As Chimamanda reads from her latest book Thing Around Your Neck at Silverbird Galleria today by 4pm, CORA's (Committee For Relevant Art) quarterly Art Stampede will hold at the National Theatre on Sunday July 12, 2009 by 1.30pm.
The stampede is a discursive platform at which the burning issues of culture production in our country are discussed by an audience which includes painters, poets, actors, singers, TV scriptwriters, fashion designers, essayists, novelists, drummers, sculptors-the entire community of culture producers. This edition of the Stampede has, as its theme: 'LEGENDS and LEGACIES' and is designed to explore strategies through which the work of legends and heroes of Nigeria art and culture sector can be adequately documented and preserved for the benefit of succeeding generation of artists as well as the Nation in general.
The Stampede will also be used to commemorate both the one year memorial of the death of Mr. Steve Rhodes, the renowned music composer and arranger, who is also the patriarch of all of contemporary Nigerian arts, as well as celebrate the playwright and memoirist Wole Soyinka who clocks 75 on July 13.
Among the Speakers expected are the Federal Director of Culture, Mr George Ufot; the Director General of the Lagos State Records and Archives, Mr Uthman Bolaji, the actor and Delta State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr Richard Mofe Damijo, the veteran art producer and manager, Femi Jarret, the Founder/CEO of the African Movie Academy, Peace Anyiam–Osigwe (also of the Anyiam Osigwe Foundation) and , Mr Femi Odugbemi, former President of the Independent Television Producers Association of Nigeria, ITPAN, and director of the DXWorx Studios, who has done documentary film on some of the veteran artists, including on Steve Rhodes.
The Stampede is a combination of dialogue, music and other artistic performances. It will involve participation of a number of distinguished artists located in the city.
For more information email: africaoilgasreport@yahoo.com, jahblak@yahoo.com
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Esquire's Fiction Contest
Esquire is a men's lifestyle magazine (not the point I want to make, just an intro). Esquire has an ongoing fiction contest but I can't apply as it is only open to legal residents of US (sad, ain't it?). Well, for those based in US, the rules are here and plan to write, who knows? All the best!
Quick question: when will Nigerian magazines organise contests asides the contest of 'Who wears what best?' on their pages (not all of them though) and raising money through all these catwalks...something to encourage writers? Don't misquote me, some have quality content and I read them but just this little snag... Am I making general assumptions? Do you know any Naija magazine that has organised any such competition? Let us know!
Quick question: when will Nigerian magazines organise contests asides the contest of 'Who wears what best?' on their pages (not all of them though) and raising money through all these catwalks...something to encourage writers? Don't misquote me, some have quality content and I read them but just this little snag... Am I making general assumptions? Do you know any Naija magazine that has organised any such competition? Let us know!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
EC Osondu wins at last
Sometime last month, we interviewed EC Osondu here...he actually hit the bull's eye this time around--he won the Caine prize.
Read the winning story here.
What can we say? Congratulations Osondu, more ink in your writing pen and your fear won't come true (inspiration no go flee)!
Read the winning story here.
What can we say? Congratulations Osondu, more ink in your writing pen and your fear won't come true (inspiration no go flee)!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Farafina Trust Creative Writing Workshop Sponsored by Nigerian Breweries
Farafina Trust will be holding a creative writing workshop in Lagos, organized by award-winning writer and creative director of Farafina Trust, Chimamanda Adichie, from September 17 to September 26 2009. The workshop is sponsored by Nigerian Breweries Plc. Guest writers who will co-teach the workshop alongside Adichie are the Caine Prize Winning Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina author of DISCOVERING HOME, the PEN/Faulkner Malamud Award Winning writer Nathan Englander author of FOR THE RELIEF OF UNBEARABLE URGES. Guardian Fiction prize winning author of TRUMPET Jackie Kay, Booker-nominated English author of NOTES ON A SCANDAL Zoe Heller and others.
The workshop will take the form of a class. Participants will be assigned a wide range of reading exercises, as well as daily writing exercises. The aim of the workshop is to improve the craft of Nigerian writers and to encourage published and unpublished writers by bringing different perspectives to the art of storytelling. Participation is limited only to those who apply and are accepted.
To apply, send an e-mail to Udonandu2009@gmail.com
Your e-mail subject should read ‘Workshop Application.’
The body of the e-mail should contain the following:
1. Your Name
2. Your address
3. A few sentences about yourself
4. A writing sample of between 200 and 800 words. The sample must be either fiction or non-fiction.
Monday, July 6, 2009
On the Penguin Prize for African Writing
Well, it is not news that the Penguin Prize is opened for submissions. However, it has come under so much criticism because of its rules. Toyin Adepoju, Nigerian academic states his issues with the prize; Nnedi Okorafor is also unhappy with the rules.
Toyin Adepoju's Grouse:
1.Submissions in the children’s literature, science fiction or fantasy genres will not be considered
Why? I am really puzzled by this.
