FAKED TO DEATH. By Dean James

A superb book, but I'd say that anyway, once an imaginative work focuses a lot on the world of writers, books, criticism, literary agents, etc. Yes I love the literary world and the advanced societies where one gets to see the qualitative variety and protagonists; never mind that the book is part of a Mystery series and contains some unsavoury characters.

Like the (lady) literary agent in this book. In my ignorance and naivety (I'm African through and through) I used to think that such agents would be staid, boring, scrupulous, and do everything by the book as it were. I thus winced to be confronted with such a character, elegant but ruthless - utterly without scruples. But on the whole, I enjoyed this book, the introduction to the major writers here, their work, reputation, special fields etc - male and female. I love the way our hero (sleuth) Simon Kirby-jones here applauds the work of the major figures, flattering their egos in the process beside them.

He can be a ruthless critic also, though - although in his own way he tries to be fair to them all, even to a lady "writer" Norah, whose "trashy" work seems endearing in its own way (a lady who sadly is the 2nd victim of the killer in this book). Literary criticism, hey ... here is what our hero thinks about Norah's work after deigning to read it "Norah's ... manuscript was without doubt the single worst piece of utter nothingness I had ever read in my life... if (she) had ever had an original thought in her life, it had died long ago for lack of companionship..." Pity. - Seyi Bakare

THE RIVETING DELICACIES OF AFRICAN LITERATURE!

By Mathibeli George Rampai

Growing up in the dusty streets of Manyetseng, Ladybrand in the then Orange Free State Province (South Africa) wasn't easy. As expected, we grew up without electricity and other basic necessities, and initially without the library and other recreational facilities, just a few open fields where we would hone our football skills late in the afternoon. (That's all we could do as there were no other facilities) As Africans, storytelling has always been part of our culture, during the night; we would sit outside around the cackling woodfire and listen to our maternal grandmother narrating folktales to us. This became a norm to us as there was nothing else to do, as households with Television sets were so few in those days. When I grew older, my mother managed to buy a small radio that worked on batteries. We would sit around the table in a dim candle lit room and listen to the stories on the radio. Or my older brother would sometimes read the stories to us from the magazines like PACE, BONA, and HUISGENOOT (an Afrikaans magazine) that my mother brought along from her white employers in town. Later, when the library was built, we would flock to it out of excitement and curiosity. I would borrow all kind of books, but the ones that got my attention were those of African writers. I remember reading the Sesotho version of The Merchant of Venice, called Mohwebi wa Vernice, the translated version of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. I was very much impressed by the way Mr. K. E Ntsane translated it. I even asked my teacher to narrate the book in front of the whole class. That's how I developed the love for African literature. While exploring, I came across the books of South African writers like J. J Moiloa, K. P. D Maphalla, K. E Ntsane, Ntate Ngcangca, Thabonyane Mafata, Suzan Sefatsa, Fanie Mokoena and many others. And I also happen to come across the extract of the legendary Nigerian writer, Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. The book is beautifully woven around Okwonko, who deeply believed in the culture and traditional way of doing things. My interest grew and I wanted to know more about other African writers, that's how I came across The African Writers' Series and Pacesetters!

Among them, I can point out writers like Peter Katuliiba, Victor Thorpe, Kalu Okpi, Buchi Emecheta, Mongo Beti, and Rosina Umelo, just to mention a few. Then I came across Omoseyi Bolaji, the Nigerian-born wordsmith, a poet, essayist, playwright, and a novelist. I even had the opportunity of meeting him live, what a nice and very knowledgeable humble man. Among his many books, The people of The Township and Impossible Love left a very indelible mark on me. Later I came across his Tebogo Mokoena Series. The books are about a suave private investigator named Tebogo Mokoena, the first installment, Tebogo Investigates, left many of us gaping and asking for more, hence he came up with many more like Tebogo Fails, Tebogo and The Haka, Tebogo and The Bacchae, Tebogo and the Epithalamion,Tebogo and the Pathologist, and Tebogo and Uriah Heep, and his latest book, Books Bards And Barbs. Wow! A masterpiece, a good work of art!

African Literature is by far growing in leaps and bounds!

