The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Literature

  • NLNG flags off 2019 prize for science,Literature, and Literary Criticism

    The Advisory Boards for The Nigeria Prize for Science, The Nigeria Prize for Literature and The Literary Criticism Prize, sponsored by Nigeria LNG (NLNG) Limited, have published the Call for Entries for the 2019 edition of the prizes, flagging off this year’s competitions.

    The Science and Literature prizes, which are now in their 15th year, each come with a cash prize of $100, 000 while the Literary Criticism Prize has a prize money of N1 million.

    The Science Prize, which recognises outstanding scientific achievements by Nigerians and non-Nigerians, will this year focus on Climate Change: Erosion, Drought and Desertification.

    The Literature Prize, on the other hand, will focus on Children’s Literature. The prize which honours the author of the best book by a Nigerian rotates among four literary genres, namely Prose Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Children’s Literature. The Literary Criticism Prize, which also aims to promote Nigerian Literature, will receive entries on works in literary criticism of Nigerian Literature, especially critical essays on new writings in Nigerian Literature.

    According to the online media, the Call for Entries for the Literature prize and Literary Criticism opened on February 15, 2019 and will close on April 5, 2019. The window for the science prize also opened on February 15, 2019 but will close on May 3, 2019.

    Professor Obododinma Oha will chair the panel of judges for this year’s Literature and the Literary Criticism competition. Professor Oha, poet, editor and a translator, is a professor of Semiotics, Stylistics, and Creative Writing at the Department of English, University of Ibadan. He writes poems in English and Igbo.

    Other members of the panel include Professor Asabe Usman Kabir and Dr. Patrick Okolo. Professor Kabir is a professor of Oral and African Literature at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto. Dr. Oloko, a Senior lecturer at the University of Lagos Nigeria, specialisation in African postcolonial literature, gender and cultural studies.

    The winners of the Literature and Literary Criticism prizes will be announced at an award ceremony in October 2019, to commemorate the anniversary of the first LNG export from the NLNG’s Plant on October 9, 1999. The Science Prize winner as usual will be revealed earlier in the year.

    Three winners emerged in the prize categories in 2018. They were Soji Cole who clinched the Literature Prize award with his play, ‘Embers’, Dr. Peter Ngene  was awarded the Science Prize, for his work in “Innovation in Electric Power”, and Professor Isidore Diala, a professor of African Literature at Imo State University, Owerri, took home the Literary Criticism Prize.

    The Nigeria Prize for Literature and The Nigeria Prize for Science are part of Nigeria LNG Limited’s numerous contributions towards building a better Nigeria.

  • Anbukraft: promoting finer ends of art, literature

    It was Tony Akudinobi, the utilitarian art honcho, who heads Hammerhead Integrated Ltd, that brought to my attention the 5th Anambra Book and Creativity Festival (Anbukraft), which  held between October 22 and 27, at King David Hotel, Awka, Anambra State. The remarkable event of my attendance was the first meeting with Prof Krydz Ikwuemesi, the irrepressible painter, art critic, ethno-aesthetician and cultural entrepreneur who is a key brain behind Anbukraft.

    A First Class graduate in Fine and Applied Arts, Ikwuemesi stressed that Anbukraft is wholly a private initiative that enjoys no support whatsoever from the government. The 5th edition was dedicated to the art patron Dr Okey Anueyiagu and the recently deceased legendary critic Prof Ben Obumselu.

    Ikwuemesi lives in Enugu but lectures at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). It was in 2012 that he met with other interested artists and writers to host the maiden edition of the book and creativity festival.

    The dream was to promote a cause other than politics and trading in the eastern flank of Nigeria. It was indeed a challenge, Ikwuemesi admits, given the mercantilist attitude that holds sway in the terrain. “As you know, buying and selling is the in-thing here,” he said with a wry smile.

    For Ikwuemesi and his fellow initiators, Anambra State ought to champion books and the arts and creativity in general as the homeland of such celebrated figures as Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Prof Chinua Achebe, Prof Obumselu, Ben Enwonwu, Chimamanda Adichie etc.

    The drive to fill the yawning gap gave birth to the festival. Ikwuemesi readily agrees that it has been quite difficult consolidating the initiative which he put together with some like-minds from the UNN and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.

    “There is the urgent need to humanize this state and the region and Nigeria at large,” Ikwuemesi submited. “Crude materialism ought not to be the only drive in life. Totalising the society entails promoting the finer ends of art and literature.”

    Ikwuemesi admits that the festival has not been well-exposed by the press even as he reveals that Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS), Radio Nigeria and the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) have been of some help in generating publicity.

    He counted on the Obi of Onitsha, Agbogidi Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, for lending royal support. Now that the Camp David, Awka venue of the festival is proving to be too small there is the muting of the hosting moving to Agbogidi Museum in Onitsha where there is enough space.

