OMOSEYE BOLAJI INTERVIEWED BY HECTOR KUNENE

HECTOR KUNENE: From studies written on you (and articles), it is clear that you were exposed to – you read a lot of imaginative books – when you were very young, didn’t you?

OMOSEYE BOLAJI (above): Yes, I suppose so. I was a child growing up (in Nigeria) in the seventies and there were so many books around me. Well, I was from what might be called a middle class home; parents quite educated – in fact they had just come back from England after working there for some years. There were many middle class children then, I might add, and we went to the usual “above average” schools – primary and secondary. I have always been very shy so it was easy for me to read and read. Around the ages of 8 – 10 I had already read countless Enid Blyton books. I thought they were fabulous. Children at the time would exchange books – we all loved Enid Blyton! For example I would exchange the particular books I had from the Famous Five series for others I did not have with other children. Reading such books made one realize that kids were virtually the same all over the world regardless of race or colour. We enjoyed the adventures intensely.

HECTOR: You did not later on feel bad about this? Feel that you were limiting yourself?

BOLAJI: We were not limiting ourselves. We – well – I read many other books for children too at the time. The Three investigators series. Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Biggles. And we also read all the imaginative books for children written by local black writers at the time, like Kola Onadipe. Admittedly they were relatively very few, but we read, even bought those that were available. The Adventures of Souza and Eze goes to school still stand out in my mind – there was also an absorbing book about “Sugar girl, Ralia”. Then I entered the secondary school; I was about ten years old at the time, a bit young to start at secondary school but it was okay. The schools also taught us literature. But when we were introduced to thrillers at a young age we found them irresistible – James Hadley Chase in particular was the rave. Around the ages of 12 – 18 (on and off) – even at the University we read virtually all his (Chase’s) books. I suppose the lofty critics would call this thrash, but we loved it!

HECTOR: You were reading Enid Blyton books and hardboiled thrillers around the same time?
BOLAJI: Yes. At around 13, 14, I saw nothing incongruous in absorbing a Famous Five adventure and reading a James Hadley Chase thriller with lots of ruthless killings! One just felt at the time that well – these adults, the ruthless things they could do! But one was still young enough to appreciate even the ones for children. I must also add that my father brought back hundreds of books from England. He had an interesting library, and regularly I would read books from his collection as a youngster. His taste was quite eclectic, but looking back on it now he loved detective books a lot; like Ellery Queen and Peter Cheyney. But he also had quality books like Virginia Woolf, Katherine Mansfield, DH Lawrence, Thomas Hardy etc too. But I hardly realized the importance of what we might call classical literature then. Like the other youngsters at the time, I felt the serious literature stuff was not so interesting!

HECTOR: Yes. Even now, most educated black adults still feel like this in our continent (Africa) But you realized the importance of quality literature, both Eurocentric and African later in the secondary school, eh? Incidentally, did you ever study literature at tertiary level?

BOLAJI: No, but throughout my secondary school days (at Lagelu Grammar School, Ibadan, Nigeria) we studied literature and most of the teachers were quite competent. The great thing was that there was a healthy mix of good books written by white writers and the established black African writers then. So apart from Shakespeare (to a limited extent), Mark Twain, Charlotte Bronte (Jane Eyre) and Gerald Durrell; we also read the likes of Ola Rotimi (playwright), Chinua Achebe, JP Clark. Even the poetry we were taught included not only all time great poets like TS Elliot, Wordsworth but also African poets like Wole Soyinka, Denis Brutus, Kofi Awoonor, Lenrie Peters, and many others.


HECTOR: Which writer did you enjoy most at the time; I mean those prescribed in school?

BOLAJI: Strangely enough it was Gerald Durrell – what a funny writer! – and Peter Abrahams. Abrahams’ Mine Boy had a simple, haunting essence and it was a book one read for pleasure, almost forgetting it was part of the syllabus! Once you have read about Gerald Durrell, his brother Larry (Lawrence) etc you want to read other books published by him (Gerald). As for Mine Boy –the metamorphosis of the protagonist Xuma – ah, don’t let me start! (laughter). Studying literature was also good for geography, sociology and history as one learnt a lot along the line. One knew about the situation in South Africa thanks to Peter Abrahams; one had a healthy respect for theatre in Ghana whilst reading fine plays by Efua T Sutherland and Ama Atta Aidoo then.


HECTOR: All these writers were prescribed for you young students then?