* George Rampai is the award winning author of, From Where I Stand

LITERARY PIONEER FLORA NWAPA

This is Lagos and other stories By Flora Nwapa

First published in Nigeria by Tana Press, 1977 First Africa World Press edition 1992 Review by I.M Soqaga

Flora Nwapa is a legend, the first Nigerian female to publish novels - works of quality internationally recognised and lauded. She also wrote sparkling short stories as witness this work. Absolutely, this is a fine and fascinating short story book by female Nigerian African pioneer in literature Ma Flora Nwapa. This is Lagos and other stories comprises many exciting short stories that display a very amusing, didactic, and dire family situations. All the stories in this book are noteworthy, from the first story to the last, this is the literary voyage that Flora Nwapa wants the world to relish with great joy. The Traveller From the outset, it was clear that Mr Musa was up to something. Of course, the chivalry and integrity he evinces especially towards women make him a complete gentleman. However, his approach to women of substance like Bisi is very disappointing, obfuscating and amusing. Like any other man attracted to a women, Musa did all what he could to see that Bisi became close to him and without being impudent she did respond positively to him.Yet Mr Musa delayed being quick to the point. Later he attempted his luck for love twice, unfortunately Bisi remained doggedly and Mr Musa did not appreciate her unkindness. This is Lagos Like elsewhere in the big cities of Africa, Africans will show a different type of behaviour and lifestyle that is totally opposite to pristine village one. Though Africa is free, many people constantly admire big cities and regard them as white man utopia, a place where individual clan remains an irrelevant pride to boast about. This is what we read about from the story; a young pretty charming Soha became part of the family of Mama Eze who is her niece. By the time she arrived at Mama Eze's house in Lagos, Soha was an exciting nifty lass. Her presence in Mama Eze's house brought a sense of relief, comfort and joy. She was a girl of twenty who got a teaching job in Lagos, alas things started to change and she easily forgot invaluable early injunctions from her mother on the eve of her departure to Lagos when she said to her “They say Lagos men do not just chase women, they snatch them. So my daughter be careful." Astonishingly, by the time Soha started to know Lagos men, what she could only recall from her mother was she should never show a man that she was anxious about him. Nothing can extinguish a newlyblazing love even if there are warnings; this is what Soha did, changing suddenly from being a polite, obedient, caring young girl. Beforehand, Mama Eze suspected her when she started behaving unusually. Subsequently, she told her aunt that she wanted to move out and live in the hostel citing that she wants to start reading again. Bisi who was a neighbour of Mama Eze when she heard about what Soha said to her aunt, she commented “Do you know the kind of girls who live in that hostel at Ajagba Street? Rotten girls who will never marry. No man will bring them into his home and call them wives.” Jide’s Story You can ask again when it comes to marriage what is really expected from men and women. Immediately after they get married, they are mutually bound by the rules of marriage. But here we find that Jide constantly bothered himself with questions as to whether his wife is faithful to their marriage. Such kind of question was simply influenced by his act of unfaithfulness to his wife when he met Maria in the boat. Since he met with Maria, he kept on thinking about his wife who was working overseas. Essentially in following the story you will notice that Jide's wife is never being mentioned as cheating, safe Jide alone. Jide is unambiguously portrayed as a man who does not want to take responsibility in his marriage; this was evident when he met with Maria. His character too did show that he was not a man of his words when it comes to woman he preferred to love. From his remembrance when he was charmed by Maria he would state “All the qualities she possessed, including her make-up were what I told my wife I abhorred in women. And here was I. Jide would enjoy life by drinking and sleeping with women while his wife is absent. Probably distance-marriage contributed to his hysterical demeanour. The Road to Benin It ultimately is glaringly doleful when poor parents working hard for their children to have a brighter and better future in their lives and on the verge of success something revolting would unfortunately wreak havoc to their dreams which they have for their children. Emphatically it is what we read from the story, Nwanyimma's son early efforts and later awesome achievements were graceless. It was obviously abstrusely disappointing to see Ezeka ending up being a prodigal son. Of course the reader will firstly be spurred when they read at how Nwanyimma's son did incredibly well in school, secondly, the bracing news about his scholarship, thirdly the excitement and joy by his parents and the neighbours over Ezeka's achievement. Fourthly, the reader will be flummoxed by Ezeka's strange attitude which started to develop later; he began to drink alcohol, asking his mother to buy beer for his friends and he became a drug addict. Suddenly he disappeared and his trails were finally traceable and found in Benin prison. So many stories in the book are shocking and they explain how real life unravels sometimes, by reading another story about marriage “The Child Thief” a reader will feel very sympathetic for Agnes who when she was at school was having different boyfriends, it happened by the time she got married that she was unable to have children. Her marriage life was not stable, her husband decided to have children with another woman and Agnes finds herself without any other alternative but to accept her husband's behaviour. For many times she avoided her mother’s advice that she must consider consulting the native doctor, finally she conceded, and she consulted the native doctor. Again, the native doctor never reinvigorated her married life as she was unable to have children until she stole the baby in the hospital! The writer would again reveal traditional customs of African people in the story “The Delinquent Adult.” Eventually after Ozoemena's husband died untimely, predicament of life started to affect Ozoemena egregiously. For her to survive she pondered to go back to school again because she was still young. To her mother the idea of returning to school was not immaculate. Ozoemena although she did not regret to be married when she was a schoolgirl, she could still remember advice from her teacher and her schoolmates about the disadvantages of being married when she was young. Nevertheless, she remained plucky about her decision to accept to be married when she was still young because her husband was perfectly good to her. Consequentially she was brilliant at school. Ozoemena's mother in realizing how difficult life would be for her daughter, she eventually intervened. Specifically, her intervention was unscrupulous. But to her it was about to rescue her daughter from ludicrous tradition. Beforehand she experienced the same treatment from her late husband family because the tradition dictated that the family of the husband will propose nauseating demands to her daughter, eg to marry the late brother of her late husband or surrender her husband's property and bag of money. That’s why Ozoemena mother resolved to be a solace to her daughter against this putrid tradition that denied women to control their husband's property after their death. She too knows how abysmal it is after her husband's death, that the husband family will propose that you must allow to be married by your husband brother, surrender her husband's bag of money etc.