    Mrs Oby Ezekwesili is another notable lending support to Anbukraft. She is as ever a bulwark for good works.

    The Anambra State Commissioner for Indigenous Artworks, Culture and Tourism and Diaspora Affairs, Mrs Sally Mbanefo had some enervating sessions at the festival. The visual thinker, poet and musician, Tony Akudinobi, who exhibited his works at the festival, presented two chairs to Mrs Sally Mbanefo.

    Ikwuemesi wanted the government to create the enabling environment that would in the end serve the festival well in its bid to draw people to Anambra State.

    The festival is not geared toward profit-making, Ikwuemesi informed. It’s indeed, a crucial forum for artists, writers, poets, sundry craftsmen and even practitioners of culinary arts to showcase their diverse talents.

    The aim of Anbukraft comes well-stated: “The festival is conceived to address issues of intellectual desertification in Anambra State and Nigeria and the lack of critical thinking and creativity that are the bane of our society. To this extent, it seeks ways of encouraging the general population to readdress itself to the art of living and holistic development through a humanising quest for knowledge and a celebration of the creative enterprise to ensure the triumph of the human spirit and the advancement our creative industries.”

    Ikwuemesi believed Anbukraft will grow in strength in the years ahead given the passion of the motivators. Anambra State for now lacks the ambience provided by organs like Alliance Francaise and the British Council in Enugu. The dream is that the state will grow in time to match the ambitions of Anbukraft.

    The background that made Anbukraft urgent and necessary deserves to be rendered in full thus: “Most developing countries, especially those in Africa, in the years following colonisation, have held on to a lopsided notion of development. In these countries, including Nigeria, development is perceived as if it is a phenomenon that exists outside society and as if it is only about science and technology. Not only that. The apocalyptic tendencies of postmodern religions in Africa, coupled with endemic underdevelopment, have also brought about nescience and cultural self-hate, the kind that breeds extremis (that is, the tendency to act in ways calculated to bring history to a forcible end). The result is the prevailing general apathy towards the quest for knowledge, creativity and excellence which pervades countries like Nigeria, in spite of the noise made by politicians about “greatness” and “development”. Little wonder the reading and publishing culture in Nigeria is in crisis when good books and a creative sensibility should hold the keys to knowledge and development. This situation is particularly obvious in much of the eastern states in Nigeria where commercialism and crude materialism seem to take a front seat, with the apparent transformation of education into a dangerous tool for a bread-and-butter existence.”

  • Reading, literature and corporate sponsorship

    A few months ago, a colleague whose friend had just published a book to rave reviews took to his Facebook page to complain about his friend’s frustration. How could someone who had just written a book with “rave reviews” in the media be frustrated? According to the colleague, his friend had approached a big company that was known for supporting and promoting events with millions of naira. He was asked to submit a proposal and he did what he considered to be a watertight and brilliant one. He was asked to return in a few weeks.

    After waiting for months and ‘going and coming’ like an abiku, a wait that looked more like Waiting for Godot, he decided to go ahead with his event without the company. He had planned a public reading at bookshops, schools and festivals around the country and had approached the company to support his noble ideal. When the company was not forthcoming he had to scale down his programme to just a public presentation at which most of the dignitaries, who had promised to attend never came anywhere near the venue.

    A few weeks after his event, he strolled to the company’s headquarters and was told his proposal was still “under consideration”! However, he decided to engage a mutual friend he had cultivated in the company during his constant visits there. It was this friend who told him the home truth about his proposal. According to him, the friend confided in him that “Our company doesn’t sponsor book events because Nigerians don’t read!”

    My friend’s colleague was shocked to the marrow. He walked away from the company totally disappointed. But his disappointment was just a tip of the iceberg as he later discovered that the company was supporting an event he considers vain. This brings me to the issue of today. Our country has become so vain that things that should attract sponsorships or attention have been totally relegated. Nothing excites us all again except the banal and inconsequential.

    Although the colleague didn’t name the company that turned down his request to sponsor the book reading, I won’t have been surprised if the company was one of the sponsors of Big Brother Naija (BBN) which ended last weekend! That is how much we value intelligence and knowledge in this clime. Companies have been known to shun anything that has to do with knowledge but put lots of money on vainglorious events. That is why a so-called Beauty Queen would get a car, millions of naira, opportunities to travel around the world and meet showbiz leaders and so on while a champion of a Mathematics competition would only go home with a few miserable notes of naira, cartons of drinks, boxes of milk and notebooks.

    We have so made education and being intelligent so attractive that our children today prefer to indulge in betting than reading or working out mathematical solutions. Gone were the days when children return to school to boast of the numbers of books they read during the holiday. Today they are busy talking about BBN, social media, Instagram, Facebook and other such things that contribute little or nothing to intellect.

