Literature
Henry Akubuiro was born and raised in Imo State. Educated at Imo State University, Owerri, he holds a double major in English and Literary Studies. He is journalist as well as a creative writer. Before his present position as the arts editor of National LIFE tabloid, Lagos, he had worked as the literary editor of Sunday Sun and a freelance reporter with the defunct Hallmark newspaper. The 2005 winner of the Literary Journalist of the Year Award and 2009 winner of ANA/Lantern Prize for Children Fiction for his The Little Wizard of Okokomaiko (unpublished), spoke to SUMAILA UMAISHA on his experience on the beat and other issues.
Henry Akubuiro: Though many people know me as a journalist, my creative writing predates my journalism. My first attempt at creative writing was in my junior secondary, when, after reading Onuora Nzekwu?s classic, Eze Goes to School, I scribbled my own version, MacJoe?s School Days. But it wasn?t something serious. It was later when I entered the university in mid 1990s that I developed my writing skills. In my second year already I had written two full-length novel manuscripts. And by the time I graduated, I had over seven manuscripts in different genres (prose, drama and poetry). It wasn?t surprising that I won all the prizes for creative writing on campus. I also write short stories. If I compile what I have now, I should have enough to make a modest book of short stories.
Why haven?t you published the works yet?
My mentor in the university, Associate Prof. Isidore Diala, still finds it hard to believe that I haven?t published any work yet, despite vetting some for me almost a decade now. I don?t want to rush my work. I believe a thing worth doing is worth doing well. It is better to publish one and let it ring across the world than to have an oeuvre of creative hogwash in print that brings dishonour more than honour. In addition, I am not comfortable with self-publishing and their financial demands. Another reason I am still unpublished is the reality of Nigerian journalism profession where you have little or no time for yourself, especially if you are into literary journalism. However, I don?t think that is a cogent excuse. Recently, I finished reworking a prose manuscript, which, by God?s grace, will be published next year. Once that is out, others will follow. My problem isn?t writing; it is basically putting my act together to go to press.
Your manuscript, Little Wizard of Okokomaiko, has just won the ANA/Lantern Books Prize for Children Literature. Two years ago, you were nominated for the same category. Why do you find the juvenilia interesting?
As I told you, I started out as a juvenilia writer as a schoolboy before venturing into extended prose narrative, drama and poetry. Recently, I have come to rediscover myself in that genre (You know the genre has few people doing it, and we have to intervene). Again, because I barely have time for myself; so, the little time I have for creative writing, I use it for abridged narratives, which is why I have written about three children novellas within the last to years. Frankly, I would relish a writing residence abroad, which would give me ample time to (re)work on my extended narratives. If I can rework what I have written already, I may not bother to write a anything again, because I will have up to ten works at the end of the day.
You won ANA?s Literary Journalist of the Year award in 2005. What does it take to win the award? And how do you feel winning the award?
Winning the Literary Journalist of the Year means hard work, among others. I was new on the beat then when I won it, and, to tell you the truth, I saw the prize coming. For one, no sooner had I taken over the literary column in Sunday Sun than sales doubled, making the Sunday Sun the highest selling title on The Sun stable and Nigeria. My editor was to admit that I was partly responsible for the sudden increase in readership, because virtually everybody in the Nigerian literati was buying it. Again, I was always raising controversial issues, which kept many addicted to my weekly offerings. Winning the literary journalist of the year is a big honour, because it is the only such prize in Nigeria. I advise the Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA) to do something similar for literary journalists in Nigeria, too, instead of lumping all together as "entertainment journalists", whereas there is a wide difference between those who report showbiz and arts itself.
As a literary journalist, what is your assessment of the Nigerian literary scene?
Unlike the view hawked in certain quarters on this issue, I don?t share in the view that Nigerian literature is going down hill. To me, new writers now are writing better works than their predecessors. Why people are still valorizing the canon is because we are used to them. But, to be frank, we have wonderful set of (especially) novelists and poets in Nigeria now. The only setback is that people are not reading most of them due to promotional and marketing impediments. Once the publishers begin to do what they are supposed to do, the writers will be widely read and appreciated more.
The major aim of literary journalism is to promote literature through the media. To what extent has the Nigerian media achieved this objective in spite of the low reading culture?
To a large extent, the literary journalists in Nigeria are trying their best. It is not easy to be a literary journalist in Nigeria, because, unlike other beats, literary journalism is under-appreciated; yet we have kept the flag flying. The area I think literary journalists are not doing well is in the area of book reviews. Very few of us review new books weekly (though it takes some doing). In terms of publicizing literary activities in Nigeria, literary journalists do it better than their colleagues from other beats, despite the modicum of goodwill we enjoy. Writing features and doing thought-provoking interviews are not fairing badly, too. But I must emphasise that virtue is its own reward. The fact that people see you as a hero for writing on literature in the paper and like to snap pictures with you is a big honour. When people who have read me in the paper see me and get thrilled, I feel on top of the world. Good name is important.