As we read the book by Flora Nwapa we can see that the book touches on real aspects of life which are not immune from human existence, the story ranges from lust, love, plight of marriage life, African beliefs, poverty, disobedient children, alcohol and drugs abuse by children and so many issues that are relevant to real life situation. But how is Lagos? Is it really dangerous or lively? Specifically the reader will find out about the real Lagos when reading this enchanting book by Ma Flora Nwapa. Succinctly in the story when Ezeka and Tunde were busy dancing in the story “The Loss of Eze” the writer reveals something interesting by mentioning the original Lagos name “Eko” of the Yorubas' : ‘Where is home?’ ‘Can you guess!’ ‘Ibadan?’ ‘No. Guess again.’ ‘Abeokuta? Ijebu?’ ‘No, I am not from Ijebu. I am from Ado-Ekiti,’ he said. ‘Yes, up-country. Eko people make fun of us. They say we are bush people, uncivilised."...

CHINUA ACHEBE. By Ezenwa-Ohaeto

It is heart breaking that the author (biographer) brilliant poet, academic, et al died prematurely; but at least he left behind some brilliant works, none more important than this masterpiece of a biography on Chinua Achebe.

Yes, Achebe, regarded by most as the greatest ever novelist to come from Africa. His novel, Things Fall Apart enthralled the world and sold in millions. Achebe, during his lifetime was celebrated and honoured globally. Many would love to read about his life and the author surpasses himself in this book, a real labour of love, intensely satisfying in every respect. We read about Achebe since when he is a child, growing, developing, writing his profound works gradually over the years; the internecine Nigerian civil war is not neglected, and the role Achebe played at this torrid time, and much more. We really get to know Achebe, through his childhood friends, his colleagues at the College and University, western acquaintances and scholars, a great deal of them who wrote about him and his work et al. This book augments one's historical knowledge and perspectives too; detailing how Nigeria found itself in its perfervid status, the people, ethnic make- up and nuances, the advent of the military into the politics of the country, the civil war and a lot more.

Achebe the man is not left out; we learn about how he met his wife Christy, how the romance unfolded, including the (then) kids, the inconveniences and horrors during the civil war ...and the terrible accident Achebe had that confined him to a wheelchair. But through it all Achebe wrote, and the world sat up and noticed. Within less than 10 years he had already published four world class novels, and he was still quite young at the time. All this and much more is recorded here, including comprehensive and superb references ...

MOLARA OGUNDIPE LESLIE

Come to think of it, Africa has produced many remarkable female literary critics and academics over the decades - like Ama Ata Aidoo (Ghana), Assia Djebar (Algeria), Menan Du Plessis, Zoe Wicomb (both South Africans) ... Nigeria's Molara Ogundipe Leslie, like Aidoo, was one of the Black women literary pioneers from west Africa. Leslie contributed a lot to the growth and promotion of African literature, from inception. She appreciated the early established African wordsmiths - males - but was never afraid to criticise them. She had early respect (her writings reveal this) for the greats like Wole Soyinka and Ayi Kwei Armah, but if she felt they should be censored, she did so in her earnest manner. Hence if she found some aspects distasteful in their disparate writings, she would pount this out, be it suggestions of "chauvinism" or "narcissism". In her many critical essays her intellectualism and nous stood out, with the broad canvas and striations all grist to her mill. Omolara Leslie's style of writing/criticism was direct, lucid and passionate. And well researched. Her message and thrust was delivered quite simply and made a lot of sense. She knew what she was all about and essentially basked in the writings of assorted writers and books. Early on, Leslie began to write splendid reviews for journals and magazines, including Okike from the early 70s. It was clear that she could not stand women being undermined. Her books are also a testament to her. She was born in Lagos, and attended Queen's School, Ede, and went on to become the first woman to obtain a first-class BA Honours degree in English at University College, Ibadan, then a college of the University of London. She also studied at Leiden University which has extensive studies/material on African Writing. She became a globally recognised scholar and writer. As a scholar, critic, educator and activist, Ogundipe is of course recognized as one of the most prominent and innovative writers on African women and feminism. Her works creatively capture most the nuances and complexities of African life. She died in 2019. Published works Sew the Old Days and Other Poems, 1985 Re-Creating Ourselves: African Women and Critical Transformations, 1994 (ed.) Women as Oral Artists, 1994 (ed. with Carole Boyce Davies) Moving Beyond Boundaries, April 1995 (two volumes). Gender and subjectivity. Readings of "Song of Lawino". Dissertation Leiden University. Leiden, CNWS, 1999