    However, the fault is not entirely that of the companies. The media are all part of the rot. Last week Sunday, when the BBN winner was announced, many of our newspapers, radio, and television made the item one of their leading stories. I was aghast. The Nigerian Literature Prize, which is our country’s (if not one of the world’s), biggest literary prize does not command such mention when the winner is announced!! But BBN?  There is no doubt that advertising revenue drives such publicity and focus but can’t we also give publicity to reading and other intellectual events to attract advertisers?

    The rot is deep and far reaching. Post anything intellectual on your Facebook wall or tweet anything elevated. You’ll hardly get ten responses. But post or tweet anything vain, you’ll be surprised at the numbers of likes, comments and retweets you’ll get.

    I got this from a Whatsapp group I belong to and it speaks to the heart of the matter: “Organizers of BBNaija made N5 billion, N30/vote from the 170 million votes they got from Nigeria. They gave the winner N25 million. So calculate the gain. This is a big business. Now I know why Zain Brain Challenge (The Inter University competition of West African Universities) went to extinction with no sponsor for it. Sad world!” To vote for a BBN winner you had to pay, yet we want to get a book free. Which contributes to our lives better?

    See how we continue to kill intellect and intellectualism with the choice we make. Sorry, my colleagues’ friend for your disappointment. That’s the way we are.

     

    • First published on April 29, 2018, and republished today as a mark of honour to NLNG and all the its longlisted laureates hosted yesterday in Lagos.

  • Still on reading and corporate sponsorship

    Since my intervention entitled Reading, literature and corporate sponsorship was published, I have received so many calls, emails and text messages. The messages are varied and very thought provoking, showing that the issue I wrote about was of concern to many and that it is a topic that one could not have thought has been exhaustively discussed in one article.

    However, some of the responses I got still shows that the kernel of my argument is still lost on a few people. I’ll explain: when I wrote about reading and lack of sponsorship I was not talking or writing about reading to pass exams or for anything official or preparing for a job interview. If you board a train, bus or aircraft in Europe or America there is the assurance that a sizeable numbers of the commuters in the train, bus or aircraft would have a novel, magazine or at least a newspaper clutched in their hands reading. Most times they could be so engrossed that you would hardly hear anyone mutter a word until you get to your destination.

    But what do we have here? If you board any of our public means of transportation the shout of the ubiquitous gbongbo nse (cure all) herbal hawker would make sure you can have a peaceful moment to read anything. It is perhaps worst with our elite when you board an airline, it does not matter whether it is local or international, majority would either be sleeping, chatting at the highest decibel of their voices or simply gossiping.

    The reading I wrote about last week was therefore not about people reading to pass exams or for promotion at work places. There is no doubt that the reading culture in the country, well and truly all around the world, has become so bad that we are perhaps holding the worst end of the stick.

    Perhaps the advent of the ebook has made matters worse. For instance, I was at an office a few weeks ago waiting to see an executive, as we sat at the waiting room waiting, about four young guys entered the waiting room and four about one hour that I spent there waiting the four of them were glued to their phones tapping and ostensibly sending Whatsapp messages. They were so engrossed with their phones that at a point one of them had to change her seat to move near to a socket where she could charge her phone and continue with her conversation with whoever she was chatting with.

    This reminded me of a conversation I once had with another young person who I once challenged why her eyes were always glued to her phone. Perhaps knowing me she replied that she had downloaded books on her phone and that was what she was always reading. I knew she was lying but I smiled and she knew I didn’t believe her! Nigerians read but what they read and for what is what matters. While reacting to my last week’s intervention, Eric Ikpah from Makurdi, Benue State had in his message written: “Don’t ever believe anybody who tells you Nigerians don’t read. If Nigerians don’t read, how come all the 10 national daily newspapers haven’t collapsed? How come people still graduate from University? If you don’t read, how will you pass university exam? Who buys all those 50 naira sports magazines? People read what interests them. Any Nigerian company that feels Nigerians don’t read either doesn’t have a research department or isn’t serious. Very soon all these cries about author’s not getting recognized will soon be a thing of the past.”

    Is reading to pass examinations part of what I wrote about last week? No. Reading for pleasure and learning about other worlds and not because you want to pass exams.  Anything other than that is not the reading we are talking about that is studying and it is different.

  • Reading, literature and corporate sponsorship

    A few months ago, a colleague whose friend had just published a book to rave reviews took to his Facebook page to complain about his friend’s frustration. How could someone who had just written a book with “rave reviews” in the media be frustrated? According to the colleague, his friend had approached a big company that was known for supporting and promoting events with millions of naira. He was asked to submit a proposal and he did what he considered to be a watertight and brilliant one. He was asked to return in a few weeks.

    After waiting for months and ‘going and coming’ like an abiku, a wait that looked more like Waiting for Godot, he decided to go ahead with his event without the company. He had planned a public reading at bookshops, schools and festivals around the country and had approached the company to support his noble ideal. When the company was not forthcoming he had to scale down his programme to just a public presentation at which most of the dignitaries, who had promised to attend never came anywhere near the venue.

