| Now
To Be A Nigerian
By Ferial Haffajee
TO GET a taste of who will fill the
quills of Nigeria's literary greats like Chinua Achebe, Wole
Soyinka and Buchi Emecheta, head down to the Commonwealth
Peoples Market to the stall of the Association of Nigerian
Authors. 
General-secretary Nduka Otiono says Nigerian writing is going
through a renaissance, with a new generation of scribes revealing
their talents. The phenomenon has come on the coat-tails of
democracy with many writers now venting their anger at the
dictatorship years of Sani Abacha.
But this flowering faces a dilemma.
“One of the major challenges has been filling the lacuna
left in the publishing world by the post SAP [structural adjustment
programme] decline,” says Otiono, himself a poet and
journalist. Major publishers like Heinemann and Penguin have
slashed their African literature title offerings because of
a lack of sales.
The ANA has tried to fill the gap by publishing anthologies
because “this army of new writers want to be heard”.
Their titles reveal their major theme of political lamentation:
“Trembling leaves”, “Cramped rooms”
and a “Volcano of voices” give readers some sense
of what’s in store. All are on sale at the market.
Complementing ANA’s efforts, says, Otiono are a plethora
of self-published novels, one of which scooped the Michael
Caine prize for African writing earlier this year.
Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor’s “Weight of Whispers”
took the prize, while Helon Habila’s book “Waiting
for an Angel” – also self-published – has
now been republished and packaged by Penguin. “The prizes
have empowered and given confidence,” says Otiono.
The writers stand is a birds-eye view into contemporary Nigerian
thought and interest. In among the literary works, are numerous
self-help tomes and many books on how to get on in business
– all pointing to the profusion of new pursuits in Nigeria.
In an atmosphere where getting ahead is all-consuming, the
literary anthologies on sale are a refreshing reminder that
not all thought is lost to the markets.
The bookstall includes a little book all visitors should
look at: “How to be a Nigerian”.
An hilarious satire by Peter Enahoro, he starts by saying
Nigerians can be found all over the continent, so the book
is a guide both for the nation themselves and for those with
whom they come into contact: “You will find them [Nigerians]
in the heart of the Congo too, selling elephant tusks of Congolese
elephants to the Congolese.” He goes on to explain the
“dash” – the “sweetly quaint custom
of expressing gratitude in anticipation of services about
to be rendered”. His countrymen are insulted by the
description of “dash” as bribery.
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