Tag: New Nigerian Literature

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Accra Chronicles: An Unforgettable Journey to a Literary Extravaganza (1)

Accra called out to us from all over the world for a five-day feast of words, companionship and one of the biggest symposia on the continent this year, bringing writers of class across Africa’s breath and the diaspora for a top class literary production. The cast for the event was a scheduled thirty-seven all-star ensemble that grew into a larger gathering of legends. Topping the headlines for the NYU Accra Lagone Dialogue was the Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka and the keynote speakers, Chris Abani, Aminatta Forna, and Jennifer Makumbi – people whose names all speak for themselves. I found my name on the list, courtesy of an invitation by the Director of the NYU Accra site, Chike Frankie Edozien, seasoned journalist and author of The Lives of Great Men. He had pursued me with his invitation from Abuja to London and Nottingham, ensuring in his magnanimity that my costs of travel were fully covered, even if I was to come in from the North Pole. Well, that is where my story starts…like every journey, at the point just before I got to the bus park.

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ANNOUNCING THE SEVHAGE LITERARY PRIZES 2023 LONGLIST

The 2023 SEVHAGE literary competition collated several exciting entries from across several corners of Africa. With four categories to showcase the multifaceted talent of African writers, we are once again reminded of the incredible depth and breadth of our continent’s literary prowess. We are grateful to everyone who submitted entries for consideration of the various prizes.
After critical readings and reviews of the several entries submitted for the four categories of the SEVHAGE Literary Prizes, we are honoured to unveil the longlisted authors for the SEVHAGE Prizes in the following categories:

  1. E. E. SULE/SEVHAGE Prize for African Literary Criticism
  2. SEVHAGE Prize for Creative Non-Fiction
  3. SEVHAGE Prize for Short Fiction
  4. SEVHAGE-KSR Hyginus Ekwuazi Prize for Poetry

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EVOKING UBUNTU AT THE LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: AN EVENING OF AFRICAN HERITAGE WITH SU’EDDIE AGEMA, MCINERNEY, MWAMBULUKUTU, CHRIS AGAPE, JOSHUA OMEKE, VICTORY OSARUMWENSE AND ORAYYY

by S. Su’eddie Vershima Agema

In showing the art side of its curriculum while celebrating Africa and Black History Month, the London School of Economics hosted its second Ubuntu Café (a.k.a Ubuntu 2.0) at the GenDen on 12th October 2023 from 5:30 to 9:00pm. Hosted by the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa (FLIA) and Programme for African Leadership (PfAL), the event was themed ‘Roots, Bridges, and Echoes: Reclaiming our Stories.’

Established in 2022, the Ubuntu Café aims to foster connections amongst African students at LSE and those with an affinity for African culture. Beyond a mere gathering, the café provides an avenue for intellectual stimulation, creativity, and lively discussions through several ways including competitions, talks, debates, poetry, music, and art.

Ubuntu 2.0 featured a book launch/conversation and performances from artists including Will McInerney, Victory Osarumwense, Chris Agape, Joshua Omeke, Su’eddie Vershima Agema, and Elizabeth Mwambulukutu, anchored by the dynamic creative, Orayyy. Kicking off at 5:30 pm at the LSE GenDen, the event was orchestrated by the FLIA team, comprising of Tosin Adebisi, Ivonne Olusoga, and Daniella Gutiérrez-Torres, ensuring attendees had a memorable experience.

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AFRICAN LITERARY TITANS GATHER IN ACCRA TO RECLAIM NARRATIVES AT THE LABONE DIALOGUES (OCTOBER 19-23rd 2023)

The literary headlines are set to explode with various takeaways and exciting episodes from Lagone, Africa from 19th October 2023 and beyond as Africa’s finest literary heavyweights across generations converge in Lagone, Accra, Ghana for what might be one of the continent’s finest literary festivals this year. ‘The Labone Dialogues by NYU Accra’ curated by … Continue reading AFRICAN LITERARY TITANS GATHER IN ACCRA TO RECLAIM NARRATIVES AT THE LABONE DIALOGUES (OCTOBER 19-23rd 2023)

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BENUE BOOK AND ARTS FESTIVAL HOLDS IN MAKURDI 20th to 25th June 2022

The Benue Book and Arts Festival is here again and promises to be spectacular! We have an impressive list of star writers, artists and people from all over coming together to provide such beautiful literary and engaging fun as you have not seen before.

This year’s edition is billed for June 20th to 25th 2022, and is themed ‘ART AND THE CONVERGENCE.’ The theme is open-ended but can also be seen as how art converges with other things for results: whether it be history, activism, development, anarchy, or just about anything. It can also be looked at in the light of art surrounded by the convergence of people, things or a state in any context. Some of the projected panels including some on publishing and editing, the metaverse, and the role of arts in various spheres. There will be a slam competition worth a hundred thousand on the night of June 25th 2022. On the same day, there is also meant to be a competition for secondary schools that will feature drama, on-the-spot writing, and a spelling bee. It will also feature the book unveiling of the talented and popular poets, Umar Sidi and Oko Owi Ocho Afrika (who is a co-director of the festival for this year).