    A few weeks after his event, he strolled to the company’s headquarters and was told his proposal was still “under consideration”! However, he decided to engage a mutual friend he had cultivated in the company during his constant visits there. It was this friend who told him the home truth about his proposal. According to him, the friend confided in him that “Our company doesn’t sponsor book events because Nigerians don’t read!”

    My friend’s colleague was shocked to the marrow. He walked away from the company totally disappointed. But his disappointment was just a tip of the iceberg as he later discovered that the company was supporting an event he considers vain. This brings me to the issue of today. Our country has become so vain that things that should attract sponsorships or attention have been totally relegated. Nothing excites us all again except the banal and inconsequential.

    Although the colleague didn’t name the company that turned down his request to sponsor the book reading, I won’t have been surprised if the company was one of the sponsors of Big Brother Naija (BBN) which ended last weekend! That is how much we value intelligence and knowledge in this clime. Companies have been known to shun anything that has to do with knowledge but put lots of money on vainglorious events. That is why a so-called Beauty Queen would get a car, millions of naira, opportunities to travel around the world and meet showbiz leaders and so on while a champion of a Mathematics competition would only go home with a few miserable notes of naira, cartons of drinks, boxes of milk and notebooks.

    We have so made education and being intelligent so attractive that our children today prefer to indulge in betting than reading or working out mathematical solutions. Gone were the days when children return to school to boast of the numbers of books they read during the holiday. Today they are busy talking about BBN, social media, Instagram, Facebook and other such things that contribute little or nothing to intellect.

    However, the fault is not entirely that of the companies. The media are all part of the rot. Last week Sunday, when the BBN winner was announced, many of our newspapers, radio, and television made the item one of their leading stories. I was aghast. The Nigerian Literature Prize, which is our country’s (if not one of the world’s), biggest literary prize does not command such mention when the winner is announced!! But BBN?  There is no doubt that advertising revenue drives such publicity and focus but can’t we also give publicity to reading and other intellectual events to attract advertisers?

    The rot is deep and far reaching. Post anything intellectual on your Facebook wall or tweet anything elevated. You’ll hardly get ten responses. But post or tweet anything vain, you’ll be surprised at the numbers of likes, comments and retweets you’ll get.

    I got this from a Whatsapp group I belong to and it speaks to the heart of the matter: “Organizers of BBNaija made N5 billion, N30/vote from the 170 million votes they got from Nigeria. They gave the winner N25 million. So calculate the gain. This is a big business. Now I know why Zain Brain Challenge (The Inter University competition of West African Universities) went to extinction with no sponsor for it. Sad world!” To vote for a BBN winner you had to pay, yet we want to get a book free. Which contributes to our lives better?

    See how we continue to kill intellect and intellectualism with the choice we make. Sorry, my colleagues’ friend for your disappointment. That’s the way we are.

  • Literature, sex and the Nobel

    Literature, good literature, is hardly sans sex. A good and engrossing book is hardly complete without an element of sex. But do not make a mistake, in literature when we talk about sex it is not the same thing as pornography. Pornography is no literature for a mature mind.

    Scholars of literature have for years, in fact, centuries engaged in arguments over what constitutes sex and pornography: how do you differentiate between the two? No doubt, the border line is thin and almost invisible to a mind that is none discerning and not elevated. But to those who know there is.

    DH Lawrence, one of the greatest writers of his age lived half of all his lifetime almost like a recluse because one of his most ambitious novels – Lady Chatterley’s Lover, was at one time banned in Britain and some parts of the world because it was considered as ‘bad literature’ or pornography. It was a long drawn battle to get it out of that picture and the writer perhaps never got out of that frustration. But today, what has happened? It is listed among one of the corpus of the greatest books ever written, not only in English language but in the world and in any language!

    In the last few weeks, the world’s greatest and best known and coveted Literary Prize – the Nobel- has been engrossed in controversy over allegations of sexual harassment and undue favours. Perhaps this has not resonated much in this part of the world because it involves literature and not politics or entertainment. I confess that it almost escaped mine too.

    It has not garnered much media frenzy as that of Harvey Weinstein the Hollywood film czar, whose film company is likely to go under because of the allegations.

    The Nobel literature committee has been hit by allegation of sex scandal of a proportion which could also be written into a novel that could form one of a winner’s bodies of works. According to reports, an important member of the elite committee, Jean-Claude Arnault, who was described as “a major cultural figure with close ties to the academy”, has been accused by 18 women of sexual assault and harassment.

    In the wake of the allegation, three members of the committee have resigned to save the prize from being tainted. The accused, Arnault is married to a poet, Katarina Frostenson, who is a member of the academy. He and his wife are said to be running a private cultural club, which receives generous funding from the academy.

