"AFRICAN LITERATURE IS UNDERMINED" - Leke Giwa

Leke Giwa is a writer interested in literature, writers, African history and the like. His essays have been published in a number of newspapers, magazines, on the internet, and even in books. Here he sheds some light on African literature over the years...

QUESTION: Why this interest in African literature in these days when most of our youth do not care about rich heritage of the continent's writings?

GIWA: As you have said it is a rich - very rich - heritage, and it is terrible that new generations know very little or nothing about it. The situation is that African writing over the years is incredibly awesome, but is criminally undermined, even by experts, by many scholars.    
 

What do you mean?

GIWA: We must always start from the simple fact that Africa has produced at least hundreds of fine writers, not just perhaps 5 to 10 illustrious names. If scholars keep on harping on Ngugi, Achebe, Bessie Head, Soyinka, Ayi Kwei Armah, Dangarembga, Laye, etc they are undermining many others - hundreds of other fine African writers...        

But you have written elsewhere that scholars have done very well for Africa...

GIWA (cutting in) I was talking generally; it is fine when scholars eg write book-length studies or monographs on our (African) writers, but how many of our writers are so honoured? Very few in fact - in almost every case, the same celebrated writers. What scholars should do more is write about authors, books spanning many African countries, and over the decades; let's say a book shedding light on at least 50 to 100 of our writers...then another problem is that generally, books, studies on writers, especially African writers, are not popular, even among academics who are supposed to review, promote such works!    

It seems that you are making some arbitrary comments...that can not easily be proved...  

GIWA: You are wrong you know...this is the modern world, internet, global technology is there, like Google Books or Goodreads. Actually for books, Goodreads is by far the best online encyclopaedia on all books published in the history of the world. Anybody can do research there and soon learn depressingly that only relatively very few African authors or books feature prominently there; and worse still, those studies focusing on African authors will probably be mentioned, with no reviews at all!

You yourself in your occasional essays try to promote African writing - for example you have some essays published in the 2015 book, Glimpses into African Literature, edited by South African writer, Ishmael Soqaga.

That is the type of work I have been arguing we need more; general books on African writing. If you examine Soqaga's book for example, you will see that the essays there focus on many writers from all over Africa, over the years; early ones like Tutuola Peter Abrahams, and Dipoko, to many others from west, East, Southern, and even north Africa. We learn a lot from such books.

So hopefully it would be ideal for more of such books to come out...              

Yes. I know as a fact that Chief Bolaji's new book, Cognoscenti, also focuses on many African writers and their work. Omoseyi Bolaji in Cognoscenti (below) briefly examines a large number of our writers and their books over the decades. The book is out already, though will only be formally published in January next year. This is the type of book that boosts African literature in general. 

Thank you Mr Giwa...

"I am Happy Being a Writer" - GEORGE RAMPAI

George Rampai, writer, intellectual, critic is the award-winning author of the novel, From where I stand. Here, he explains his life-long interest in books and writing...    

QUESTION: Good day Mr Rampai, perhaps you'd like to reiterate to the world how you got involved with the world of books...

RAMPAI: It started when I was quite young. I will always be grateful to my elder brother who introduced me to books, the ambience of the (local) libraries. He would bring books back home for us to read. An exciting world was opened up to me! I took to it like a duck to water; despite being in the townships, I would read and read... I realised that humans are essentially the same all over the world, regardless of colour and the like. I could identify with the lives, the vicissitudes if you like, of the characters.   

QUESTION: What were your favourite books or writers then? 

RAMPAI:   I read a great deal, especially fiction. Popular Eurocentric writers like James Hadley Chase, and the whole range of African writers. Libraries can be so wonderful. How many African writers can one start to mention, in fiction alone? There was the Heinemann series, the Pacesetters series...so many exciting writers and books. The great writers like Achebe, Ngugi, Armah, Mphahlele, Serote, Emecheta...and many other popular ones like Kalu Okpi, Ovbiagheli, Maillu, Thorpe...

QUESTION: I read somewhere that you were very excited when books written by black writers in your beloved Free State province began to be published...        

RAMPAI: Yes. I was very lucky to be close to (our) local writers then, especially Pule Lechesa who was destined for literary greatness from a very young age. The man loves books and literature so much! It was wonderful when exciting books written by the likes of Mr Bolaji, Thaisi, Motheane, Qoopane etc began to flood our libraries; one has to commend the Free State Provincial Library system for this. My heart almost stopped beating when "Free State books" were first stocked in our libraries... I knew then that it was just a matter of time for me to become a published writer too! As I was already writing myself then.  Mr Lechesa almost immediately joined the gravy train, so to speak! As we speak now he's published like ten books already, some of them very important works focusing on pure literature and literary criticism. 

QUESTION: And how was your own first novel (From where I stand) published?          

RAMPAI: It was through Mr Lechesa of course, who had started Mbali Press Publishers by then. It was magnificent to see my book published; such fantastic printing quality too. The other stuff that came my way were much welcome bonuses - the great media, internet publicity, awards, recognition...

QUESTION: But despite all this, our writers still struggle a lot...

