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...