    The accusation against him is that he had in the past sexually harassed women at the club and the academy-owned properties in Stockholm and Paris over a 20-year period! That was not all; he was also alleged to be the source of leaks of names of winners of the prize. How Arnault has survived this long is perhaps another plot for a prize winning novel.

    The Nobel literature prize has for long been in the eye of the storm for many, especially for most of us Africans who continue to feel that the prize has been long skewed against the brightest writers of the continent perhaps because of their political beliefs, affiliation or world view.

    For years many have believed that Kenya’s most distinguished and accomplished writer Ngig) wa Thiong’o, Ghana’s preeminent author Ayi Kwei Armah and a few others should have won it after Wole Soyinka, Nadine Gordimer and JM Coetzee.

    In its reaction to the scandal, the Nobel Foundation had in a statement said, “Confidence in the Swedish Academy has been severely damaged. It is not yet possible to say how this will damage the Nobel Prize. It takes a long time to repair damaged confidence. The Swedish Academy’s members must now put their mission before their individual interests to restore faith in the Academy’s important work with the Nobel Prize in Literature.”

    The Nobel Prize is Sweden’s greatest gift to the world and so must not be seen to be corrupted. This prompted King Carl XVI Gustaf to add his voice saying, “The conflicts which have arisen within the Swedish Academy are deeply unfortunate and risk seriously damaging the Academy’s important functions.”

    I hope not.

  • Six authors win $200,000 NLNG prize for science, literature

    Six authors win $200,000 NLNG prize for science, literature

    THE Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited has presented $200,000 prize to six winners of its “Nigeria Prize for Science and Literature ’’

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ikeogu Oke emerged the winner of the Prize for Literature and received a cash prize of $100,000 for his poetry ‘The Heresaid’.

    For the Nigeria Prize for Science, three works jointly won the award for the competition, which has as its theme :”Innovation for Malaria Control”.

    The $100,000 prize would be shared by the five authors – Dr. Chukwuma Agubata, Prof. Olugbenga Mokuola, Dr. Bidemi Yusuf, Dr. Ikeoluwapo Ajayi and Prof. Ayodele Jegede.

    Speaking at the public presentation of the winners in Lagos, Mr. Sadeeq Mai-Bornu, NLNG Deputy Managing Director, said the prizes were aimed at bringing Nigerian scientists and authors to public attention.

    “The Nigeria Prize for Science, the Nigeria Prize for Literature and the Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism sponsored by NLNG, is to celebrate excellence in scientific breakthroughs and literary accomplishments in our country.

    “At NLNG, we believe that the NLNG Science Prize will provide leaders with answers to crucial issues in development, improve the standard of living and re-energise the scientific community to seek solutions to national problems.

    “With the Nigeria Prize for Literature and Prize for Literary criticism, it is expected that the quest for a prestigious prize will improve the quality of writing, editing and proof-reading.

    “It will also have positive outcome on publishing with far-reaching positive effect on print and broadcast journalism,’’ he said.

    Chairman, NLNG Literature Prize Advisory Board Prof. Ayo Banjo said Oke emerged the winner for 2017 after diligent consideration and critical, objective application of the guidelines and criteria by the judges.

    “Oke’s poetry, ‘The Heresaid’ was outstanding and the decision for its winning was based on its apt topicality, relevance, artistic heft and the pursuit of artistic provenance.’’

    Also speaking at the presentation, Prof. Akpoveta Susu, Chairman, NLNG Science Prize Advisory Board, said the winners were selected after diligent consideration and critical application of guidelines and criteria.

    Susu, who was represented by Prof. Barth Nnaji, a former Minister of Power, said due to the very high standards set, none of the entries on their own could be adjudged the winner.

    Minister of Science and Technology Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, who was represented by Elizabeth Ibezim, said the current socio-economic challenges required scientific researches to solve.

    Onu hailed the NLNG for promoting excellence in scientific breakthroughs as this would encourage scientists in the country.

     

     

  • ‘Etisalat Prize for Literature must live’

    ‘Etisalat Prize for Literature must live’

     Etisalat Nigeria  was not about telecoms alone. It was into many other things. Literature was one of those things. Will the change in its name to 9mobile sound the death of the Etisalat Prize for Literature? The firm’s Vice President (Regulatory & Corporate Affairs), Ibrahim Dikko, has assured the artistes’ community that it will remain faithful to its corporate social responsibility (CSR), Assistant Editor Arts OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports.

    Early this month, a Port Harcourt-based Nigerian writer, Jowhor Ile’s And After Many Days won the £150,000 2016 Etisalat Prize for Literature. The presentation ceremony was held at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. He also got an engraved Montblanc Meisterstuck pen. It was the fourth edition of the prestigious Pan-African literary prize that celebrates African writers of a debut published book of fiction. Ile was born in Obagi and raised in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. His fiction has appeared in McSweeney’s Quarterly, Lit Hub, and Litro Magazine. His debut novel And After Many Days was published in Nigeria in November 2016 by Kachifo. He is currently a Teaching Fellow and Scholar at the MFA Creative Writing programme at Boston University, United States.

