Literature

Kaduna ANA October Lecture: A weekend of literary carnival

For the Kaduna State chapter of Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, October of every year is a literary carnival ? writing competition, reading sessions, poetry performances, lecture and a host of other exciting activities. This year is no exception; the event was held in Kaduna last weekend in a grand style.

The event, tagged the Annual October Lecture, began on Friday 25^th with a get-together at the Media Centre featuring dinner, talkshop, reading and poetry performance, and climaxed on Saturday 26^th in the lecture at the Ministry of Youths, VIP Hall, Murtala Square.

Even though the occasion began a bit behind schedule (at about 1 pm instead of the scheduled 11 am) it turned out successful in terms of attendance and quality of presentations and performances. The large hall was filled to capacity with Kaduna-based writers, secondary school students and dignitaries such as Dr. Audee Giwa, lecturer at the Kaduna State University who represented Professor Ibrahim Malumfashi, Dean of the Faculty of Arts of the university, as the Guest Speaker at the occasion.

The lecture, themed ?The Role of the Writer in Peace and Conflict?, kicked off with opening remarks by the chairman of the Kaduna State chapter of ANA, Mr. Usho Smith Adawa. He explained that the October Lecture is an annual event aimed at promoting literature in Kaduna state as well as sensitizing the public on current issues of national interest. ?The focus of this year?s lecture, which is on the role of the writer in peace and conflict, is informed by the prevailing insecurity in Kaduna State and the country at large,? he said. ?The lecture is aimed at drawing the attention of writers to the need for them to use their talents in promoting peace. It is also an avenue to remind our leaders of their responsibilities to the citizens in terms of security, political stability and economic wellbeing.?

In his own speech, Malam Sumaila Umaisha, who chaired the occasion on behalf of the Majority Leader of Kaduna State House of Assembly, Hon. Umaru Inusa, re-iterated the importance of the lecture and urged the audience to be attentive in order to gain from the wealth of knowledge of the guest speaker. He also reminded writers of their sacred roles as the vanguard of society, saying it is not enough to engage in the arts of writing for art?s sake, ?the aspiration to change society for the better should be the driving force behind every piece of writing?.

Similarly, in his goodwill message, Hon. Bala Bantex, former member of House of Representatives, charged writers to use literature to bring back the good old days when religious differences were de-emphasized and harmonious co-existence was the order of the day. He commended members of Kaduna ANA for organizing the event and urged them not to relent in their noble efforts.

There was a brief poetry interlude before the keynote speaker took the stage. It was an exhilarating performance. Euodia Joshua, an SS 3 student of Lapan College, Kaduna, held the audience spellbound with her beautiful poem rendered in English and Hausa. The poem graphically captured the theme of the event.

While Joshua?s poem could be said to be a summary of the theme, the guest speaker?s presentation could be described as a generous elaboration of the subject-matter. For about an hour Audee Giwa?s voice was virtually the only sound in the hall, as he delivered Professor Malumfashi?s very rich paper titled ?Security and Conflict ? A Glimpse from Literature?.

The main thrust of the paper is insecurity; how it has become part and parcel of Nigerians? daily living because of bad governance. According to the paper, the genesis of Nigeria?s security situation is corruption; politicians cause insecurity to increase their security votes.

?And it is the role of the writer to correct the situation by telling the truth without minding the consequences,? Giwa stressed.

The paper categorized writers into three types, namely, ?the mouthpiece of government?, who have sold their conscience for the national cake; ?the liberal writers?, otherwise known as let?s-manage-to-survive writers, and ?the revolutionary writers?, who are courageous enough to tell the truth no matter the consequences. Giwa observed that while most writers fall into the first two categories, the last category is considered a no-go area by many Nigerian writers. And the reason, according to him, is obvious - ?no one wants to get hurt or killed?.

But he insisted that telling the truth is the only way out. ?Tell the truth and be happy; we have the responsibility to tell the truth. When you tell the truth it will stand the test of time. We should be a good example of what we preach otherwise we cannot inculcate good moral into our children as they learn by imitation. Let us change ourselves first.?

The paper also touched on the need for writers to be ardent readers. ?You must read before you can write. If we want to be good writers we must adopt a sound reading habit. Let?s also encourage the young writers to read like the Kaduna State chapter of ANA is already doing.?

Expectedly, there was a general agitation from the audience to make comments or ask questions, after the presentation. Hon. Bantex, in particular, did not agree with the guest speaker?s ?blanket indictment? of politicians. He argued that even though some politicians? behaviours leave much to be desired, as pointed out by the speaker, there are still good politicians who have the interest of the country at heart and are working hard to salvage the situation. He stopped short of mentioning himself as one of such politicians, who should be encouraged to do more rather than be castigated along with other bad eggs.

Aside the lecture, the event also featured El-Nathan John, one of the shortlisted writers for the 2013 Caine Prize competition, who is a member of the chapter. Though he wasn?t able to attend the occasion, the chairman of the chapter drew attention of the audience to the fact and paid him glowing tributes.

The last part of the event included presentation of prizes to students and schools that participated in the literary competition of the Yusuf Ali Reading Campaign programme. The first prize went to Braintrust College, Kaduna, while Command Secondary School, Kaduna, took the second prize. Queen Amina College, Kaduna, got the third prize and Government Girls Secondary School, Kaduna, received the fourth prize.

Merit awards were also given to the Kaduna State Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Malam Sumaila Umaisha for their ?many contributions to the development of the Kaduna State chapter of ANA?.

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