There will be virtual sessions throughout the festival, with daily critique and writer sessions by 4:30pm at Metroprime Hotel (from 20th to 23rd June 2022 with a palm wine reading on the 23rd where we hope to have a high-profile conversation on ‘Deconstructing the Canon: Literature, Language, Theories, Politics and Nationhood’ featuring Professors Dul Johnson and Egya Sule, with other scholars). The major part of the festival will be held at Steam Lounge, Old GRA, Makurdi, Benue State, on the 24th and 25th June 2022 (from 9am to 9pm).

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THIS REVIEW DOES NOT COME TO YOU BY CHANCE by S. Su’eddie Vershima Agema

(A Review of Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani’s I do not come to you by chance)

What is the difference between yesterday and today? When we sin for those we love, killing ourselves that ours may live, what lines do we cross? In the struggle to make ends meet and turn from being the scourge of society, what sacrifices do we make? And when we reap from the greed of others, are we really to be blamed?

There are a million and one questions like these and others that life places on us every day but imagine this: you are a first son with a million needs. You graduated summa cum laude in Chemical Engineering and have tried every single job opening without success. Add to this: your babe leaves you because you are too broke. Everyone scorns you like the wretched of the earth. Well, truth be said, when poverty chews life’s essence out of you, what else are you? But still putting ourselves in the shows of this man that for a moment we assume we are: imagine your father falls ill and there’s hardly any money to take care of him. He’s admitted…and then you get some really good news; your brother has gotten admission into the university. Before you can cry at this ‘fortune’, your dad dies leaving the burden of his funeral and your family on your shoulders…

Oh well, what next is there to do?

But let us add this part, to make it better for you: You have an uncle is a 419 Lord who has been asking you to come and join him… You have held back because of your family’s high value on education above everything else. They hope you will get a job despite the gazillion interviews you have not passed. So… Morals or money? To follow family honour and the words of your father on integrity or face the challenge of reality? What would you do especially now that the honour of your family is engraved in a life that is now outspent?

Have heard of the book I Do Not Come to You by Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani. It is a novel whose Nigerian versions were published in 2009 by Cassava Republic and more recently, in 2019 by the revolutionising publishing house, Masobe Books.

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ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIAN AUTHORS 2022 LITERARY PRIZES: CALL FOR ENTRIES (Deadline: 28th May 2022)

It is that time of the year again when the call for prizes ‘rain.’ Dear Nigerian writers everywhere, here is announcing The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA)’s call for submission to its 2022 literary competitions in eight categories:

  1. ANA Prize For Poetry (Published & Unpublished) – N 100,000
  2. ANA Prize For Prose Fiction (Published & Unpublished) – N 100,000
  3. ANA Prize For Drama (Published & Unpublished) – N 100,000
  4. ANA Prize For Children’s Literature- 7-13 Years Age Range (Published Works Only And Open To All Categories Of Authors) -N100,000
  5. ANA/ViviSam Prize for Children Poetry 7-15 Years Age Range (Published Works Only And Open To All Categories Of Authors) – N100,000
  6. ANA/Abubakar Gimba Prize For Fiction (Short Stories Collection-Published) – N200,000.
  7. ANA/Maria Ajima Prize For Literary Criticism (Focus On Criticism Of Emergent Nigerian Literature) – N100,000
  8. ANA/Jerry Agada Prize For Idoma Language Literature” (Published & Unpublished) – N150,000

Works entered should have been published between 2020 and 2022.

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PAN AFRICAN WRITERS ASSOCIATION RELEASES POETRY LONGLIST WITH NIGERIAN ALL-STAR CAST FEATURING DENJA ABDULLAHI, TANURE OJAIDE, SERVIO GBADAMOSI, OBARI GOMBA, ONYEKA NWELUE, ECHE NDUKA AND OLUMIDE OLANIYAN

by S. Su’eddie Vershima Agema The Pan African Writers Association (PAWA) has today released her poetry prize longlist in four categories (English, Arabic, French and Kiswahili). The signed release by the Association’s Secretary General, Dr. Wale Okediran, shows a total of fifty-three longlisted entrants, with fifteen in each category, except for Kiswahili with eight entries. … Continue reading PAN AFRICAN WRITERS ASSOCIATION RELEASES POETRY LONGLIST WITH NIGERIAN ALL-STAR CAST FEATURING DENJA ABDULLAHI, TANURE OJAIDE, SERVIO GBADAMOSI, OBARI GOMBA, ONYEKA NWELUE, ECHE NDUKA AND OLUMIDE OLANIYAN

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Niyi Osundare’s new book ‘Green: Sighs of our Ailing Planet’ debuts January 2022

This is awesome news for Niyi Osundare’s fans: he has a new book out in January 2022. Yaaaaay! Titled Green: Sighs of our Ailing Planet, the collection is an urgent collection of necessity born out of the poet’s need to speak to issues that plague the world. The overview of the book on Barnes and Noble notes that it “is a critical pastoral of poems concerning the environment aroudn the world, from place to place…a book relevant and hopeful for people to stop and reflect on the endangered beauty of all of nature.”

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