    The erstwhile Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher, said at the event that the company was delighted to flag off the fifth year of the Etisalat Prize for Literature, which has become a leading platform for the discovery and promotion of African literary talent. He disclosed that the new panel of judges will comprise Harry Garuba (chair), Doreen Baingana and Siphiwo Mahala.

    Willsher added that ‘’over the years, we have seen the Etisalat Prize for Literature impact on the African literary space by encouraging creative writers and publishers to help tell compelling stories about the African continent, and it is our conviction that the judging panel made up of very experienced writers, academics, literary critics and editors will be devoted to upholding the legacy and reputation of the Prize.’’

    Alongside the Prize for Literature is the Flash Fiction Award, an online-based competition open to African writers of unpublished short stories of no more than 300 words. The winner of the Flash Fiction Award receives £1,000 and a high-end device, while the two runners-up receive £500 each in addition to high-end devices.

    Willsher stated that from the outset “our vision at Etisalat has been to support innovation, creativity and talent development. This is why we have stayed focused on creating platforms that enable people, not only to communicate and stay in touch with one another, but also to express their individual creative abilities in all forms of science and arts. Etisalat will purchase 1,000 copies of their books for distribution to schools, libraries and book clubs across Africa.”

    All these lofty packages, which young African writers look forward to, may become a mirage as expressed by literary scholars. Similarly, the brand name of the prize may be the first casualty as the network provider has changed name.

    Etisalat Prize for Literature is the most prestigious prize for African writers. Others such as the Nigerian Prize for Literature (100,000 dollars) and Caine Prize for African Writing (10,000 pounds) offer less cash prize compared to Etisalat’s 150,000 pounds.

    But the telecom firm’s Vice President (Regulatory & Corporate Affairs), Ibrahim Dikko, reassured writers that while ‘’we go through this phase, we plan to remain true to those two pillars: continued excellent quality service on the network and our support on the Corporate Social Responsibility side. As you may have seen, we have indeed advertised for entries for the 2018 prize for literature.’’

    The fears of writers stem from the current financial crisis rocking the teleco-mmunication firm and the consequences of a possible shift in policies that will affect the corporate social responsibility of the company, especially the literature prize. The writers blamed this on the uncertainty nature of Nigerian business environment and the disregard often shown by governments and business organisations towards artistic endeavours. To them, the Etisalat Literature Prize should be sustained, come what may, as it is too early in the day to suffer a reversal after the impacts the prize has made on African writings.

    Former Artistic Director, National Troupe of Nigeria and Dean School of Humanities, Redeemer University, Prof Ahmed Yerima, said it would be unfortunate if, at the end of the day, the Etisalat Prize for Literature is affected by the development. “Again, it all shows the uncertainty of Nigerian environment. However, the prize has been a source of encouragement to writers especially the youths,” he noted.

    Dean, Faculty of Arts, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Prof Gbemisola Adeoti, said if push comes to shove, Etisalat as a brand will not be the only victim or loser at the end of the day. “I will not be surprised. Nothing good lasts for long in the promotion of arts in Nigeria. Remember the NIB sponsorship of theatre in the 90s? What of the CHAMS theatre series of 2008 and 2009? The series meant to be a yearly event died two years later. It’s unfortunate that our clime is terrible for business and the effects will definitely reverberate in the household of arts, especially literature and its luxurious prizes. Etisalat will not be the only victim or loser in this regard,” he said.

    Also, former President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) and former Dean of Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan, Prof. Remi Raji,  expressed the hope that the Etisalat Prize for Literature and its spirit will be sustained because it is too early for closure or termination.

    But, current President, Association of Nigerian Authors, Mr. Denja Abdullahi, said Etisalat challenges are not new because it is common knowledge that big corporations are kept afloat by heavy buy-ins by commercial banks. “We all know these big corporations are being kept afloat by heavy buy-ins by banks. We do not expect Etisalat to go under because of this problem. The Etisalat Literature Prize should be sustained come what may. It is too early in the day to suffer a reversal in that regard after the impacts the prize has made on African writings,” he added.

     

    Past winners of the Etisalat Prize for Literature are:

     

    NoViolet Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) 2013 maiden edition

     

    Bulawayo was born and raised in Zimbabwe and attended Njube High School and later Mzilikazi High School for her A levels. She completed her college education in the US, studying at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, and earning Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English from Texas A&M University and Commerce and Southern Methodist University.

    Last week, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Mr. Godwin Emefiele said new investors in the newly unveiled 9mobile would emerge by December. According to him, the current board of the telecom company is interim and not supposed to last beyond 90 to 180 days from inception.