RAMPAI:  Yes, they do. But one has to remain focused and appreciative; some things are priceless, like being inside the libraries and seeing your own books on the hallowed shelves there...and the powers-that-be do try to encourage writers; eg I have  been sponsored to attend literary occasions around the country, well accommodated, rather heralded... I have been at the National English Literary Museum in Grahamstown, a wonderful place which preserves the literary legacy of the country and beyond. I am very happy being a writer...

THE OUTSIDER

Opoku Evans is a Ghanaian writer and poet. He has just brought out a book titled The Outsider. Opoku explains here that it has not been easy street for him...        

What is your book all about...you have said it is a novel, but it's quite slight and really a short novel...      

OPOKU: Yes, it is fiction, a novella or novelette depending on how you look at it. You know many many Ghanaians are based abroad, and continue to travel daily. There is a particular man in my area who was abroad in 3 African countries for like 30 years. We used to talk a lot. He's quite old now and with very limited resources. He was always talking about his experiences outside Ghana. How one remained a "foreigner" "outsider" in those places no matter how much one tries to integrate. Xenophobic incidents. How one is scared to come back to one's country through it all, without lots of money...the way he talked, everything was so vivid. It sparked my imagination and I found myself writing my book. 

You self-published the book?

OPOKU: Yes. It's so difficult to get new books published, even in Ghana. Many publishers around the world ask one to pay for bringing a book out anyway, and I know people who have spent very large amounts of money in this way for nothing. I think it's better to print the book locally and distribute it as best as one can. I have read about this self-publishing stuff and I know there is nothing that says a writer can not publish a book himself – great writers like Mark Twain, Virginia Woolf, Ken Saro Wiwa did so...

You are not afraid to try to distribute the book yourself?

OPOKU: No. I am well aware that many writers who brought out their books themselves went into literary oblivion, but this also applies to many who publish with so called big professional firms too. I think one should distribute one's work in the right places, to literary centres, to people who appreciate books - like you. You are a critic yourself, and you have a blog mainly on literature. I know it's a good investment for me when I give you a copy of my book free!

Well, thanks! Ghanaian literature has always been very rich over the decades...you said earlier that you appreciate some of the all-time greats of Ghana literature

OPOKU: Correction sir, they are greats of African literature, though they are, or were Ghanaians. Ayi Kwei Armah is my all-time favourite, one of the best in the world. The late Kofi Awoonor too was superb, and it was so sad that he had to die that way as an old man (killed by terrorists in Kenya). Mama Efua Sutherland too was a great African writer, playwright. Ama Ata Aidoo is still very much alive after  publishing a of fine works around the world. Others like Asare Konadu have made their mark worldwide too, if not to the extent of Armah. For us younger ones, perhaps those of us at home are largely struggling...but that's life.

CHRISTINE MAUTJANA SPEAKS

Christine Mautjana is the editor of two books, Interviews with effervescent writers (2012) and Throbbing SA Black Literature (2013). Here she shares a few thoughts with lovers of Writing....

You have been rather quiet over the last few years...    

CHRISTINE MAUTJANA: I have never been the loud type anyway! I think generally women love to be in the background, taking care of the children, family, grooming, nurturing... But of course we love to be appreciated for whatever we can do.

You have always paid tribute to the pioneers, African women writers like Ngcobo and Tlali...

I think they are magnificent! Imagine writing, publishing at a time blacks were suppressed, not expected to write; never mind their women! Mama Tlali is wonderful as a pioneer not only because despite all the odds she wrote the first novel by African woman; but also she is a very good writer too. Laureta Ngcobo and Sindiwe Magona perhaps had an advantage of writing overseas at the time, but this does not remove the fact that they were very much in the minority, and very talented to boot.

Nowadays we have quite a number of young or younger black women writers. You are one of them. Perhaps things are much easier now?    

On the whole yes, but one still needs to be guided and helped. Because of extraordinary advances in technology now plus internet, exposure and acknowledgement is very fast now. Look at Futhi Ntshingila; the success of her first novel, Shameless, and the new one, Do not go gentle. You can read about launches of such books, any reviews etc on the internet. I understand that some decades ago as regards books written by Africans, reviews were hard to come by, could take years, and were not easily available...

Let's briefly look at your own two books. Are you happy about them?

MAUTJANA: You know in the beginning you are diffident, even scared. How will literary world react to these books? But Interviews with effervescent writers in particular has been very successful, available from scores of libraries, even overseas. America and Europe. It was great giving young female writers like Nthabiseng Jah Rose Jafta even more exposure, and of course many pundits believe Mme NMM Duman (also featured in the book) is a  great female novelist already. Featuring outstanding writers like Ntate Lechesa, Chief Bolaji and Mr Aryan Kaganof in the book was a thrill... Then when other accomplished writers  refer to you, talk about the little you have done, you become very happy again. Recently Mr Mzwandile Soqaga declared that he was very inspired by the book I put together, titled Throbbing SA Black Literature. It is interesting. By the time I brought out the book, Interviews with effervescent writers a few years ago, Ntate Soqaga had  not published even one book - but now he has FOUR! So that is evidence that our literature is flourishing (laughter)...