Why has self-publishing become so rampant in Nigeria and how can this problem be solved?
If you ask leading literary journalists in Nigeria why they don?t publish creative works, they will tell you they don?t sell. The reason why books may not be selling here is because publishers have failed to do their homework properly. If you look at Nollywood, for instance, once a new video comes out, posters and adverts are everywhere, which raises people?s curiosity to buy. But, in the book industry, the release of a new book is almost muted. Self-publishing is thriving, because the big publishers have chickened out of the business for publishing more profitable text books (forgetting that creative works are everlasting investments), and you can?t compel an ambitious writer to be vegetating in his backyard when he wants to be read by the world. Major publishers should begin to give creative writing a worthy chance once again, like Heinemann, Macmillan, Longman and others used to do before. But I caution that, if you are patronising vanity press, make sure the work has to undergo the rigours of editing before publishing. Our writers should not be flaunting poverty as an excuse for producing shoddy jobs. It is unacceptable.
Nigerian writers seem to delight more in writing about corruption than other issues. Why?
Since literature is a reflection of society, our literature can?t escape that corruption motif. In Ghana, corruption is fading away; so, you would find it hard to read corruption in new Ghanaian literature. Besides, many of our writers are lazy; thus, they overflow the theme of corruption. This isn?t healthy for our literature, except there is a fresh perspective to it. The mistake many writers make is to dwell more on theme rather than craft. Nowadays in European and American literature, a writer can dwell on an ordinary thing like rat or taboo, yet make a bestseller out of it. It is not just the story, but how it is told that matters now.
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Literature
Literary journalists in Nigeria are trying (interview)
Henry Akubuiro was born and raised in Imo State. Educated at Imo State University, Owerri, he holds a double major in English and Literary Studies. He is journalist as well as a creative writer. Before his present position as the arts editor of National LIFE tabloid, Lagos, he had worked as the literary editor of Sunday Sun and a freelance reporter with the defunct Hallmark newspaper. The 2005 winner of the Literary Journalist of the Year Award and 2009 winner of ANA/Lantern Prize for Children Fiction for his The Little Wizard of Okokomaiko (unpublished), spoke to SUMAILA UMAISHA on his experience on the beat and other issues. NNW: Your writing experience; how did it all start?
Henry Akubuiro: Though many people know me as a journalist, my creative writing predates my journalism. My first attempt at creative writing was in my junior secondary, when, after reading Onuora Nzekwu?s classic, Eze Goes to School, I scribbled my own version, MacJoe?s School Days. But it wasn?t something serious. It was later when I entered the university in mid 1990s that I developed my writing skills. In my second year already I had written two full-length novel manuscripts. And by the time I graduated, I had over seven manuscripts in different genres (prose, drama and poetry). It wasn?t surprising that I won all the prizes for creative writing on campus. I also write short stories. If I compile what I have now, I should have enough to make a modest book of short stories.
Why haven?t you published the works yet?
My mentor in the university, Associate Prof. Isidore Diala, still finds it hard to believe that I haven?t published any work yet, despite vetting some for me almost a decade now. I don?t want to rush my work. I believe a thing worth doing is worth doing well. It is better to publish one and let it ring across the world than to have an oeuvre of creative hogwash in print that brings dishonour more than honour. In addition, I am not comfortable with self-publishing and their financial demands. Another reason I am still unpublished is the reality of Nigerian journalism profession where you have little or no time for yourself, especially if you are into literary journalism. However, I don?t think that is a cogent excuse. Recently, I finished reworking a prose manuscript, which, by God?s grace, will be published next year. Once that is out, others will follow. My problem isn?t writing; it is basically putting my act together to go to press.
Your manuscript, Little Wizard of Okokomaiko, has just won the ANA/Lantern Books Prize for Children Literature. Two years ago, you were nominated for the same category. Why do you find the juvenilia interesting?
As I told you, I started out as a juvenilia writer as a schoolboy before venturing into extended prose narrative, drama and poetry. Recently, I have come to rediscover myself in that genre (You know the genre has few people doing it, and we have to intervene). Again, because I barely have time for myself; so, the little time I have for creative writing, I use it for abridged narratives, which is why I have written about three children novellas within the last to years. Frankly, I would relish a writing residence abroad, which would give me ample time to (re)work on my extended narratives. If I can rework what I have written already, I may not bother to write a anything again, because I will have up to ten works at the end of the day.
You won ANA?s Literary Journalist of the Year award in 2005. What does it take to win the award? And how do you feel winning the award?