    Emefiele’s position is giving credit to the rumours that many telecom companies, including Bharti Airtel of India, Vodafone of United Kingdom, and France’s Orange mobile, are jostling to grab the 65 per cent shareholding open to new investors from the exit of Mubadala and Emirates Telecom Services of United Arab Emirates.

    Emefiele gave the reassurance on why the CBN intervened in the bank loan that led to management change in the telecom company. He said: “We expect that businesses should operate profitably, but we also expect that whatever decision they take should not hurt other important stakeholders in that industry. Etisalat, now 9mobile is one of the four biggest companies in the telecommunications industry in Nigeria with subscriber base of over 20 million. Of course, we also know that the revenue base of the company is very robust. “Etisalat employs over 4000 people and if you understand the likely impact of an adverse consequence of losing the company on the lives of these 4000 people directly and indirectly, it is important that we do not allow any creditor that feels disadvantaged to take a decision that negatively affects other stakeholders.”

     

    Songeziwe Mahlangu (South Africa) 2014

     

    Songeziwe Mahlangu was born in Alice in 1985. He matriculated from Dale College, in King William’s Town, and went on to do a business science degree at the University of Cape Town. He returned to university to do a Masters degree in Creative Writing at Rhodes, Grahamstown, in 2011. Penumbra is the end result of that degree and his first novel. Songeziwe currently lives in East London and works at a large accountancy firm.

     

    Fiston Mwanza Mujila (Congo) 2015

     

    Born in Lubumbashi (Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1981, Fiston Mwanza Mujila lives in Graz (Austria). He writes his short stories, novels, poems and essays in French, his mother tongue, and in German, his adopted language. As a child, he dreamed of becoming a saxophonist playing jazz. “But there was no saxophone, so the jazz rhythm is now added to my poems. I write like a jazz musician.” He writes about the chaos, the civil wars, the 32 year dictatorship of Mobutu, which undermined his home country since its independence in 1960 from Belgium. His debut novel TRAM 83 is described in the back cover of Éditions Métailié’s edition as “highly poetic and nervous, an incredible plunge into the language and energy of a reinvented country, a hallucinogenic and hilarious tsunami in which each sentence screams a ferocious will to live.” It took the French rentrée littéraire of 2014 by storm and has gained Fiston, at the age of 33, an unprecedented success both in France and among foreign publishers. In 2015, TRAM 83 was longlisted for the Man Booker International Prize and was declared winner of the Etisalat Prize for Literature. It also won the Grand Prix du Premier Roman de la Société des gens de Lettres, the French Voices Award from the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the US and the PEN Translates award from the English PEN, and was shortlisted for the Prix du Monde (Le Monde des Livres). Fiston’s style has also been compared to a Coltrane improvisation and a Hieronymus Bosch painting. He is currently promoting the foreign editions of his debut and working on his second novel.

     

    Jowhor Ile (Nigeria) 2016

    “Jowhor Ile was born in Obagi and raised in Port Harcourt, both in Rivers State, Nigeria. His fiction has appeared in McSweeney’s Quarterly, Lit Hub, and Litro Magazine. His debut novel And After Many Days was published in Nigeria in November 2016 by Kachifo. He is currently a Teaching Fellow and Scholar at the MFA Creative Writing programme at Boston University.”

     

    About the Prize

     

    The Etisalat Prize for Literature celebrates new writers of African citizenship whose first fiction book (over 30,000 words) has been published in the last 24 months. For the purposes of this definition, first book means first printed production in book form.

    Authors and their publishers can be based anywhere in the world. The winner of the Etisalat Prize for Literature receives £150,000, and a high end device. ‘’In line with our vision of promoting upcoming writers, Etisalat will sponsor a book tour to three African cities.

    The winning writer will also embark on the Etisalat Fellowship at the University of East Anglia mentored by Prof Giles Foden (author of The Last King of Scotland) which will include significant opportunities to meet other writers, publishers and most importantly work on their second book.

  • 11 authors shortlisted for NLNG literature prize

    11 authors shortlisted for NLNG literature prize

    The Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature, led by Emeritus Professor Ayo Banjo has announced an initial shortlist of eleven books, drawn from 173 books in contention for the 2016 Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNGsponsored Nigeria Prize for Literature).

    The shortlist, according to a statement by Kudo Eresia-Eke General Manager, External Relations of NLNG is made up of entries from Nigerian writers at home and in diaspora, parades well-known writers as well as first time novelists.

    The eleven authors are Chika Unigwe, Ogochukwu Promise, Yejide Kilanko and Ifeoma Okoye.

    Others are Sefi Atta, Abubakar Ibrahim, Ifeoluwa Adeniyi, Elnathan John, Aramide Segun, Maryam Awaisu and Mansim Chumah Okafor.