BOLAJI: No. But there was a lot of overlapping, as it were. Actually only relatively very few books were prescribed like the books Mine Boy and The marriage of Anansewa (Efua Sutherland). But some of us became inquisitive and sought out other books written by these authors, or other authors from the same country. So I went out to buy Peter Abrahams’ Tell Freedom then with some of my pocket money (laugh) and because of Efua Sutherland I got to know about Ama Atta Aidoo. Then of course as a Nigerian I was well aware of great Nigerian dramatists like Wole Soyinka, Ola Rotimi and JP Clark. When one became aware of the African Writers series, Pacesetters series youngsters at that time did all they could to acquire as many of these books as possible!

HECTOR: We hear every time these days that there is no culture of reading in black Africa now – that African blacks just do not read; save for prescribed books in schools. How do you see this?

BOLAJI: In many parts of Africa, over the decades, books became incredibly expensive and – the truth must be told – they became a luxury, as economies collapsed somewhat. Gone are those days when lovers of books will rush to the then many chains of distributors of books (even in black African countries) and buy the latest books. I remember in west Africa it was the fad then to buy the latest books published by African writers in the African Writers series (Heinemann) and Pacesetters series (Macmillan). Every averagely educated person then took pride in building up their libraries. Books were relatively so cheap then. I remember a semi-literate young man I knew at the time (in the 80s) used to buy at least seven new books every month! Of course the overseas thrillers were also being bought at the same time – the James Hadley Chases, Nick Carters, Edgar Rice Burroughs, even Sidney Sheldon. The African Writers series ended many years ago, and there are no new “Pacesetters” books again. Now these are becoming stories you tell to the young ones about the “good old days”! Now there are very few bookshops stocking creative books and the perception for many blacks in a country like South Africa is that these are items for whites! Books have become so expensive to print locally that in African countries like Nigeria they have to be specially launched…I’m not talking of formal launches. I have book launches a la west Africa in mind…some of my books have been launched like that in Nigeria. Let me tell you about it, as I know it does not happen here (South Africa). The publisher of the book will spend mammoth sums on printing a book and then to recoup costs he (Publisher) will organize a special event where some very rich, well heeled local businessmen, millionaires, will be invited. Such “big men” will be dubbed “chief launchers” “executive launchers” “launcher in chief” – colourful, florid designations that would make such individuals to go out of their way to buy copies of the book at extravagant prices. The chief launcher, eg might buy five to ten copies of the book for what would be like ten thousand rand here! Or much more than that, especially if State (Provinces) governments decide to chip in with monetary contributions too. I know it sounds incredible; but that’s the truth. It is nothing strange in western Africa; those who have witnessed these book launches (like me) know that’s the way things are done. Such millionaires are sort of “putting back” into the society, as it is believed, bestowing their largesse to give local book publishing a boost. The publishers of such books will now recoup hopefully most of their money back and perhaps share some of the profits with the pertinent author. In South Africa here, there really was no culture of blacks buying books (save for educational ones) – in the past books by black authors were banned; authors like Es’kia Mphahlele, Peter Abrahams, Miriam Tlali, Lauretta Ngcobo – they were well known outside the country but hardly known inside. Now, buying books is somewhat elitist – the new middle class black people still rarely buy books and when they do it is almost invariably Eurocentric authors or “religious/motivational” books. They buy books once in a blue moon. Most of the people hardly know about the outstanding African writers apart from the likes of Achebe and Ngugi. I remember I flinched with horror when Es’kia Mphahlele died (late 2008) and only few of the educated black people knew his name, not to talk of being familiar with his books. So many of we so-called writers in black Africa are so ignorant and illiterate now!

HECTOR: What about role of libraries?

BOLAJI: Now that’s a good point. That’s largely why people like myself are fairly well known here, but book reviews – local book reviews in the media are also very important to facilitate the process. I have always wished that African countries – black African countries – can have a fine network of libraries like in South Africa. Here there are many hundreds of libraries all over the country, public libraries. And the provincial libraries buy many books on a regular basis, sometimes aided by grants from overseas. I understand that in a country like Norway the government usually buys at least a thousand copies of newly published books and distributes them in the libraries. This is good for the publisher and authors. Libraries here (South Africa) sometimes have many copies of the same book in just one of their libraries. I remember my glee when I saw many copies of E.R Braithwaite’s To sir with Love in just one of the libraries here! (The book was one of my favourites when I was young). People go to so and so library branch regularly – probably the one closest to where they stay; hence the importance of libraries in the townships. Some might argue that occasionally, the demand for a particular book might be high from a library and copies might not be enough – but the fact is that libraries are doing a great job, encouraging communities to read; organising special events for young school kids, etc.

