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

Nollywood in peril

Niyi Ige appears to liken what Dora Akunyilu does to the Nigerian image to what is happening in the Nollywood art (art?) scene. Deodorize, deodorize the the putrefying body. Oh, oh, I might have gone too far here. Please, read Niyi's words and judge for yourself. And remember to forgive me if I really went too far in my characterization. Here you go:

"In order not to mislead anyone, I must begin with a confession, I have no fondness for Nollywood or perhaps more accurately I do not understand the phenomenon.

The thin scripts, wildly implausible plots, non-existent production values and the determinedly stilted dialogue leave me somewhat mystified as to its potent appeal to vast swathes of the Nigerian public and further afield.

I am consistently confounded when I catch acquaintances whose cultural and aesthetic bonafides I was prepared to vouch for watching Africa Magic on the sly while a stack of ‘home videos’ lurk surreptitiously in the corner."
ENJOY

Africa's elite and the Western media

I thought you might want to read this little piece of mine just published by the Pambazuka guys.

This is how they summed my attempts to capture the current mood of the African mind.
"Responding to intellectuals' efforts to repair the downtrodden image of African people, Chielo Zona Eze urges us to recognise that we have 'moved beyond the world shaped by the 19th century ideas of the African'. Stressing that he sees little probability of Nigeria's difficulties coming to an end anytime soon, the author asks us to consider a 'change of heart that begins with a radical rejection of the thought that the West is only interested in grubbing in the African compost'."

It would be interesting to see what you think of the essay. ENJOY.

Rotimi Fasan serves us with another delectable dish - my other favorite reviewer, Ikhide Ikheloa, would say, scrumptious. Yes, that's his word.
Okay, I was saying that Fasan's review of Lindsay Barrett's collection of poems makes me wanna go get my own copy of the collection. Beautiful. Here are part of his review:

"Much of what Barrett has to say in his poetry comes by way of metaphors, many times veiled and oblique. The corollary of this is that the symbolisms of the poems in A Memory of Rivers tend to blunt the sharp edge of their aggrieved, if somewhat, mild advocacy. The anger of the poet is controlled, does not boil over and has the assuring ring of wisdom. This is a major achievement of Barrett's- the ability to weave words into images, make them say the unsayable and to disagree without being disagreeable. It is what makes A Memory of Rivers a worthy effort in spite of the apparent monotony of the images projected and the language employed."

I can imagine using Fasan's reviews as lesson materials for students of craft.
ENJOY

King hung by her own subject

"Nigeria has flaws, but Lord help you if you criticize that country"
Maureen Isaacson recently interviewed Karin King-Aribisala. King-Aribisala has interesting things to say about Nigeria. Is this an eye-opener, or do her words confirm what all of us already know but feel weak to confront.
ENJOY!

My hero: Muhtar Bakare

You know that a country's literature is growing when some names begin to sound nearly as important as works produced. These names become cultural figures without whom the discourse wouldn't be complete. But this is indeed what the whole thing is all about: creating a discourse, a national discourse, culture. Muhtar Bakare, in the eyes of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has become an indispensable mosaic in the African cultural discourse. Here is her homage. ENJOY!

A poet's love game - Rotimi Fasan

Rotimi Fasan believes that Ahmed Maiwada has got a deep talent for poetry. Perhaps Maiwada's generation might not yet understand him owing in large part, to his experimentations.
Here's Rotimi Fasan's judgment:
"Being misunderstood (especially in the notoriously subjective field of poetry) is a burden this poet must for now bear as a traveller on the not-so-well-beaten path of avant-gardist poetry. With time and better familiarity, his poetic experimentations will meet with more appreciative readers."
I love Fasan's delicate touch. This is what good reviewers do. Mature readers see the truth in between the lines. ENJOY!

Lindsay Barrett's statement on literature prize

Perhaps you already know much about the farce called NLNG literature prize, what is supposed to be Nigerian national literature prize. Hahaha! A prize from which Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Sefi Atta, Chris Abani, Helon Habila and others are already excluded by mere chance of their having left Nigeria in search of a better place for the flourishing of their talents. Oh, well, the judges of the works submitted came to the concludion that the shortlisted works weren't good enough for any prize.
Oh, well, I'm sorry I'm commenting here even though it's not my intention to do so. I wanted to draw your attention to a beautiful essay by Lindsay Barrett: ENJOY!

Oil, Politics and Violence

I guess it was George Santayana who said that those ignorant of history are bound to repeat its mistakes. Those of us born between the Nigerian independence and the first military coup, those of us who went through the horrors of the Nigerian civil war, are still trying to figure out why we, Nigerians, are the way we are. What has happened to Nigeria? Why hasn't it realized its enormous potential? Will it ever realize that?
Max Siollun has an explanation. His book,Oil, Politics and Violence, seems to add yet another mosaic in the complex tapestry of Nigerian history.
I am sincerely interested in this book. I, for one, belong to the above described generation, the generation traumatized by war and the attendant diseases.
Max Siollun is kind enough to pull together some of the reviews of his book HERE! Enjoy.

Nollywood and the Stifling of the Nigerian Mind

I can't remember whether I posted a link to this beautiful essay I read weeks ago.
Please pardon if I have, but given the recent debate going on among many Nigerians about Nollywood and the(mis)representation of Nigeria, I thought you might like to read it.
ENJOY!

Nollywood Exposed

In the past few months some hard thinkers in Nigeria have contended that Nollywood has achieved in a few years what the colonial masters couldn't achieve in decades of their enterprise in Africa: reduce the African brain to a miserable heap of sponge, the African mind to nothing but a whimsical lot!
There are hot debates going on in several Nigerian internet listserves about the recent book documentation published by Chris Abani and co.
Take a look and stay tuned, friends. ENJOY if you can.

Two books on my coffee table

This review makes me wanna go grab these books. The review is succinct, sharp; it is a teaser. Ikhide is good.
ENJOY!

E.C. Osondu’s “Waiting”

I enjoyed Nnorom Azuonye's review of "Waiting," the prize-winning short story by EC Osondu. Azuonye's judgment: "For a piece of prose the economy of words in Waiting is almost like what one would expect of poetry. In this story, Osondu displays a matured storytelling skill, a keen sense of setting and an astute ear for dialogue. Beautiful."
Oh yes, I love beautiful things.
ENJOY.