Etisalat Prize winners talk on role of African writers
Writers (from left) South Africa’s Karen Jennings, Yewande Omotoso (Nigeria/South Africa) and 2013 Etisalat winner NoViolet Bulawayo from Zimbabwe. Photo/Courtesy Kwani Trust/Paul Munene
Literary lovers sat silently in the Louis Leakey Auditorium at the Nairobi National Museum, keenly listening to the 2013 Etisalat winner and two run-ups.
Hosted by the Kwani Trust, it was only fitting that Billy Kahora, the managing editor of Kwani?, be the mediator. In this “Nairobi: Meet the Writers” congregation, contemporary African writers talked about their books and their role in society.
On the well-lit stage, NoViolet Bulawayo (Zimbabwe), author of We Need New Names and the 2013 winner, Yewande Omotoso (Nigeria/South Africa), author of Bom Boy, and Karen Jennings (South Africa), author of Finding Soutbek, shared their thoughts.
The first question Billy asked was the commonality of the theme he describes as “heritage of the past” in their books; taking Africa’s past real events to tell their stories.
Noviolet’s book looks at the last decade in Zimbabwe as seen through the eyes of a 10-old year old protagonist called Darling. Finding Soutbek tells the story of a small town’s residents trying to look beyond their heritage while Yewande’s Bom Boy looks at a young man estranged from society.
“I was bearing witness. It was not an easy story to tell because it came from a space of pain and upheaval,” said NoVioliet.
However during the questions and answers session, some of the queries from the audience were on why they chose to write on such themes when Africa is trying to tell different stories apart from corruption, poverty and wars. Is that all publishers want? Stories of suffering?
There is a misconception that publishers want such stories, Yemande answered. She pointed out that publishers are looking for fresh stories thus it was up to writers to tell them.
She called for more writers who can authentically and accurately tackle more themes on the society. But first, she said, there was need to eliminate the thought that reading and writing is elitist.
Karen said she researched her book in a small village, talking to the villagers for over a year because she wanted truth on the page, not just her imagination.
“We have good stories but the writing is not there,” said Noviolet, repeating what she often heard from publishers. However, she did not blame the writers, adding that the problem was that there were no set structures to nurture talent.
The Etisalat Prize for Literature, sponsored by Etisalat Nigeria – a telecommunications company, is considered the first ever pan-African prize that seeks to reward first time writers of published fiction with a £15,000 (Sh1.8 million) prize as well an Etisalat Fellowship at the University of East Anglia, UK.
Its objective, posted on its website (etisalatprize.com) “is to serve as a platform for the discovery of new creative talent out of the continent and invariably promote the burgeoning publishing industry in Africa.”
As part of the prize, Etisalat sponsors a book tour to three African cities as well as purchasing 1,000 copies of all shortlisted books to donate to schools and libraries.
