maryam Bogu for Bongel). The opening ceremony also included the official announcement of the 2015 Etisalat Prize for Literature longlist.

Now on to the main event, there were many sessions, and sadly I couldn't go to all, but here are the ones I attended.

On Social Inequality in Africa with Mona Elthawy, Siphiwo Mahala and Dilman Dila - this session was slightly let down by its moderation, but the panellists really held it together and in the end it led to some insightful discussion. In this session, Dilman Dila spoke on the role of aid and NGOs in maintaining poverty and social inequality in Africa and about communities that have become 'professional beggars' that know what the NGO wants. Siphiwo Mahala came at the topic from the perspective of the role of the writer in addressing social inequality and reminded us that ‘whatever a writer does, it is towards raising the consciousness of the nation and to challenge the ruling elite.’ Mahala also touched upon #FeesMustFall in SA and how the ‘students [were] bringing up a revolution that was postponed’ ... something he writes about in his own work. He also spoke about refusing to attend certain festivals in SA since 2011 on the basis of social inequality.

... and then there was Mona Elthawy who blew me away. Elthawy spoke about sexism and its role in creating social inequality; on how the State, as well as the home oppresses women; on the trifecta of misogyny – the State, the street, the home - on overthrowing ‘all of those patriarchs’ who keep women sexually oppressed; on religions obsession with how to control women’s bodies; on how #blacklivesmatter – a revolutionary movement – can be connected with #feesmustfall in SA; and what the sexual revolution means - fighting FGM, marital rape, domestic violence and sexual harassment on the street. For Elthawy, patriarchy has to be at the centre for any fight against social inequality, and women have to be audacious and basically say 'fuck this shit':

‘We can't be silent. Women have to shout. We have to tell every man in our life that he is a patriarch. Men benefit from a system that allows other misogynists to benefit from patriarchy. The women's revolution is here. And we won't be silent any more.’

As Elthawy makes clear, it’s:

‘Time to take back our sexuality - a declaration that says I own my body. Not the state, not the church, not the mosque, not the synagogue, not the temple, not the religion and not the family, not the home - at the end of the day all the patriarchs go home.’

And the author’s final words: Siphiwo explains that ‘we [writers] are trying to tackle issues and respond to questions of our time'. In African Delights it was the question of access to education; Dilman Dila’s short story collection, A Killing in the Sun, deals with issues, such as malaria and curing it from a science fiction perspective, and has a story that was interpreted by someone as Chinese exploitation in Africa; and Mona (awesome Mona) explains how the feminist revolution began in her very soon after she moved to Saudi Arabia at 15; and when she was at university ‘some renegade professor or librarian clearly put the books on feminism on the shelf’. She wrote Headscarves and Hymens - mostly reportage, but non-ficiton with personal stories included - for her 19 year old self.

Next up was my book chat with Irenosen Okojie and Taiye Selasi. For that (and the bloggers panel), I will be sharing links to them, as I was so nervous I focused on just getting through them. On the chat itself, I found out last minute that Taiye Selasi wouldn't be joining us (as Selasi had a flight to catch). That did throw me off a little (I planned to weave in connections and (dis)connections of each book into the chat), so I had to switch focus quite quickly. I think it worked, and in the end I had an absolutely lovely conversation with Irenosen about her stunning debut, Butterfly Fish. Here’s a brief summary of the book chat from ThisDay Live. On the writing process:

“It was a long process ... It took me four to five years to write. It started off as a short story which I submitted for a mentorship scheme in London. I just couldn’t get away from the characters. When I had a first draft, I started thinking of publishing. So, I left my job to polish the second draft. It took me a year. I sent it out, and I had three agents who wanted to represent me. So, it’s been a long process, but it’s great to get it to where it is now.”'

On researching about eighteenth century Benin:

“I had vivid memories of Benin, especially the rural areas ... I was just curious and hungry for that cultural connection. I went to the British Library. I found stuff online. I made trips back home. Basically, it was just about context. Then, I let my imagination fly and writing beyond myself.”

On the protagonist Joy:

“Joy was probably the closest character to me, but she was the hardest to write ... I was obsessed with that character, and her story. People have said to me that Joy is an unusual character in African literature."