"Writing for me is a burning passion flowing out like a lagoon" - THIBA

TIISETSO M. THIBA

QUESTION: Mr Thiba, how did it all start for you? When did you start thinking seriously about writing? Were you perhaps handicapped as a black youth?

THIBA:  Basically it all started way back, I think two decades ago. Is when I started felt in love with writing. But firstly I started re-writing and performing poems of other poets like MzwakheMbuli, KgafelawaMagogodi, Prof KerorapetseKgosietsile just to name a few in order to test my writing skills. The reason why I was so close to poetry is because I liked the way poet’s flow, rhyme words when they recite poems. For Mzwakhe, he was outspoken poet who was releasing videocassettes for his poems. And it was very  heartbroken to see how black people was living by then, duck and diving bullets for survival. And he was now and then goes to jail to speak out his mind regarding apartheid era. My first poetry work published in Free State News in 2009. I was so excited to see it on the paper.

 One would probably consider you primarily as a poet; but you have written short stories too (fiction); and also penned literaryessays. How comfortable are you with these literary genres?  

THIBA: Ha haha, actually I consider myself as writer now. Because I have noticed that I’m able to write poems, short stories and also literary essays. I have given myself a challenge to try other writing avenues and not be writing poems only. It’s a burning passion that I let it flow out slowly like a lagoon. And personally I’m comfortable now writing in various genres and I’m enjoying that a lot because I can express myself in a sundry way.

 It is exciting that your new book will soon be out; a book of poetry. What is the title of the book, and tell us what the whole book is about, and your favourite poems there? 

THIBA: That is a flawless truth. My poetry anthology book will be out soon. And quite frankly I’m eager to hold it in my hands and smell the fresh aroma of a new book. That will be my first book since I started writing poems. And I personally have to dedicated my sincerely gratitude to Mr Bolaji for genuinely encouraging me to publish this book. It was my plan to publish it but, still in a snail pace which will be out probably next year. But the good news is coming out soon. Many thanks to him all those who is behind my back through sunny or dark. Tittle of the book will be ‘Let’s take a walk Mama’. That is a poem that is close to my heart and talk about my family as whole. I will say all the poems in the book are my favourites because all of them are from within.

 The literary world often talks about FS literature, but it's really mixed, even international, isn't it? I mean Chief Bolaji is from Nigeria, Maxwell Kanemanyanaga is from Zimbabwe, LeboelaMotopi and Raphael Mokoena from Lesotho; Hector Kunene originally from KwaZuluNatal and Gauteng; and you yourself you are not really from Free State. What do you thinkabout all these varied influences on FS Black Writing?    

THIBA: That is really a truth; literary world is very mixed up and diverse. But if you can take a close glance to all the writers you have mentioned, their writing hit the prime standard in Free State. Meaning all of them they have stayed in in the Province and some still does despite their original roots. All of them they have taken the standard of FS Black Writing to the highest level and is not a astonishment for the Province to be rich with literature more than other provinces. Many deem that I’m from Free State Province but I’m not, though some of my family members dwell in various spheres of the province. But one thing for sure is originally ke Mosostho ‘I’m sotho’ and I can speak it fluently like a Lesotho born, ha haha.

What writers, and which books would you regard as your favourites? Whattype of literature do you prefers, African or Eurocentric? 

THIBA:  I personally like many writers, but will just give names of the writers because I have read more than two of their books and all of them are outstanding. 1 Maya Angelou, 2 Frederick Douglass both from America, 3Bessie Head 4  WameMolefhe both from Botswana, 5. MphoMatsepoNthunya from Lesotho 6. Chinua Achebe 7.  WoleSoyinka 8. Chief Bolaji from Nigeria 9. Sabata MphoMokae &GomolemoMokae, Hector Kunene, KgosietsileKeorapetse, Pule Lechesa, Lebo Mashile, TueloRampolokeng and Ishmael Soqaga all from South Africa. My list is very long I think I will have to stop here before the dawn catch us up while naming them, ha haha. I do prefer African Literature and not limited to it and I sometimes spiced up with Eurocentric one.

What are your immediate future plans with your own writing? Other books you have in the pipeline?

THIBA:  My future plans with my writing is to take it to a higher heights, but reading as much books as I can and write more books while I’m still gasping air. Currently I’m about to finish writing my Setswana novel which I plan to publish this year if things could go according to my ideals. And Setswana poetry book is also in the pipeline. Reason why I’m writing in Setswana, I want to restore my mother tongue as you can see many writers prefer to write in English nowadays saying that they are broadening their market. That is not a problem.It’s a good thing, but what about your language or African language? Is it better to let it die because of your large market? Take a look – I think well known writer Wole Soyinka writing in his language after many he wrote in English language. And former South African President NM Mandela once says ‘A person can express himself better in their language’ which Is a truth to me, because I dream in my language not English. And don’t get me wrong regarding English language, is global business language which makes us communicate with a brother or sister from Cameroon, Italy and France.

Thank you for your time Ntate TM “Father” Thiba in your writing and let’s read more from you.

THIBA:  It’s a pleasure my leader and it’s a pleasure. No doubt you will read more from me. Pula…