Article source: http://www.nkenu.com/2016/07/dear-contemporary-african-writer-we.html

**Author - Chisom Nlebedum

The Caine Prize for African Writing has once more gone to a phenomenal African writer who many young readers in Africa are unaware of, and whose works many will probably never read unless examination authorities such as WAEC, NECO or JAMB (high school examination boards in Nigeria) decides to make it on one of their reading lists. That many young African readers know little or nothing about this new winner, and many other contemporary African writers must never be misconstrued as another “Africans do not read episode”, for this is already a ludicrous cliché. WE READ, and it should rather be a question of WHAT DO WE READ than whether we read at all.

For a generation whose eyes and body have become one with the ever moving characters of motion pictures, video games, cartoons, and short clips from Facebook and twitter which all run in minutes and are divided into episodes; a generation that has, in the words of Oprah Winfrey, developed an antenna for detecting B.S.; a generation breaking the boundaries between races, sexes, gender and nationality with the internet, what we read are many and diverse. They range from beautiful short stories written by friends on Facebook, to excerpts, abstracts, summaries, analysis, jokes, riddles and news got from everywhere and anywhere in the internet; reliable or not, logical or not. Any illogicality in these is met with criticisms, as sharp and swift as bullets. We also read popular e-books whose ratings we need to verify from Google reads or whose author we must know before we buy them from kindle or Okada books. We read!

I teach kids in Lekki, some of whom have devoured all the series of The Diary of The Wimpy Kid, Harry Porter, The Hunger Games, Percy Jackson’s series, Twilights, and the list goes on. Yet whenever I throw such names as Chimamanda Adichie, Seffi Attah, Chika Unigwe, Igoni Barret, Helon Habila, Tope Folarin, and the rest, as is expected, they all come back blank. Again, you dare not say they do not read, for I just told you, majority of their tablets and phones are filled with books bought from kindle.

I have also taught school kids in Aba, who also read, even though they are horribly limited by the priority of their parents on the spending of the family income, and the prescription by government and schools, of books hurriedly written and printed by hungry writers who are grossly uninformed and are yet to come to terms with the rules of the English grammar. Indeed, we read, Africa’s young readers read, but we obviously aren’t reading you, dear contemporary African writers. We just don’t read you. I really have to make it known from the start that I am not here to prescribe what to do or what not to do, as I am hardly good at that. My aim is merely to raise the question of who really are the people reading you, dear contemporary African writer.

At the beginning, we have to admit that your books are hardly available in print, in our book shops. We only see some of your books during literary festivals, book launch, literary workshops or reading events, where few of them are dusted out and sold at ridiculous prices. Many of the bookshops around us are half filled with motivational books, religious books and books on how to make it quick; followed by secondary school textbooks, and out of date science books. Your books are never there! I always do look like a fool walking through all the bookstores in C.M.S, Lagos asking for Night Dancer by Chika Unigwe, Nnedi Okoroafor’s Akata Witch or any book by any contemporary African writer. They are never there!

Dear contemporary African writers, your books are just not available!

Talk of e-books, and that’s where it gets even worse! You and your publishers are yet to understand the importance of e-book to the young readers in Africa. It seems to elude you both, that I bought and read the e-book version of Stieg Larsson’s trilogy, using my laptop; that I have a friend, who during our second year in the university, read about eight different novels of Sidney Sheldon on his phone; that the high school I teach at home, has completed J. K. Rowling’s’ Harry Porter series he bought from Kindle, on his tablet.

Let me repeat that I am not here to blame or ridicule anyone, or prescribe to you how best to go about publishing your works. No, I just felt the need to let you know that the disconnect existing between you, and the African audience is quite “admirable”.