Then on to the book chat hosted by Ainehi Edoro with Nnedi Okorafor and A. Igoni Barrett, in which they discussed Lagoon and Blackass respectively. Here, Nnedi Okorafor solidified the difference between fantasy and Science Fiction: ‘Fantasy is magic and science fiction is fiction that can be scientifically explained. The two can easily overlap’, and how magical realism tends to be characterised as something done by non-western authors. We found out why Barrett chose not to explain why Furo – the main character in Blackass - metarmophosised? ‘Because it was not important to the story. I would have killed my novel in the first paragraph if I said, this is why it happened?’

Ainehi, then brought us to the topic of Lagos, as a city – something both authors engage with – asking them to reflect on the city as a space for transformation.For Okorafor, 'the city [Lagos] was full of energy, chaos and vibrancy, and there was something about it that made her want to write about it'. To which she adds, ‘New York doesn't have anything on Lagos!’

For Barrett:

‘it's the energy of Lagos and the size. The number of people trapped in the small space. It's the people! In Lagos you can meet any type of Nigerian. In Lagos you find representations of many types of Africans. It's also the chaos. You can't see Lagos without seeing its chaos. The chaos of Lagos has a system, so you have the agberos who run after buses and there is an order there that they follow. There is a way this city is running which hasn't been acknowledged by books and taught in schools. People also wear different faces in Lagos. Different types of people in a chaotic connection, which he doesn't quite understand. The most chaotic and most successful Nigerian city.’

Then on to digital technology and what it does to the way we tell stories? For Barrett, who has a section of Blackass written through the medium of Twitter:

‘Social media allows everybody to do what fiction allows the reader to be. It allows you to be puppet and puppeteer, God and victim, it's a stage and you can create distance - a persona I am assuming. And so on many ways, sm allows people to act parts of themselves - that's not me! ... Writing the social media scene was like writing dialogue, didn't have to describe things. In Creating the character - went through the voice and let the character reveal what it was but not a full idea of what the person is.’

For Okorafor:

'When I wrote lagoon, I was thinking about the Internet and social media. If aliens came to Lagos and weren't hiding and people posted videos about it ... Also the way media views Africa, as a continent, and specifically Nigeria’

When asked about rapping being a super power in Lagoon, Okorafor also let us know that she ‘is a very big fan of rap music’ and what she finds really fascinating about rap music is,

‘ ... its ability to take crap and make it sound good - vulgar, nonsensical and make it sound good! ... Rappers have the ability to make things sound good - that's a superhero power. Take Drake's 'hotline bling' and the video. Good rappers can take whole of an entire group of people and transform them. Took that idea and turned that literally into a super power.’

Finally, a strong theme in Lagoon reflects Nnedi's own thinking, in which human beings are not here to rule the world but are a part of it:

'When I think of people I don't only think of human beings. I think of plants, all the creatures and animals ... they interest me and they fascinate me. In "Lagoon" the first people the aliens meet are in the water and a swordfish that has an agenda against an oil rig ... Not just fauna and flora but also spirit of ancestors come out to meet the aliens.'

My last panel of the day was the Speculative Fiction panel with Nnedi Okorafor, Dilman Dila and Mehul Gohil, which was moderated by Mazi Nwonwu. I was a bit tired by then, and thinking about the bloggers panel that was up next, and so only captured a little bit of that.

Briefly, Okorafor spoke about having issues with the term ‘Afrofuturism’, which is very rooted in African-American culture and Dila said Afrofuturism was not something he connected with. Mehul Gohil explains that there is a lot of raw material on this continent [Africa] for the writer, while Okorafor tells us that one of the reasons she started writing Fantasy is because she 'wanted to write Africa in the future'. The authors briefly read excerpts from their works, with Gohil reading from a work-in-progress set in a futuristic Nairobi in which a mother tells her son, who never goes to sleep, strange small stories.We also learn that The Book of Phoenix is Okorafor's 'most solidly science fictional work' and that when it comes to 'African Science Fiction', Hollywood is clear that 'we don't do that'. For Dila, that's fine, as he isn't interested in Hollywood. Finally Okorafor describes the beauty of this genre to her:

'SF can take a well worn issue and make it new and so makes people able to look at the issue again with the proper eyes, but you can also take really sensitive issues and approach them in such a way that readers who would normally turn away from an issue will be interested so much.'

