Freeman Okosun specialises more in writing historical fiction, epics, religious and cultural issues of Esanland, his home base. He has written so much on diverse socio-cultural history of the people that today he has come to be known as one of its leading epic writers. Based in Ibadan, Oyo State, Okosun is also the current assistant secretary of the Association of Nigerian Authors. He speaks to Edozie Udeze
BETWEEN historical epics and narrative fiction which one occupies your mind more as a writer and why?
Naturally, I am interested in telling stories and that I will say I do frequently from my interaction with people. Literature does not exist in vacuum. Whether one talks of narrative fiction or historical facts, one has to write from what one sees or experiences from our environment. It is also from documentary evidences. Generally, emphasis would either be real or fiction. As for me I write from happenings to me or other people even within or outside my environment. Something has to influence my writing.
In your book THE EWU PEOPLE OF ESANLAND, you tried to deal with Esan identities, can we have a little glimpse into the ingredients that informed the book?
Actually Ewu people are of Esan ethnic stock which was prominently part of ancient Benin Empire. Not much was written about Ewu-Esan and the origin was traced directly or indirectly to Benin. There is no doubt that we trace our root there. Not much was known about Ewu-Esan culture and identity, especially among the people then, while there were great people.
Though there were other people emerging from the Benin Empir like the Binis, the Etsakos,the Akoko Edos, Oras to mention a few with similarities in culture and dialectical variance in language. So I thought it was necessary to write a book on Ewu people who are well respected for honesty to the extent that in most gathering, an Ewu person is preferred to hold sensitive position that entails trustworthiness through out the thirty five towns that make up Esan kingdom.Ewu is home to the Saint Benedict Monastery, owned by the Catholic Church and the Advanced School of Theology, owned by the Assemblies of God Church of Nigeria. I needed to showcase these in my book the eminent people like former D.I.G Fidelis Oyakhilomen, Chris Oyakhilomen of Christ Embassy and Saint Moses, the writer of The History and Chronicles of Ewu Monarchy since 1440 and other things of great importance were written in my book.
As the name suggests, Esan series stands for all the books that I have written that is strictly on Esan issues. I t could be on the three popular genres.
Yours is a new era in Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) . What are the new innovations to expect from your tenure?
I thank you so much for this question. First of all, I will say that with the support of the Almighty God and the strong cooperation of the ANA executive council members, we would make a great difference in moving ANA forward to an enviable level that all members would be proud of. I can also say boldly that with the level of confidence and competence already displayed so far ANA will move up to a higher level with Camilus Ukah as President led National Executive.
Without history in Schools programmes now in Nigeria, What role do you think historical writers can play to help the populace realize their past?
Why it is regretful that History was not taught in the primary and secondary schools for some decades, I want to say that it gladens my heart that teaching of history is back in the classrooms in the Nigerian Schools as recently. In my own time in the 1960s up to early 70s when I went through with my primary and secondary education, we were taught history. I remember Chinua Achebe once said the man does not know when the rain started to beat him cannot get solution to it. A knowledge of our past guides us into a better future.
Alternatively as a writer, the creative writing of historical literature based on history of people and events would go a long way to provide some insight for students about their history and also help to develop their minds to take up the challenges of the future as leaders.
What is the state of literature in Ibadan now being the pacesetter of the West?
I think that Ibadan has always been the centre of literary arts not just in the West but in Nigeria if it is not the entire Africa. I would say Ibadan is the intellectual capital of Nigeria.
The publishing houses of old are still effective and many new ones are springing up. OUP, Oxford University Press now known as University Press Limited was the first, later there were others like Heinneman Educational Books now known as HEBN, Evans Brothers Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Ibadan University Press, Spectrum Publishers, Rashmed, Book Craft, Kraft Books are still chuning out books every day.
We should not forget that Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Christopher Okigbo, Mabel Segun, Dan Izebhaye, Ola Rotimi, Adebayo Faleti, D.O Fagunwa J.F Odunjo , J.P Clark, Sony Oti, Kole Omotoso, Femi Osofisan, Niyi Osundare, Wale Ogunyemi, Akinwumi Isola, Odia Ofeimun, Ademola Dasylva, RemiRaji-Oyelade, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Wale Okediran to mention a few are Ibadan products as regards writing of literary works.
One important point I must not forget to mention here is that most of the literary awards were won from Ibadan and the old writers who are still alive are always in contact with Ibadan the home of the premier University in Nigeria, the University of Ibadan.
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