Again, dear African writer, we the readers have evolved. You will not find us reading anything that reads like a Nollywood movie script; of tales of witches and wizards, of evil powers in high places; of the wicked step mother and the oppressed child. Leave those for our oral literature. We will always go back to the mass collection of tales and myths and proverbs of our culture to learn that the wicked will never go unpunished, that the fruit of evil is death. Our Africa has evolved, and is now an Africa where we seek equality between the man and the woman; an Africa where the minority and there rights should be protected; an Africa where electorates have discovered the pettiness of their politicians; an Africa that will stand and stands in judgment against those who take sides with the powerful against the powerless.


Again, I really must repeat that I am not here prescribing to anyone what they must or should write, I am merely saying to you, dear African writers that we are not reading you. And when you wine and dine and dish out prizes to yourselves, just know MAJORITY of us are not reading you, and we do not hold it against you either.

Source: http://www.nkenu.com/2016/07/dear-contemporary-african-writer-we.html

cc Lalasticlala Ishilove


UPDATE:

cc emonkey weaklya onegai bestestgirl bellville musicwriter surfboard

There's a new article in response to this one: http://www.nkenu.com/2016/07/in-response-to-dear-contemporary.html

I love the way this post was written. But in any case, all the points raised are valid, very valid. I really wish something very drastic, in the positive, could be done about it, in fact, as a matter of urgency.
I love African Writers, especially the contemporary ones like you said; but the problem is, they are now very few. And I sincerely advocate everything you pointed out, especially in the area of the availability of their works.

READING IS LIVING!!
Good morning Nairaland.

I have read so many books but non actually tells you how to be rich like Dangote, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet

I concur

Na Naija we dey jare

I am not a writer.. I am here to observe..

Make i book space, i dey cum

They always come up with funny stories... Sometimes I wonder if they even think at all.


Check my signature jare

Interesting read

Op you got my back . and yes, we won't read their nollywood movie script .

interesting

Very true

Non - availability of their works is the major bane of contemporary African writers.


E - books like the writer suggested here is the way to go now. Hardcover books rarely cut it anymore.

Space booked.. would wake up later to comment

well said @ op

Like the o.p said, stories about whichcraft and wiked mother inlaws is a No No

StephanieLuv:
I have read so many books but non actually tells you how to be rich like Dangote, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet.

Haven't you read "Rich Dad Poor Dad"?

Or you could read this https://www.nairaland.com/2947132/lagos-igbo-land-business-move if you have the patience because the book is still happening now.

Good article.

When I was in secondary school, I read a lot of African writers who were published by Heinemann's African writers series....which when it lasted made books by African writers available for the average reader. If something could be done like that again, am sure people would buy the books.

I also agree with the submission that many of these books by today's African writer are expensive. I bought Adiche's Americana for N2500....18 months ago...while I bought a christian book imported from America for N1500 recently.

You killed it Op..however, the publishers and ministries of education & information (& culture) share a huge chunk of the blame. Apart from the usual waec, neco compulsion, I don't see any overt or covert attempt to glorify African writers by the above mentioned.
I am eternally grateful to my mum for inculcating the reading culture into me at an early age inspite of our low socioeconomic status...from " Ladybug Series" to "African Prose and Literature", by my teens, I was devouring Alexander Dumas, Dostoyevsky, Orwell, Max, Nietzche, Dante, Machiavelli, Plutarch,Doyle, Twain, Bronte etc..not forgetting the Elechi Amadi, Soyinka, Achebe the Great, Chukwemeka Ike, etc.

I beg the FG to sponsor a project in collaboration with patriotic publishers aimed at digitization of all African literature and to be made available as apps online for our kids to access.
Also sponsor recitation and rendition of African books same way Govs dole out money to winners of quranic recitation competitions.

Nice piece

I weighed in on dis issue months ago here www.nairaland.com/2526671/nigerians-dont-buy-ebooks-because & even Onyeka Nwelue responded 2my article on fb.

the books dem too cost abeg, if it were cheaper, i guess many nigerians are hungry for knowledge too.

emyryx:
the books dem too cost abeg, if it were cheaper, i guess many nigerians are hungry for knowledge too.

