"Distinctive" short stories to Chatto

Good things are happening to African literature. Here's one:
"Chatto & Windus has acquired a collection of short stories by Nigerian author A Igoni Barrett."
ENJOY

OJUKWU (II): THE FINAL BIAFRAN TRUTH

On 29 July 1966, it was the persuasive British High Commissioner in Lagos who prevented Northern Nigeria from seceding. Sir Francis Cumming-Bruce along with the American Ambassador in Lagos, Elbert Matthews, laid bare before Lt-Col Yakubu Gowon and Temporary Major Murtala Muhammed the advantages of retaining control over the entirety of Nigeria and in the long run serving the interests of the north rather to leaving the federation in anger. These sentiments were there for all to see, read and hear from Lt-Col Yakubu Gowon's first speech on 3 August 1966. - Ogunbiyi

Some interesting take on the Nigerian civil war by Tokunbo Ogunbiyi.

This is in two parts:

Part ONE: OJUKWU (I): AUTHENTIC NIGERIAN HERO
Part TWO: OJUKWU (II): THE FINAL BIAFRAN TRUTH

What Lord Lugard Thought About Nigerians -Tunde Fagbenle

This one got me thinking:

"Last week my friend, Babs Sobanjo, forwarded me the following piece said to be an extract from a Confidential Document by the British colonialist, Lord Frederick Lugard, who established the geographical contraption he, with the help of his lover, gave the name Nigeria.

The piece, snotty in the extreme, typifies the British in their calculating, self-serving, devilry. It represents Lugard’s appraisal of the African as represented by Nigeria and Nigerians."
What is Tunde thinking? What are you?
ENJOY

The Trial of Robert Mugabe -A review by Kenneth Kudakwashe Nyoka

Here is a powerful review of my book, The Trial of Robert Mugabe, by a Zimbabwean civil rights activist.Kenneth Kudakwashe Nyoka. He is a former magistrate and prosecutor in Zimbabwe.
He is on: kknyoka@yahoo.co.uk

Enjoy

The lost promise of outrage

One day, when the story of the renaissance of African literature is written, it will probably begin like this: There is Caine Prize, there is Adichie, there's Chris Abani, Helon Habila, Petina Gappah, Sefi Atta - have I missed your favorite, ah, Chikwava, Uwem Akpan and many more.
That day the story of our literature will be written, the first page, or at least the second, will surely contain words like these: Ikhide Ikheloa was a midwife, an excellent midwife, who sometimes pinched the pregnant woman to push harder, pricked the child to cry. Cry, baby, cry. Here, he has perfected the fine art of prodding, urging and shepherding of artists to realize their promises (no pun intended). A beautiful review of Ogochukwu Promise's Outrage.
Here's one of the many beautiful paragraphs:
"Art imitates life’s reality. The frustration with all of this is that there is a beautiful story in Outrage. In the indisciplined hands of vanity printing, the result is a tedious disaster. It is a rich but inchoate tale told by a talented storyteller whose voice has been garroted by communal mediocrity largely beyond her control."
ENJOY!

Season of Migration

On the advice of several friends, I am in the process of merging this blog, Nigerian Literature Review, with my other, more expansive one, African Literature News & Review. This, I think, allows me to cover more issues beyond those of my beloved Nigeria. I think, I've become a pan-African, willy-nilly.
So, friends, I am migrating! Hope you don't abandon me. Vergiss mich nicht!
Yours brother in-blog,
Chielo Zona

A Swamp Full Of Hyenas [Book Review]

Ikhide Ikheloa is one of the good, really good reviewers out there. He discusses one of the books I thought every Nigerian/African should read, Swamp Full of Dollars, by Michael Peel. An excellent review. Swamp Full of Dollars is what I may call the Nigerian Cry, the Beloved Country. ENJOY