HECTOR: You referred to literary reviews in publications…
BOLAJI: Yes. That helps a lot too, especially here where so many local publications are free, and not sold. So, thousands of copies of a particular publication can reach so many people at grassroots level. I am happy that I am one of those who insisted or fought for things like literary reviews, critiques, interviews with writers in local publications. Now many of these publications are available on the Internet – involving writers like Qoopane, Pule Lechesa, Vonani Bila, Lebohang Thaisi, Maxwell Kanemanyanga, Skietreker, Charmaine Kolwane etc. People are more likely to buy a book if it is talked about in the press; on the radio. Lechesa’s translation of my play (The subtle transgressor) sold in staggering amounts as it was given lots of publicity, and displayed in countless local shops in the townships – almost unprecedented. Additionally, more and more black people who love literature are having websites or blogs in Africa now – eg your black african literature blog is doing very well and respected in many circles nationally and internationally. Kagablog has been leading the way for years; Chimurenga…as many dub poets say: spread the word! (laughter)

HECTOR: I read somewhere that Wole Soyinka, the first black African writer to win the Nobel award for literature, is the writer you respect most in the world?

BOLAJI: Perhaps I have always had my blinkers on in this respect! (laughter). It’s a personal thing. Yes, I still maintain this. Soyinka is one brilliant writer, so dense and profound and still ultra imaginative throughout his long distinguished literary career. As a youngster, I tried to read and understand him; I largely failed. Now decades later on I can still hardly understand him! But this does not mean he’s as inaccessible as many critics of his claim without even trying to read his books. Soyinka has published well over fifty quality books and every work is celebrated in many literary circles. In Nigeria they call him “Our own W.S (Wole Soyinka)”; that is “our own William Shakespeare”…there was a time a Nigerian magazine drew some uncanny parallels between Soyinka and Shakespeare. Suffice it to say here that apart from their initials (W.S) Shakespeare is known for many plays and poems, and the same applies to Soyinka. Soyinka, like Shakespeare, also acted in many of his own plays. But never mind – many important black critics have stated over the decades that Soyinka can hardly be read for “pleasure”, deliberately ignoring the fact that several of Soyinka’s works, like The lion and the jewel, the (two) Jero plays, The swamp dwellers, The Man died (prose) are easy enough to understand. His great memoir, You must set forth at dawn, is also very readable. On the whole, considering his extraordinary brilliance, his versatility as a writer, and general unique fecundity I have no regrets for still maintaining that Wole Soyinka is the writer I respect most in the world.

HECTOR: You’ve mentioned critics, criticism, now. You know, I never really understood what literary criticism was all about till I read your 2002 book, Thoughts on Free State Writing. Many of our people who have read the book have told me the same; that they relished the way you introduced many aspects of literature in the book, utilising local and African examples in the process. Over the years I have learnt, and seen the bad blood generated by literary criticism among African writers; it seems we believe that it is a negative thing, “destructive”; we don’t want whatever we write and publish to be criticized. In your book you gave examples of virulent literary criticism in the Eurocentric world. Many of our African authors, especially those who write in our indigenous languages, have never really even had their work criticized. What can be done to encourage literary criticism in our continent?

BOLAJI: Yes, it is interesting that criticism, such as it is, is largely done by foreign (white) commentators overseas, or occasionally by a few academics in universities here in Africa. By and large, African writers do not like their work being criticized “negatively” and we have seen countless cases where personal attacks, hatred, acerbity is generated by even mild criticism. I guess we still have a lot to learn in this wise. I mean, as I pointed out in my book you referred to, in the Eurocentric world, robust literary criticism is commonplace. I mean if all time great literary icons like William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens are criticized in tons, why should African writers feel they are immune? Don’t get me wrong: I understand why our (black) people hate criticism. The feeling is that it takes a great effort to produce something like an imaginative book, especially in our continent where writers are the oddity indeed. So our writers would rather have their egos massaged and praised rather than suffer the indignity of having their works analysed and subjected to “arcane” critical processes! On my own part I believe that a lot of criticism is necessarily subjective anyway; critics would generally disagree on the merits of a particular work. To give just one example I don’t know whether you ever read Lenrie Peters The Second Round? (Peters is a black African writer from Gambia). Some critics praised the work in superlative fashion while others dubbed the work a “disaster”. Who was right? My own opinion is that unless we want to be writing to make ourselves happy, criticism is very vital. We all improve in the process – hopefully!

HECTOR: Perhaps you’ll like to talk a bit about your own writings. Your imaginative works invariably end in startling way, don’t they?