And on to the blogger panel, with myself, Kinna Likimani and Emmannuel Iduma, which was moderated by Kate Haines - unfortunately Ainehi Edoro (Brittle Paper) couldn't be part of as she had a flight to catch. I had a lot of fun on the panel, plus I finally got to meet Kinna and I’m such a huge fan of Emmanuel Iduma. Knowing Kate Haines also made me feel less
nervous and quite relaxed in the session. JamesMurua captured the session on his blog.

Day 4 over, dinner, freshen up and then the evening's event – the documentary, ‘The Man Who Mends Women’, followed by a brief Q&A session with Thiery Michel and Colette Braeckman. The Man Who Mends Women focuses on Dr. Mukwege, a globally renowned gynaecologist, fistula surgeon and activist, who has literally mended thousands of women who have been raped during the 20 years conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo and whose efforts have been met by death threats and attempts on his life. In spite of it all, he still continues to do his work under the protection of UN peacekeepers, while also advocating on the global stage, for these women's rights and for ending the use of rape as a weapon of violence during conflict.

It's definitely not for the faint-hearted this documentary - quite a few audience members were unable to finish - but I would highly recommend it. One of the moments in the documentary for me when I knew we still have a long way to go towards sensitisation and awareness of violence against women, was a scene in the court when a number of men were convicted of rape - a conviction every single man in the room did not appreciate having, as they clearly could not understand what the problem was and what sort of crime they committed.

Now back to the hotel. Turns out there's a poolside party going on (these artists, sure do know how to party). I stay for a bit, but by this time I am extremely exhausted and my bed is calling me - and so I say my good nights and leave everyone to party the night away.

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It was in July, when I got an email from a member of the Aké team asking me if I would be in Nigeria around November, as the Aké Arts and Book Festival would like to invite me as a guest for a Blogger panel. My first thought, 'For real!'. Was I excited? Of course!!!!

Since the first edition in 2013, the Aké Arts and Book Festival has grown to be one of Africa’s largest literary events. And I have followed twitter, facebook etc. every November to find out what was happening in Abeokuta - and been envious of the lovely people at Aké. And here was an opportunity for me to spend five days immersed in literature, books, arts, culture; to get to listen to writers, publishers and more discuss about their works; to meet some of the bloggers that I have been interacting with for a few years now; to be back home [even if for a short while]; to escape the cold, cold winter ... plus I heard that the Aké party was legendary.

Then in September, I was asked if I would like to host a book chat with Irenosen Okojie and Taiye Selasi ... my response [in my mind] 'Heck yeah!'. November finally came, and I counted down to Aké, excited about being there, but also nervous about being on a panel – speaking about my blog - hosting a book chat with authors, being live-streamed ... Don’t worry! This isn’t a post about my fears of the panel and book chat, but about my time in Nigeria, my 6 and a bit days in Abeokuta, my Aké experience. So how was it?

Lola Shoneyin explained at a press luncheon prior to the start of the Festival that:

'In organising, the Aké Arts and Book Festival, one of the key things is to bring poets, writers, artists, film-makers, thinkers and all the people who espouse our issues creatively into a space where they can have honest and creative conversations about what it means to be African, what it means to be able to engage with one another and also with the outside world.'

And you know what? Lola Shoneyin has created something special with Aké. There was a truly magical atmosphere at the festival - being in Abeokuta, the land which just seems to be oozing art and talent; at the cultural centre which Lola Shoneyin and her team were able to turn into an inviting space where artists of all types and lovers of said artists could come together to share, discuss, debate, learn and connect; and the Aké team and volunteers who were just amazing (to Ademola, Afolabi, Fola, Jessica, Seun, Tobi, Toni, Wale - and everyone else who really took care of us and made us feel welcome - you guys rock!!!). And my time ...

Day 1: Out of office on, 10:30am BA flight to Lagos, and time to say goodbye to cold England. Boarding, and who do I see, but an Aké guest, the lovely Kate Haines of Africa in Words – who would also be hosting the Bloggers panel. A 'hot' meal, Butterfly Fish, and 2 movies later (actually don't remember what I watched now), landed at Murtala Muhammed International Airport – through immigration, collected luggage, got a Sim card and was welcomed, first by the humid early evening Lagos weather, and then Afolabi from the Aké Team. On to the bus taking us to Abeokuta. There I met a few more of Aké’s guests and visitors - Véronique Tadjo, Nnedi Okorafor, Nana Darkoa, and a film-maker from Ethiopia who worked at the Goethe Institute, Daniel. Tired, but excited - I was home (even though it was kind of weird, being in Lagos and not heading home). 3 hours later – there was a bit of traffic leaving Lagos – hello, Abeokuta! First stop the cultural centre for dinner. There we were warmly greeted by the Director herself - Lola Shoneyin, who welcomed me so kindly with a hug and a smile (starstruck, but kept my composure).

