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NLNG deal is a well-orchestrated robbery, says Ehikhamenor
By
Chux Ohai
Correspondent, Lagos
Victor Ehikhamenor was born in Udomi-Irrua in Edo State.
Fews years after graduating from the then Bendel State University, Ekpoma (now
Ambrose Alli University) as an English and Literature major, he left Nigeria
for the United States of America where he took a masters degree in Technology
Management from University of Maryland, University College, USA. At present, he
runs a private business, which is totally different from the arts, but claims
that as a visual artist and a writer, he is satisfied with what he has done so
far and is doing now. Apart from holding numerous joint and solo exhibitions at
home and abroad, he has published a collection of poetry entitled Sordid
Rituals, and had others published in some magazines and literary journals
around the world. He is working on his maiden collection of short stories at
the moment. One of the stories featuring in the collection won the Commonwealth
Broadcasting Association prize in London in 2003. In this interview, he speaks
about his work as a creative writer and a visual artist. Excerpts:
Combining
writing with painting
Is
there any realistic connection between both of them?
God has enabled me to do it all. Though it
is not easy been a writer and a painter at the same time. (And I am heavily in
involved in Photography too) but because I am in love with what I do, I find
time to satisfy the urge to do it all. It is pure fun for me. Though sometimes
one art tends to be selfishly taking all the time from the other. They are like
fighting siblings.
Painting, writing or photography for me is
a tree of the same root but different branches. There are no visible realistic
connections between them, but when you drill deeper you see they are
spiritually interconnected. You need a keen eye, brain and an uncanny
creativity to make a meaningful impact in any of the arts mentioned.
Creative
atmosphere at Bendel State University
It was ripe, intense and very competitive.
I was a member of the Creative Mind Association and when we had readings, you
had better write something worth reading or listening to or you would leave the
stage in tears. Fellow student poets and critics were brutal. It was
ferociously vicious, but highly constructive…we sharpened one another
like iron. Those that survived the criticism came out better.
I also studied drama and performed under
Dr. Sam Ukala, and his rehearsals were like boot camps, he was a detail-oriented
man…from the rolling of your eyes to the way you pronounce certain words,
he was a drill sergeant. I hated him then for his drillings, but his teachings
are priceless to me now.
Then there was the jewel of them
all… Dr. Frank Mowah of blessed memory who was my mentor and the
godfather of new Nigerian writing; he was the first to introduce me to new
young writers of the last batch of second generation and the first batch of
third generation Nigerian writers. I first heard about the likes of Niyi
Osundare, Olu Oguibe, Harry Garuba, Odia Ofeimun, Esiaba Irobi, Sola Osofisan,
…from him. He actually brought some of these writers and poets to Ekpoma
during our literary week. Ekpoma has produced some notable writers and
journalists alike. But the stories I hear about the school these past few years
have been very disheartening.
About
the best of Nigerian literature residing abroad
Ha! That is a dangerous assumption to
make.
But lets not be blind to the fact that
majority of Nigerian’s well known and seasoned writers reside abroad due
to the epileptic situation of things in the country…when you look at the
list of Nigerian writers based outside the country, people like Ogaga, Oguibe,
Adesokan, Unigwe, Azuah, Adesanmi, Atta, Adichie, Nwosu, Nwakama, just to name
a few and these are all young writers…not talking of irokos like Achebe
and Niyi…we can then say our literature is residing beyond rivers and
hills. However most of these writers actually come home to Nigeria to publish
their works. Very few have been fortunate enough to be published overseas.
But if Nigerian writers abroad are not
writing and publishing and those at home are doing that, whether self publish
or not…then the notion that our literature resides outside the country
will be faulty.
$20,000
literature prize fiasco
It is funny…it just brought back bad
memories of the infamous Abiola’s June 12th election which Babangida
annulled and insulted the entire nation because of his private agenda.
The NLNG deal was a well-orchestrated
robbery and rubbishing of the literary intelligence of my generation. There
should have been a clear-cut winner…a child is never too ugly for his
father to consider him a slave. The NLNG structure was set up in a way that it
will come to this shameful sham. Can you imagine inviting an elder like Soyinka
to a headless dance of the night like that?
I hope they go back to the drawing table
and learn from this catastrophe.
The jury’s indictment of the
publishing industry
Lets not shift any blame from where it belong.
I am not saying that the publishing
situation in Nigeria is outstanding. Lets not forget publishing was dead for a
long time…it is just resurrecting and it still has grave clothes on.
Majority of the publishers we have are actually businessmen, who pay little
attention to artistic details. They are in a hurry to go to the
market…with rumpled gowns. But I still maintain there are good books in
the country that should have won…so blaming publisher is a distraction
from the truth.
Literary
prizes or the right infrastructure?
Both…because we have the means and
the infrastructure to do both. What we need are sincere administrators, not
yes-me nor those that will sell their mothers for a conical-wrap of peanuts
The
way forward for Nigerian literature
We are on the right track at the moment;
Nigerian writers should help each other in everyway they can. We should be our
brother’s keeper. Lets read each other and not be afraid to tell our
peers they are either doing a great job or they need to go back and re-write
the works. ANA national and local should be at the forefront of things and try
to avoid politics that mare things.
There is little or no critical perspective
of the daily writings done in Nigeria currently. Everybody is a writer or poet
and no one to bring out the oil in the palm kernel.
We also need to revive the publishing
industry in Nigeria…look at the home movie industry, it was dead for a
while and it caught fire again and there is no stopping it. Through intense
promotion and celebration of the Nigerian writer whether home or
abroad…our literature will see better days.
Responsibilities
of corporate sponsors of literature and art in Nigeria
They should invest more in solid
publishing houses that will have well-paid editors, graphic artists, marketers
etc…and affiliate themselves with overseas publishers for the sales of
foreign rights.
Take a look at what Farafina is doing with
the West Africa Edition of Purple Hibiscus…they are doing everything
right as a publishing house…from editing the book to have Nigerian
spellings to printing marketing flyers and posters and organizing reading for
the author.
I was contacted all the way in US to help
with designing the book cover and I had to photograph and send hundreds of
images before they found the right image to use. It was a great teamwork
between the writer, the publisher, the graphic designer and myself. Muhtar
Bakare of Farafina is championing some really interesting things that will help
Nigeria literature on the long run. Let other corporate bodies borrow a leaf
from Farafina.
If we have more publishing houses like
that, you will see the flourishing and beauty of Nigeria literature.
Impressed
with administration of the $20,000 Prize for Literature?
No…not at all, but every prize has a
price. I want to hear what ANA has to say about it…I know much has been
said about why the writers abroad were excluded from the NLNG prize. But we
have gone past that now…the ink stain is already on the wedding gown.
The administration was full of writers and
poets who should have known better and be ethical about the way things were
done. How do you explain where a member of the setup committee is also
short-listed for the prize? The hooting owl should have flown far away from a
dying child to avoid accusation of killing the child.
Consider this analogy…certain
villagers went to the farm and while they were away, a munificent hunter killed
a big elephant and dragged it to the village square…the villagers at home
were so excited and decided to share the meat right then and there disregarding
those that have gone to the farm…little did they know the meat has
maggots!
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