BOLAJI: I guess that is the way many people will look at my literary corpus, such as it is. Impossible Love (2000) startles many because the reader belatedly discovers that the gentleman (suitor) was in fact in love with his own daughter, inadvertently; in The ghostly adversary (2001) the twists and turns go on and on till even the postscript; in People of the Townships (2003) it is only at the very end of the story that the reader realizes that the attractive narrator is a murderer! When my play The Subtle transgressor (2006) was staged in South Africa, and in Nigeria the audience were shocked that the main man who seemed to be an old-fashioned, strict father was actually a shameless abuser of his own daughter. Then there is the Tebogo Mokoena Mystery series which now has 7 volumes/books Each book , from Tebogo Investigates (2000) to Tebogo and the pantophagist (2010) focuses on a particular mystery. I have published some non-fiction too. Like Thoughts on Free State Writing (2002) which you have mentioned; in the book I try to write literary essays straddling the local and the international – from my own perspective. Fillets of plaice (2000) and My Opinion (2005) focus more on journalism. I have also published autobiographical works like My life and literature (2007). I have three books on poetry, or poems – Snippets (1998), Reverie (2007) and Poems from Mauritius. (2007).I cannot make great claims – but I can say that since I was a youngster, my burning urge was always to be a creative writer, with my works enjoyed by many at grassroots level. So to a certain extent I can say I am fulfilled.

HECTOR: Okay…in this wise, you’ve always maintained that you are a “minor” writer despite the fact your books have made a lot of impact at grassroots level. There is something exciting about your fictional works; zest, pace, humour. A few years ago, critic Pule Lechesa read a short paper (at a writers’ club) where he argued that your love for football (soccer) since infancy has somewhat contributed to your exciting fiction. You were actually one of the first few black African writers on sports who contributed to World Soccer, magazine, based in England, in the 90s. Lechesa went on to state that your work is a bit reminiscent of the great English football writer, Brian Glanville, who also published novels. What do you feel about this? Does your love for football overlap with the type of fiction you write?

BOLAJI: I don’t think so. I do know that when I was very young I dreamed of writing popular, interesting books most people will love to read. I also loved football. I think they are different pursuits. I think Mr. Lechesa was wrong in trying to correlate the two. There are many African writers who love football who do not write my type of fiction…you can even say they would probably despise my brand of writing. Critics and commentators can be quite creative themselves!

HECTOR: There is this tendency nowadays for black readers, including writers in Africa, to prefer to read books written by fellow blacks. Many readers, writers, have confessed as such. Do you still read books written by white writers?

BOLAJI: Of course. Why limit ourselves? Actually to be honest, over the years, over the decades I have always read much more “white” writers than the black ones. Enough has been said by many people about my affection for the late popular writer, Sidney Sheldon, for example. But there are many others – e.g in South Africa here, Menan du Plessis is a favourite of mine. What a superb writer! It’s a pity serious sickness cut short her career, but her two major works (Long Live! and A State of fear) show her intellectual mien, and impressionistic style – so reminiscent of Virginia Woolf. I still read, or re-read the English classics intermittently, time willing. The Bronte sisters, a Charles Dickens tome, The mayor of Casterbridge (Thomas Hardy) and the like. But remember, many new books are churned out on a yearly basis, especially by white writers in South Africa, and one cannot get to see them all.

HECTOR: From your own perspective or knowledge, which books would you regard as the greatest ever published by black African authors over the years? Our classics…

BOLAJI: The answer to a question like that would necessarily be subjective, if not biased. I suppose I am conservative in some ways and I still have great fondness for our “old classics” over the years. Hence I would still regard Chinua Achebe’s Things fall apart as nonpareil – you know the incredible impact the book has had all over the world. Camara Laye’s African Child or L’enfant Noir was also sensational. Forty years after the publication of Ayi Kwei Armah’s The Beautyful ones are not yet born, the book is still stunning. Es’kia Mphahlele’s Down Second Avenue is so finely written and intelligent – even after decades. Wole Soyinka’s The Interpreters has struck me for decades as a fantastic work. At least two of Ngugi’s novels remain timeless – especially A grain of wheat. I respect Dambudzo Marechera and Bessie Head a lot, but I can’t regard their works as “classics” for reasons I do not understand myself. Yet Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions is certainly a great work from the African perspective. In this wise I am of the personal opinion that Gabriel Okara’s book published so long ago – The Voice – is one of the best ever. Ben Okri’s creative works, particularly The famished road show that he is arguably the best writer ever from Africa. More recently I have always insisted that Zakes Mda’s The Madonna of Excelsior is an African classic. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus is excellent too. Mandla Langa – another great South African writer in recent times. Unfortunately, I might not be aware of certain recent great works by new writers…I’m sorry. As I said earlier, so many of us have become rather ignorant and illiterate now!
“Excerpt from the book, OMOSEYE BOLAJI, by Hector Kunene. Published by New Voices Publishing, Cape Town”