Winning the Literary Journalist of the Year means hard work, among others. I was new on the beat then when I won it, and, to tell you the truth, I saw the prize coming. For one, no sooner had I taken over the literary column in Sunday Sun than sales doubled, making the Sunday Sun the highest selling title on The Sun stable and Nigeria. My editor was to admit that I was partly responsible for the sudden increase in readership, because virtually everybody in the Nigerian literati was buying it. Again, I was always raising controversial issues, which kept many addicted to my weekly offerings. Winning the literary journalist of the year is a big honour, because it is the only such prize in Nigeria. I advise the Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA) to do something similar for literary journalists in Nigeria, too, instead of lumping all together as "entertainment journalists", whereas there is a wide difference between those who report showbiz and arts itself.
As a literary journalist, what is your assessment of the Nigerian literary scene?
Unlike the view hawked in certain quarters on this issue, I don?t share in the view that Nigerian literature is going down hill. To me, new writers now are writing better works than their predecessors. Why people are still valorizing the canon is because we are used to them. But, to be frank, we have wonderful set of (especially) novelists and poets in Nigeria now. The only setback is that people are not reading most of them due to promotional and marketing impediments. Once the publishers begin to do what they are supposed to do, the writers will be widely read and appreciated more.
The major aim of literary journalism is to promote literature through the media. To what extent has the Nigerian media achieved this objective in spite of the low reading culture?
To a large extent, the literary journalists in Nigeria are trying their best. It is not easy to be a literary journalist in Nigeria, because, unlike other beats, literary journalism is under-appreciated; yet we have kept the flag flying. The area I think literary journalists are not doing well is in the area of book reviews. Very few of us review new books weekly (though it takes some doing). In terms of publicizing literary activities in Nigeria, literary journalists do it better than their colleagues from other beats, despite the modicum of goodwill we enjoy. Writing features and doing thought-provoking interviews are not fairing badly, too. But I must emphasise that virtue is its own reward. The fact that people see you as a hero for writing on literature in the paper and like to snap pictures with you is a big honour. When people who have read me in the paper see me and get thrilled, I feel on top of the world. Good name is important.
Why has self-publishing become so rampant in Nigeria and how can this problem be solved?
If you ask leading literary journalists in Nigeria why they don?t publish creative works, they will tell you they don?t sell. The reason why books may not be selling here is because publishers have failed to do their homework properly. If you look at Nollywood, for instance, once a new video comes out, posters and adverts are everywhere, which raises people?s curiosity to buy. But, in the book industry, the release of a new book is almost muted. Self-publishing is thriving, because the big publishers have chickened out of the business for publishing more profitable text books (forgetting that creative works are everlasting investments), and you can?t compel an ambitious writer to be vegetating in his backyard when he wants to be read by the world. Major publishers should begin to give creative writing a worthy chance once again, like Heinemann, Macmillan, Longman and others used to do before. But I caution that, if you are patronising vanity press, make sure the work has to undergo the rigours of editing before publishing. Our writers should not be flaunting poverty as an excuse for producing shoddy jobs. It is unacceptable.
Nigerian writers seem to delight more in writing about corruption than other issues. Why?
Since literature is a reflection of society, our literature can?t escape that corruption motif. In Ghana, corruption is fading away; so, you would find it hard to read corruption in new Ghanaian literature. Besides, many of our writers are lazy; thus, they overflow the theme of corruption. This isn?t healthy for our literature, except there is a fresh perspective to it. The mistake many writers make is to dwell more on theme rather than craft. Nowadays in European and American literature, a writer can dwell on an ordinary thing like rat or taboo, yet make a bestseller out of it. It is not just the story, but how it is told that matters now.
(c) Published in the New Nigerian edition of 28th November, 2009.
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You recently published a short story collection, Hoodlums, centred on the violence rocking the country. What inspired the theme of the collection? Sumaila Umaisha: The collection was inspired by, as you put it, the violence rocking the country. I probably...
- Literature Is More Than Just Entertainment
SAKA ALIYU, an Assistant Lecturer with Bayero University Kano, BUK, holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Usmanu Dan Fodiyo University, Sokoto, (1998) and a Master of Arts in History from the University of Ilorin (2006). After working variously as...
- Umaisha Tops Nigeria Again (interview)
This interview was conducted by Odoh Diego Okenyodo, literary page editor of Trust newspaper and appeared in the weekend edition of the paper, 10/11/07. Bookshelf: How did you feel when your name was announced as the winner of the Literary Journalist...
- Umaisha Wins Literary Journalist Of The Year Award (report)
Literary Page Editor of New Nigerian Weekly, Malam Sumaila Umaisha, has won the 2007 ANA/Anyiam-Osigwe Literary Journalist of the Year Award. This was announced at the 26th International Convention of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), which...
- Labo Yari: 'writers Cannot Change Nigeria' (interview)
LABO YARI, author of Climate of Corruption, the first novel in English language to be published in Northern Nigeria, is one of the renowned pioneer Nigerian writers. He is particularly famous for his highly imaginative narrative style that portrays the...