    Unigwe, winner of The Nigeria Prize for Literature 2012 with her book On Black Sister’s Street and judge for the 2017 Manbooker Prize, is on the list with her entry Night Dancer published in 2014 while Promise, author of over fifteen novels, founder of Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa and two-time contender for The Nigeria Prize for Literature, is in with her book Sorrow’s Joy as is Kilanko, a writer of poetry and fiction with her debut novel Daughters Who Walk This Path.  Okoye, a writer and author of children’s literature got on the list with The Fourth World; Atta, author of the widely popular Everything Good Will Come with her entry A Bit of Difference; Ibrahim, writer and journalist with Season of Crimson Blossoms; and Adeniyi, a radio broadcaster with her debut novel On the Bank of the River.

    John made the list with his novel, Born On A Tuesday; Segun, winner of an Association of Nigerian Authors Prose Prize for her debut book The Third Dimple with her novel Eniitan Daughter of Destiny; Awaisu, radio presenter with her first novel Burning Bright and  Okafor, author of two previous books of fiction with The Parable of the Lost Shepherds.

    The list was presented by the chairman, panel of judges for this year’s prize, Prof. Dan Izevbaye, well-respected literary critic and a professor of English Language at Bowen University, Iwo. Other members of the panel of judges include Professor Asabe Usman Kabir, Professor of Oral and African Literatures at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto and Professor Isidore Diala, a professor of African Literature at Imo State University, Owerri and first winner of The Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism.

    The Nigeria Prize for Literature rotates yearly amongst four literary genres: prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature. The 2016 prize is for prose fiction and comes with a cash award of $100, 000. Next year’s genre will be poetry.

    A shortlist of three is expected in September and a winner, if any, will be announced by the Advisory Board in October.

    The Nigeria Prize for Literature has, since 2004, rewarded eminent writers such as Gabriel Okara (co-winner, 2004, poetry), Professor Ezenwa Ohaeto (co-winner, 2004, poetry) for The Dreamer, His Vision; Ahmed Yerima (2005, drama) for his play, Hard Ground;  Mabel Segun (co-winner, 2007, children’s literature) for her collection of short plays Reader’s Theatre; Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo (co-winner, 2007, children’s literature) for her book, My Cousin Sammy; Kaine Agary (2008, prose) for her book Yellow Yellow; Esiaba Irobi (2010, drama) who clinched the prize posthumously with his book Cemetery Road; Adeleke Adeyemi (2011, children’s literature) with his book The Missing Clock; Chika Unigwe (2012, prose), with her novel, On Black Sisters Street; Tade Ipadeola (2013, poetry) with his collection of poems, The Sahara Testaments and Professor Sam Ukala (2014, drama) with his play, Iredi War.

    Eresia-Eke said NLNG remains committed to responsible corporate citizenship and The Nigeria Prize for Literature is one of its numerous contributions towards building a better Nigeria.

     

  • 173 authors in race for NLNG $100k literary prize

    173 authors in race for NLNG $100k literary prize

    The race is on for this year’s edition of the Nigeria Prize for Literature sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited which focuses on the Prose Fiction genre.

    It has 173 authors gunning for its most coveted 100,000 prize money.
    This year’s entries, which came in response to a call for entry published in February, were Wednesday handed over to the panel of judges the prize’s advisory board chair Emeritus Prof Ayo Banjo at a ceremony in Lagos.
    Although there was no winner for its Children Literature category last year, the prize’s sponsor and the advisory board are optimistic, saying this year’s promises to be interesting, considering the entries we have got which is lower than the number in the last cycle of prose fiction competition.
    They, therefore, enjoined the judges led by the distinguished Professor of English Language of Prof Dan Izevbaye, Bowen University, to continue the tradition of excellence and integrity the prize is known for.

    “Today, we hand over the 173 entries received for this year’s edition of the competition and I have strong confidence that with their (the judges) very rich knowledge, experiences and competence, the process will again throw up a book of high quality,” Prof Banjo said.
    According to NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations, Kudo Eresia-Eke, the submissions would be pruned based on editorial excellence, creativity and story plot, with the aim that a final winner may emerge in October to coincide with the anniversary of the company’s first shipment of LNG cargo.
    The last winner of the literature prize in the Prose Fiction category was Chika Unigwe in 2012 who beat 213 authors to the prize, which was established in 2004, with her book On Black Sisters’ Street.

    This year’s prose fiction award will run concurrently with NLNG’s prize for literary criticism which has two entries. It was introduced in 2013 and carries a monetary value of N1 million.
    Alongside Prof Izevbaye, who was one of the earliest members of the panel judges when the prize started, the award will be adjudged by Prof Asabe Usman Kabir, a professor of Oral and African Literatures at Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto and Prof Isidore Diala, a professor of African Literature at Imo State University, Owerri and first winner of the award for Literary Criticism. Prof Kojo Senanu of the University of Legion is the international consultant.

    Other members of the board are Emeritus Prof Ben Elugbe and Prof Jerry Agada.