Edozie Udeze examines the thematic approach and prose style of the three shortlisted books for the NLNG Nigeria Literature prize which will be announced on November 1 and predicts the likely winner of the 100,000 dollars prize
On November1, the 2012 winner of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Nigeria Literature prize will be announced. The prize was instituted in 2006 to reward and encourage Nigerian writers in the four genres of literature. These genres which are rotated every year include prose, drama, poetry and children’s literature. This year’s is for prose fiction and three names have already been shortlisted.
The names are: Olusola Olugbesan whose book is entitled Only on Canvas, Chika Unigwe’s On Black Sisters’ Street and Ngozi Achebe whose work is entitled Onaedo: The Blacksmith’s Daughter. In all, the three shortlisted books were considered the best out of the over 200 works submitted by Nigerian writers located in different parts of the world.
The themes
Examining these three works in terms of their contents, themes and subject-matters, Olugbesan, though an architect by profession, implores the zest of a gifted writer and novelist in telling the story of exhilarating characters whose lifestyles strike the reader. The characters come from different backgrounds but with their dreams intricately woven together. The author carefully creates a tapestry of life, such that a reader begins to wonder if there will ever be an end to the intricacies involved in the tales.
Although this is Olugbesan’s first novel, his approach to the tales shows him as a voice that will become stronger and more authoritative with time. This is why the book made the shortlist. In one of its previous readings, members of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Lagos State chapter, considered Only a Canvass as a book that proves itself as an entirely and wholly Nigerian story. The characters have imbued in them certain elements that will impact tremendously on the youths. But how far can it go in clinching the coveted prize come November 1? This is indeed a tough answer to proffer.
In Unigwe’s On Black Sisters’ Street, readers are taken into the ambiance of Antwerp in Belgium, a city where black girls dwell in the cozy armpit of prostitution. Unigwe tells her story with passion, pointing out what most girls from Africa nay Nigeria do to survive in Europe. It is compelling and striking.
She began thus: “They often talk about it: Standing and waiting to be noticed by the men strolling by, wondering which ones are likely to tip well and which not. From their glass windows they watch the lives outside, especially the men’s. It is easy to tell those who have stumbled on the Schipperskwartier by mistake. Tourists with their cameras slung around their necks, mostly Japanese tourists who do not know Antwerp, seduced by the antiquity of the city and deceived by the huge cathedral, wonder off and then suddenly come face to face with a line-up of half-dressed women, in different colours.
One of the considerations of NLNG is to spread the prize on the stories about Nigerians both home and abroad. The prize equally considers the topicality of an issue and the seriousness with which the story is told. Unigwe seems to fit into this mould, as she intersperses her tale with oddities and funny aspects of the girls on the streets. The story is shockingly powerful, with a narrative structure of a literary classic. Though told in simple language, it is effective and expository and therefore likely to catch the fancy of the NLNG judges come November 1.
Achebe, (Chinua’s niece) comes with the story of Onaedo, The Black Smith’s Daughter. This used to be a serious issue in the whole of Igboland when the blacksmith was a rare breed. His daughter, of course, rummaged in the euphoria of that honour. Achebe capitalises on this rare moment to tell her story, using her deep knowledge of history and tradition to embellish her tale.
It is Achebe’s first novel, but comes in an engrossing way, told to portray the life of a gutsy woman, imbued with a rich culture. The story is set in Igboland of 500 years ago. The blacksmith’s daughter does not want to marry someone preferred for her. Her mind is somewhere else which does not go well with her people. Onaedo is not only careful, she wants to be allowed to marry the man after her heart. “Let the choice be mine,” she says.
The coming of the Europeans is also reflected in the book because the story is told to clash with this interference. While Chinua, Ngozi’s uncle, created tragic characters, too strong and difficult to reconcile with the advent of new ideas, Ngozi, on her path gives the world her version of a global setting where the old and the new can meet to usher in a golden era.
However, given the thematic presentation of the story and the editing errors therein, the book may be far from it. The copy editor, if there was any, did not understand standard syntax or comma placement. The content editor should have noticed the clumsy presentation of the prologue. He should have helped the author shape her complex plot with its multiple points of view and some strange names used in the story. Although these do not pointedly distract from the theme of the story, they are yet one damage too many.
Past winners of NLNG
Since its inception in 2006, the prize has produced renowned writers across all the literary board. They are Gabriel Okara, founding father of modern Nigerian poetry, Late Ezenwa Ohaeto, poet and teacher, Ahmed Yerima, playwright, dramatist, teacher and administrator and Mabel Segun, for her collection of stories for children.
Others are Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, Kaine Agary with her book Yellow-Yellow, a story of a mixed blood born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Irobi Esiaba, whose Cemetery Road was awarded the prize post humously, and then last year’s which was won by Adeleke Adeyemi’s The Missing Clock. Adeleke also goes by the pen name Mai Nasara. His work was on children’s literature.
The prize has a cash value of USD 100,000. This year’s prize is for prose friction and the three shortlisted ought to be present at the ceremony to give it its desired clout.