AFRICA HARVESTS THE NOBEL AWARD FOR LITERATURE

It's  been a long wait. Since Wole Soyinka won the Nobel Award in Literature in 1986, it seemed the prestigious diadem would continue to elude Africa and its Black writers. But now it's back!

Now, Abdulrazak Gurnah of Tanzania has been announced as the winner of the gong for this year. He might not be as well known in his native continent like Achebe, Ngugi, Armah, Adichie etc, but his body of writings stand as a monument...

An academic and (mainly) a novelist who migrated to the UK many decades ago, Gurnah s works are regarded as top notch especially in Eurocentric circles, having published formidable novels like Paradise, and Afterlife

Raphael Mokoena, literary aficionado says: "One is naturally happy with this development - another Black wins the Nobel Award for Literature ... but to be honest, the whole picture and scenario looks pretty grim. Whether based in Africa, Europe or America, only 3 authentic blacks have won the Nobel Award for writing over the decades! Till date, so many wonder why Achebe never won it... and why hasn't Ngugi of Kenya been announced as a much deserved winner? But kudos to Gurnah."

The Nobel Committee in its terse manner lauded Gurnah: "for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fates of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents''

Major Books by Abdulrazak Gurnah

Memory of Departure (1987)

Pilgrims Way (1988)

Dottie (1990)

Paradise (1994)

Admiring Silence (1996)

By the Sea (2001)

Desertion (2005)

The Last Gift (2011)

Gravel Heart (2017)

Afterlives (2020)

HORROR FOR BELEAGUERED FEMALES

  Surviving John Vorster Square Film

Surviving John Vorster Square Film is a vivid description of how the apartheid security police treated women political detainees. Surviving John Vorster Square is a 120-minute documentary film about the life stories and ordeals of a group of female former political detainees who were held at the notorious John Vorster Square apartheid police office in Johannesburg in the 1970s and 1980s.

It was premiered at the constitutional Hill in Johannesburg this week(Monday). Mmagauta Molefe is a producer of the film which started as self financed and later supported by the National Film and Video Foundation. The narration and testimony account of the participants remains a viewer about an episode when Chekhov was a young aspiring writer. He went to the great Tolstoy for advice. Tolstoy showed him a horse and a cart that passed by his house every morning and asked Chekhov to write about it in such a way that when he read his piece he'd feel he's reading about the cart and horse that he showed him. Chekhov made many attempts which Tolstoy rejected until a final piece which Tolstoy accepted for, he said, it was about the horse and cart that passed by his house every day and no other. 

The eleven cast members in the film; Mmagauta Molefe, Nomakhaya Mafuna Sibongile Mkhabela, Unjinee Poonam, Daphne Koza, Deborah Matshobs, Joyce Dipale Maleshane Mokoena, Pearl Luthuli, Elizabeth Abrahams; are talking about the pain with vividness, specifity and clarity. Molefe broke down in the film as she re-tell her ordeal as how she got miscarriage after a severe torture in the hands of apartheid police.

Dipale shows how she suffered electric shocks on her naked breasts, buttocks and genitals to force information from her about her political activities in the resistance movement. Also, Dipale says she was a target of apartheid death squads in exile. The struggle veterans talk of how the black consciousness philosophy shaped their lifes and their thinking. 

Nakedi Ribane, actress and political activist commented the following after the film: "It is is good that everything thing is coming out raw as it is with apology. A was arrested and tortured at the University of Zululand for my involvement in the politics of black consciousness. The torture chamber and every thing must be depicted in the film." 

Molefe Pheto, veteran black consciousness activist and filmmaker who created the visual storytelling and curated soundtrack of the film hailed the bravery of the women. Pheto said the importance of the film is a black woman and produced it and it is raw, adding that this fact is most welcome.