Literature
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 in this interview with Sumaila Umaisha.
Maryam Ali Ali: I am a teacher by profession, a mother, a writer, and currently lecturing with Sa?adatu Rimi College of Education, Kumbotso, Kano.
When and how did you start writing?
I started writing very early in life. Maybe because I grew up with the quest to read, I read anything readable, even the newspaper used to wrap akara. From there I started writing. But I once wrote an assignment that so much impressed my teacher then that he gave me a very good mark, that was my motivation, that very big right mark across the page of my exercise book and the comment that followed it, saying excellent; that was what started it all.
What inspired you into writing?
Emotions ? happiness, sadness, anger, and so on.
What?s your novel, The Faces of Naira all about?
It?s about being steadfast in doing good, and not hankering madly after material wealth through any dubious means. The novel was originally written in Hausa and published in 1997, then I translated it into the English language and was published in 2006, with the same title in English.
How would you describe the Northern literary scene with particular reference to women writing?
Northern female authors are the masters of literature now in the North, especially in the indigenous language. So I encourage them to keep writing and let them try to improve themselves, both their capacity as authors and the quality of their publication too, since the world has since passed the stage of typographical errors. They should also imbibe the culture of editing, proof reading and criticism of their works before publication, that will certainly enrich them and improve the quality of their works.
You have been very active in writers? associations and have often spoken out against some societal practices or government policies you perceive as inimical to writers and women generally. What challenges have you been facing as a result of your activism, considering the fact that you are a woman and you are from the North?
Well, everything in life has challenges. One faces a challenge even crossing the street. And being a woman and at the same time being in the north, could be seen as a double challenge. But I think it?s sheer propaganda to say that women in the north are not vocal. To my understanding, northern women have always been speaking out against what they consider or perceive as an act of injustice. It has not been easy though, I have received a couple of threats through text messages, but I pray over it since Allah SWT is the Best Protector, and the Best Refuge.
Kano State Censors Board has been at loggerheads with writers. What is the main bone of contention and how do you think the issue could be resolved?
We are already looking forward to a working relationship with the Kano State Government on this issue. The National President of the Association of Nigerian Authors and some of the national and state Exco members have already met with the deputy governor of Kano State. They met also with the Director General of the Censorship Board, and discussed extensively on the issue of the enforced registration of writers as well as on censoring their works. The deputy governor has already given us his word that the state government, in collaboration with the Censors Board, will organize a workshop for writers. We hope it will materialize.
Do you see the rise of the Hausa film industry in the North as a treat to literary development?
No, I don?t. Readers are still reading more than ever before, and writers are also writing more, so I don?t really see the rise of the film industry as a treat, since film and literature are not on the same pedestal.
There was effort by you and some women writers to found Nigerian women writers? association. What is the aim behind this move and how far?
Founding Nigerian Women Writers Association was based on giving the Nigerian female writer an edge in a field dominated by men, and to give moral and psychological support to women writers in Nigeria in terms of publication.
What is your advice to fellow women writers?
My advice to them is to keep writing, and wring on issues that will promote the spiritual and educational development of the people.
- Zaynab Alkali Chats With Kasu Students
AS part of the regular interactive sessions for its students, the Department of English and Drama, Faculty of Arts, Kaduna State University, Kaduna, hosted Zaynab Alkali, last week. Zaynab is the first Northern Nigerian woman novelist in English language...
- I Have Books That Are Yet To Be Published - Binta (interview)
Binta S. Mohammed, who passed on 4th May, 2009, is a notable poet and novelist and a lecturer in the Department of English at Bayero University, Kano. She had an interesting interview session with Muhammad Kabir Yusuf last year. Here are excerpts from...
- Role Of The Writer In Environmental Protection (interview)
Aliyu Salisu Barau, who was born in the ancient city of Kano, holds a Master?s degree in Land Resources and Development and teaches Geography and Environmental Science at the Federal College of Education, Kano. He has attended national and international...
- Kano Censorship Crisis: Far From Over (report)
Kano is arguably one of the most vibrant states in Nigeria in terms of literary output. None compares to it in Hausa arts and literature. The commercial nerve-centre of the North is also legendary for intellectual debates among writers and scholars on...
- Umaisha - "new Nigerian Weekly Has Come A Long Way" (interview)
SUMAILA ISAH UMAISHA who is currently the literary editor of the New Nigerian Weekly is one of the pioneer staff of the paper. Our reporter, JOHN EWAOCHE GABRIEL, interviewed him, as the paper clocks ten. NNW: Sir, when did you assume the role of the...
