Literature
Moses Tsenongo, a graduate of the University of Jos, currently lecturing in the Department of English, Benue State University, is a multi-talented writer; a short story writer, a poet and translator. His numerous works, including five poetry collections and a translation of Things Fall Apart, are eloquent testimonies to his creative prowess. In this interview with Sumaila Umaisha, he speaks on the translation and his sources of inspiration.
Apart from Treasure Island what are your other sources of inspiration?
I come from a culture that is highly poetic, so my first source of inspiration are oral poets that I grew up among. But, of course, for written poetry, I also have poets that inspired me. They include Gabriel Okara and Niyi Osundare. Osundare was actually the poet that inspired me to start writing poetry. When I read some of his poems, I loved and admired them. Even when I?m tired when I read these poets something comes into me.
It is like you are also inspired by Chinua Achebe; you have done a translation of his Things Fall Apart into Tiv language.
Yes, prose wise, Achebe is my greatest. I admire him and I am hoping that in the future I will go back to writing prose.
Is your Things Fall Apart translation project completed now?
It has been completed eight years ago. It even won the ethnic language literature prize of the Benue State chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, in 2003. And I presented a paper on it in the international colloquium celebrating 50 years of Things Fall Apart at the University of Nsukka. That presentation really helped me because, after that Prof. Sam Okala discussed with me on how far I had approached my state government for the sponsorship and I told him my little effort and he said he would also assist me because he knows people in Benue State. He got across to Prof. Saint Bilika, Chief of Staff to Benue State government, who was already in the business of helping me to get some sponsorship form the state government. Prof. Okala?s call encouraged him and the state government approved one million naira for me. This encouraged me to get the work out. This came about as a result of the efforts of friends like you. I was really encouraged by your concern over the work as expressed by the publicity you gave me and the project. I sincerely must thank New Nigerian for that.
Given the state of indigenous literature in this country, what is the future of this work?
I?m sure it will do a lot to encourage Tiv language. As most of us are aware, our indigenous languages are endangered. It is very important that we should do something. Other languages like Hausa are doing very well. Some of us are taking a cue from them to see how we can promote other indigenous languages. I?m sure if this work comes out people will like it and it will encourage others. That was why I chose to translate Things Fall Apart in the first place. It is a novel that has been well read by a lot of people around my culture. And I know several of them would like to read it even if just for the curiosity of seeing that someone has been able to capture it in the indigenous language.
What is your advice to young writers?
Writing is not easy, making a name as a writer is not easy. Writers of the older generation are still alive and they are still writing. So the effort we really need to put in is much. But we have to keep on encouraging ourselves. Literary journalists will have to put in efforts to encourage writers because the odds against them are so much.
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Literature
Developing indegenous language (interview)
Moses Tsenongo, a graduate of the University of Jos, currently lecturing in the Department of English, Benue State University, is a multi-talented writer; a short story writer, a poet and translator. His numerous works, including five poetry collections and a translation of Things Fall Apart, are eloquent testimonies to his creative prowess. In this interview with Sumaila Umaisha, he speaks on the translation and his sources of inspiration.NNW: When did you start writing?
Moses Tsenongo:
I started writing in 1985. I just finished reading Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and the novel really inspired me. So I started a short story closely tailored after what I read in Treasure Island. Shortly after that I was arrested by poetry and I started writing very serious poetic scripts back in the 80s. But my career was launched in the 2000s when I published the first volume of my poems, titled Soliloquy. And all along it is poetry I?ve been writing and publishing. I have five volumes now. I?m hoping that they will be recognized with time.Moses Tsenongo:
Apart from Treasure Island what are your other sources of inspiration?
I come from a culture that is highly poetic, so my first source of inspiration are oral poets that I grew up among. But, of course, for written poetry, I also have poets that inspired me. They include Gabriel Okara and Niyi Osundare. Osundare was actually the poet that inspired me to start writing poetry. When I read some of his poems, I loved and admired them. Even when I?m tired when I read these poets something comes into me.
It is like you are also inspired by Chinua Achebe; you have done a translation of his Things Fall Apart into Tiv language.
Yes, prose wise, Achebe is my greatest. I admire him and I am hoping that in the future I will go back to writing prose.
Is your Things Fall Apart translation project completed now?
It has been completed eight years ago. It even won the ethnic language literature prize of the Benue State chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, in 2003. And I presented a paper on it in the international colloquium celebrating 50 years of Things Fall Apart at the University of Nsukka. That presentation really helped me because, after that Prof. Sam Okala discussed with me on how far I had approached my state government for the sponsorship and I told him my little effort and he said he would also assist me because he knows people in Benue State. He got across to Prof. Saint Bilika, Chief of Staff to Benue State government, who was already in the business of helping me to get some sponsorship form the state government. Prof. Okala?s call encouraged him and the state government approved one million naira for me. This encouraged me to get the work out. This came about as a result of the efforts of friends like you. I was really encouraged by your concern over the work as expressed by the publicity you gave me and the project. I sincerely must thank New Nigerian for that.
Given the state of indigenous literature in this country, what is the future of this work?
I?m sure it will do a lot to encourage Tiv language. As most of us are aware, our indigenous languages are endangered. It is very important that we should do something. Other languages like Hausa are doing very well. Some of us are taking a cue from them to see how we can promote other indigenous languages. I?m sure if this work comes out people will like it and it will encourage others. That was why I chose to translate Things Fall Apart in the first place. It is a novel that has been well read by a lot of people around my culture. And I know several of them would like to read it even if just for the curiosity of seeing that someone has been able to capture it in the indigenous language.
What is your advice to young writers?
Writing is not easy, making a name as a writer is not easy. Writers of the older generation are still alive and they are still writing. So the effort we really need to put in is much. But we have to keep on encouraging ourselves. Literary journalists will have to put in efforts to encourage writers because the odds against them are so much.
(c) Published in the 31/10/09 edition of New Nigerian.
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Chief Servant receiving letter of appreciation (in which the Writers' Village is named after him) from Gimba ...
- Celebrating Clark?s 50 Years Of Literary Excellence
Professor John Pepper Clark Bekederemo, popularly known as JP Clark, is not a new name on the Nigerian literary scene. Literature students who passed through Nigerian secondary schools and universities from the 1960s to date would testify to the quality...
- Female Authors Are The Masters Of Literature In Northern Nigeria
Maryam Ali Ali, Financial Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, could be described as a literary activist not just for being a regular face in literary events, but for her views on literature, particularly female writing, as revealed...
- Ana Salutes The Pioneer Of Hausa Literature
The 9th of July, 2009, could be described as ?The Abubakar Imam Day?. For it was the day in which the fond memories of the pioneer of Hausa Literature were ignited by the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, with an international colloquium in his honour....
- Denja - 'achebe Colloquium Will Be Bigger Than Soyinka?s'
As the International Colloquium to mark the 50th Anniversary of the publication of Chinua Achebe?s Things Fall Apart draws near, the General Secretary of Association of Nigerian Authors, MALAM DENJA ABDULLAHI, speaks to SUMAILA UMAISHA on the preparations...