God bless you for this..
Why will I get Americana for #2500 when I can get something from another author for less
And we talk about patronising our own??

JohnNgene:


Haven't you read "Rich Dad Poor Dad"?

Or you could read this https://www.nairaland.com/2947132/lagos-igbo-land-business-move if you have the patience because the book is still happening now.

Why will i read a book written by a mere millionaire, Kiyosi doesn't worth my time and i have read his books.

StephanieLuv:
I have read so many books but non actually tells you how to be rich like Dangote, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet

clearly you haven't read enough, when in it comes to learning;a close associate of reading, it is never enough it is constant, so read and learn more, how about CREATE YOUR FUTURE, BY BRIAN TRACY. That should definitely help you in your quest to be rich like dangote

Every time I try to convince people that Nigerians and indeed Africans read. The problem with the cliché that we don't read, is that it's been repeated too many times and now been regarded as the truth.

I read more of African authors, but the books are few and far between. They need to be available.

No one can tell our own story as good/better than us.

Vendoor:
They always come up with funny stories... Sometimes I wonder if they even think at all.


Check my signature jare

care to explain your comment?

Vibra:

God bless you for this..
Why will I get Americana for #2500 when I can get something from another author for less
And we talk about patronising our own??

I read books by james Hadley Chase, ben carson, shiv khera, jackie collins, e.t.c most of their books sell below N1,000 naira but our authors want to become millionaires overnight and not bothering if the books are read. They just want sales thats all.

Nnachuka:
clearly you haven't read enough, when in it comes to learning;a close associate of reading, it is never enough it is constant, so read and learn more, how about CREATE YOUR FUTURE, BY BRIAN TRACY. That should definitely help you in your quest to be rich like dangote

Thanks

StephanieLuv:


Why will i read a book written by a mere millionaire, Kiyosi doesn't worth my time and i have read his books.

So you would rather read buffet or Gates and their nonsense also. In the opening words of his book " Alchemy of Finance",. Billionaire , George Soros stated clearly that "No Billionaire is ever going to put his methods or secrets In a book and sell to you". At least Kiyosaki was kind enough to spell out basic rules of Finance.

EZEIGBO1OFIMO:
So you would rather read buffet or Gates and their nonsense also. In the opening words of his book " Alchemy of Finance",. Billionaire , George Soros stated clearly that "No Billionaire is ever going to put his methods or secrets In a book and sell to you". At least Kiyosaki was kind enough to spell out basic rules of Finance.

Finally am talking with a smart dude, am impressed

IdomaLikita:
You killed it Op..however, the publishers and ministries of education & information (& culture) share a huge chunk of the blame. Apart from the usual waec, neco compulsion, I don't see any overt or covert attempt to glorify African writers by the above mentioned.
I am eternally grateful to my mum for inculcating the reading culture into me at an early age inspite of our low socioeconomic status...from " Ladybug Series" to "African Prose and Literature", by my teens, I was devouring Alexander Dumas, Dostoyevsky, Orwell, Max, Nietzche, Dante, Machiavelli, Plutarch,Doyle, Twain, Bronte etc..not forgetting the Elechi Amadi, Soyinka, Achebe the Great, Chukwemeka Ike, etc.

I beg the FG to sponsor a project in collaboration with patriotic publishers aimed at digitization of all African literature and to be made available as apps online for our kids to access.
Also sponsor recitation and rendition of African books same way Govs dole out money to winners of quranic recitation competitions.

Nice piece

I must say I appreciate my mum for her impact as well, I love literature, literally, and I must say I know only a few of those you mentioned, could you send me a list of some of the books by them, I'm a writer you see, so I love works pertaining to writing,and I'm a big fan of African contemporary writers, and would pay over the odds for any of their works, for me I just feel the major problem is accessibility, that's all. I quote you with t mind that you are a sport.