Literature
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 in this interview with Sumaila Umaisha.NNW:
Tell us about yourself.Maryam Ali Ali: I am a teacher by profession, a mother, a writer, and currently lecturing with Sa?adatu Rimi College of Education, Kumbotso, Kano.
When and how did you start writing?
I started writing very early in life. Maybe because I grew up with the quest to read, I read anything readable, even the newspaper used to wrap akara. From there I started writing. But I once wrote an assignment that so much impressed my teacher then that he gave me a very good mark, that was my motivation, that very big right mark across the page of my exercise book and the comment that followed it, saying excellent; that was what started it all.
What inspired you into writing?
Emotions ? happiness, sadness, anger, and so on.
What?s your novel, The Faces of Naira all about?
It?s about being steadfast in doing good, and not hankering madly after material wealth through any dubious means. The novel was originally written in Hausa and published in 1997, then I translated it into the English language and was published in 2006, with the same title in English.
How would you describe the Northern literary scene with particular reference to women writing?
Northern female authors are the masters of literature now in the North, especially in the indigenous language. So I encourage them to keep writing and let them try to improve themselves, both their capacity as authors and the quality of their publication too, since the world has since passed the stage of typographical errors. They should also imbibe the culture of editing, proof reading and criticism of their works before publication, that will certainly enrich them and improve the quality of their works.
You have been very active in writers? associations and have often spoken out against some societal practices or government policies you perceive as inimical to writers and women generally. What challenges have you been facing as a result of your activism, considering the fact that you are a woman and you are from the North?
Well, everything in life has challenges. One faces a challenge even crossing the street. And being a woman and at the same time being in the north, could be seen as a double challenge. But I think it?s sheer propaganda to say that women in the north are not vocal. To my understanding, northern women have always been speaking out against what they consider or perceive as an act of injustice. It has not been easy though, I have received a couple of threats through text messages, but I pray over it since Allah SWT is the Best Protector, and the Best Refuge.
Kano State Censors Board has been at loggerheads with writers. What is the main bone of contention and how do you think the issue could be resolved?
We are already looking forward to a working relationship with the Kano State Government on this issue. The National President of the Association of Nigerian Authors and some of the national and state Exco members have already met with the deputy governor of Kano State. They met also with the Director General of the Censorship Board, and discussed extensively on the issue of the enforced registration of writers as well as on censoring their works. The deputy governor has already given us his word that the state government, in collaboration with the Censors Board, will organize a workshop for writers. We hope it will materialize.
Do you see the rise of the Hausa film industry in the North as a treat to literary development?
No, I don?t. Readers are still reading more than ever before, and writers are also writing more, so I don?t really see the rise of the film industry as a treat, since film and literature are not on the same pedestal.
There was effort by you and some women writers to found Nigerian women writers? association. What is the aim behind this move and how far?
Founding Nigerian Women Writers Association was based on giving the Nigerian female writer an edge in a field dominated by men, and to give moral and psychological support to women writers in Nigeria in terms of publication.
What is your advice to fellow women writers?
My advice to them is to keep writing, and wring on issues that will promote the spiritual and educational development of the people.
(c) Interviewed by Sumaila Umaisha & published in the New Nigerian.
- Zaynab Alkali Chats With Kasu Students
AS part of the regular interactive sessions for its students, the Department of English and Drama, Faculty of Arts, Kaduna State University, Kaduna, hosted Zaynab Alkali, last week. Zaynab is the first Northern Nigerian woman novelist in English language...
- I Have Books That Are Yet To Be Published - Binta (interview)
Binta S. Mohammed, who passed on 4th May, 2009, is a notable poet and novelist and a lecturer in the Department of English at Bayero University, Kano. She had an interesting interview session with Muhammad Kabir Yusuf last year. Here are excerpts from...
- Role Of The Writer In Environmental Protection (interview)
Aliyu Salisu Barau, who was born in the ancient city of Kano, holds a Master?s degree in Land Resources and Development and teaches Geography and Environmental Science at the Federal College of Education, Kano. He has attended national and international...
- Kano Censorship Crisis: Far From Over (report)
Kano is arguably one of the most vibrant states in Nigeria in terms of literary output. None compares to it in Hausa arts and literature. The commercial nerve-centre of the North is also legendary for intellectual debates among writers and scholars on...
- Umaisha - "new Nigerian Weekly Has Come A Long Way" (interview)
SUMAILA ISAH UMAISHA who is currently the literary editor of the New Nigerian Weekly is one of the pioneer staff of the paper. Our reporter, JOHN EWAOCHE GABRIEL, interviewed him, as the paper clocks ten. NNW: Sir, when did you assume the role of the...