[Side note: My re-discovery of Nigerian literature happened in three waves (19, I read Karen King Aribisala's Our Wives and Other Stories; 22, at a bookshop in Brussels I bought Purple Hibiscus not knowing who Adichie was and read it in one sitting on the train back to London; 23, making a conscious decision to really delve into Nigerian literature I bought 3 books - On Black Sisters' Street; The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives; The Thing Around Your Neck. So to meet – in the flesh – and be hugged and welcomed - by my first name - by one of the female writers that was part of my rediscovery of African literature was unbelievable for me.].

Dinner with Véronique Tadjo and Nana Darkoa (who I find out works on women's rights issues, like myself - ah! to find a kindred spirit only a few hours in). After dinner, really tired (it was probably 11pm, but it felt like it was 3am), driven to the hotel, let everyone know I was safe and sound in Abeokuta, and sleep!

Day 2: Overslept, in the lobby met the wonderful Jessica (Aké’s Media and Comms Manager), late for breakfast (thank you to the wonderful lady, who kindly offered me cereal and bread – even though breakfast was clearly over), and had a pretty chill day. The festival had not officially started, but there were a few sessions: workshops with Taiye Selasi, Nnedi Okorafor and Helon Habila, and on site school events on the Environment. So I ended up re-reading Ghana Must Go and checked out the world outside the hotel - including the cultural centre, where I got a glimpse of the Aké Bookstore (managed by the lovely Fola) which was still being set up. This was also the day I met Siphiwo Mahala.

Day 3: No over sleeping this time. On the way to breakfast I see the fabulous Ainehi Edoro of Brittle Paper (at last, we meet!), and at breakfast I meet Dilman Dila, Mehul Gohil and Zukiswa Wanner. Head over to the cultural centre, which results in my first (and certainly not last) book buying session of the Festival.

This was the day of school visits. Lola Shoneyin pairs me with Dilman and, we are joined by an Aké volunteer, Remi, and a reporter from Sweden (whose name escapes me at the moment). As we make our way to the bus, we are also teamed up with Bisi Alimi and Ayo Sogunro. I wasn't sure what I would say to the students - here I was with a writer and film maker; an activist, public speaker and op-ed writer; and a writer, lawyer and social critic - but the school visit was amazing. I think back to being 12-15, and how great it would have been to have writers, film-makers and activists speak about writing (in its various forms), reading, activism, and providing alternatives beyond 'so-called' traditional career routes. Among the many students, we met a young man who clearly was inspired after Bisi Alimi spoke about op-eds (we might have a future op-ed writer thanks to Bisi Alimi) and a young woman, who wanted to be a fashion blogger - she came up to me afterwards to find out more about how she could go about doing that.

After the school visits we head back to the cultural centre for lunch, and there I hear that a few people are planning to check out Olumo Rock and head to the market (as they won't be around for the planned excursion on Sunday!). So off to Olumo Rock and the market we go!

Hello Olumo ...

Up we go!!!

View from the top.

Not Kuto market (I think!) .... but plenty to see and buy.

In the evening we watched Ramata, a Senegalese movie, adapted from a novel by Abasse Ndione. Ramata tells the story of a beautiful and wealthy woman in her 50s, who seems to be missing something from her 30+ year marriage to the now Minister of Justice. However, a chance encounter with a young man in his 20s one night leads to a series of strange events, which ends up shaping her life.

While beautifully shot and acted, the movie was all kinds of wrong. This had to do with one scene, about a third into the movie, where the young man drags Ramata into a room in the bar where he has unwittingly kept her for hours against her will. A scene, which felt to me (and to a large majority of women in the room) as rape, but which to others didn't. Rape turns into lust and longing, and Ramata just can't get this man out of her mind.

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All this, and Aké hadn't even officially started. Now to panic about my book chat and the blogger panel the next day. Day 4 and more in part 2.

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