The iconic work of the following African writers challenges such a criterion. Christopher Okigbo's poetry, in which he journeys to the goddess’ underwater abode, is fantasy writing. Ben Okri is primarily a fantasist in his entry to and from the alternate world of the spirit children, the ogbanje, in The Famished Road, which opens with an endless road which is “always hungry”, and a king who is animal, human and spirit. The same goes for Amos Tutuola’s palm wine tapper pursuing his deceased palm wine “tapster” into the “Deads Town” and Daniel Fagunwa’s hunters who travel in forests in which mind boggling creatures abound, as well as Bessie Head’s A Question of Power, where the protagonist is in constant internal warfare with characters who are either God...
Penguin issued the works of the US writer H.P. Lovecraft, one of the greatest masters of metaphysical horror. They also issued the stories of the Argentine Jorge Luis Borges, distinctive for his metaphysical narrative riddles, most of which are gems of the improbable, like the story of God's dream visitation to the tiger and the poet.
Fantasy writing is one of the most powerful genres for exploring the deepest issues about the meaning of life and alternative conceptions of reality. One reason why I am not too enthusiastic about much African writing is the very limitation suggested by this Penguin prize criterion-a focus on realist writing that severely limits the range of possibilities available in the literature.
2.Serious narrative non-fiction that examines and explores African issues and experiences for both local and international audiences in an engaging, thought provoking and enlightening way.
Why? Must an African write about Africa? So many non-Africans have made their names writing about Africa. I,for one, am an African who has a keen interest in comparative mysticism, African, Islamic Asian, European. In being assessed for such a prize, why should the non - location of the work in relation to Africa be an issue? Are we not observing a move here towards cultural ghettoisation? With such a restriction, should the prize not be titled instead as a prize for Africans writing about Africa, instead of simply being a prize for African writing?
Are Plato, Kant, Descartes, or the more recent Paul Davies, Martin Rees and Stephen Hawking , all scientists and philosophers who are great or impressive writers, writing about Europe, Germany, Greece or England per se? No. They are writing about the human condition from their backgrounds as Europeans, a background that is not definitive of the subject matter of their works.
Nnedi Okorafor has six reactions to the stipulation "Submissions in the children’s literature, science fiction or fantasygenres will not be considered"
My first reaction: No science fiction or fantasy genres? WTF?! Well, why the heck not?!
My second reaction: So…just how many Africans are even WRITING fiction directly, openly categorized as “science fiction” and “fantasy”? Sooooo many that this has to be said?
My third reaction: Would novels like Famished Road, Icarus Girl, or Wizard of the Crow be rejected?
My fourth reaction: A prize with this kind of stipulation is openly disrespecting science fiction and fantasy as literature. Good Lord, I felt like I was back in my PhD program again.
My fifth reaction: This will do wonders in inspiring African writers to write science fiction and fantasy (I’m being sarcastic).
My sixth reaction: Well, the judges for the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature were open-minded enough to choose my fantasy novel Zahrah the Windseeker.
Rules are made by humans, for humans and not humans for rules, not so? We are wondering the mentality behind the rules as they'd rather restrict creativity instead of promote it. What do you think?
Toyin Adepoju's Grouse:
1.Submissions in the children’s literature, science fiction or fantasy genres will not be considered
Why? I am really puzzled by this.
The iconic work of the following African writers challenges such a criterion. Christopher Okigbo's poetry, in which he journeys to the goddess’ underwater abode, is fantasy writing. Ben Okri is primarily a fantasist in his entry to and from the alternate world of the spirit children, the ogbanje, in The Famished Road, which opens with an endless road which is “always hungry”, and a king who is animal, human and spirit. The same goes for Amos Tutuola’s palm wine tapper pursuing his deceased palm wine “tapster” into the “Deads Town” and Daniel Fagunwa’s hunters who travel in forests in which mind boggling creatures abound, as well as Bessie Head’s A Question of Power, where the protagonist is in constant internal warfare with characters who are either God...
Penguin issued the works of the US writer H.P. Lovecraft, one of the greatest masters of metaphysical horror. They also issued the stories of the Argentine Jorge Luis Borges, distinctive for his metaphysical narrative riddles, most of which are gems of the improbable, like the story of God's dream visitation to the tiger and the poet.
Fantasy writing is one of the most powerful genres for exploring the deepest issues about the meaning of life and alternative conceptions of reality. One reason why I am not too enthusiastic about much African writing is the very limitation suggested by this Penguin prize criterion-a focus on realist writing that severely limits the range of possibilities available in the literature.
2.Serious narrative non-fiction that examines and explores African issues and experiences for both local and international audiences in an engaging, thought provoking and enlightening way.
Why? Must an African write about Africa? So many non-Africans have made their names writing about Africa. I,for one, am an African who has a keen interest in comparative mysticism, African, Islamic Asian, European. In being assessed for such a prize, why should the non - location of the work in relation to Africa be an issue? Are we not observing a move here towards cultural ghettoisation? With such a restriction, should the prize not be titled instead as a prize for Africans writing about Africa, instead of simply being a prize for African writing?
Are Plato, Kant, Descartes, or the more recent Paul Davies, Martin Rees and Stephen Hawking , all scientists and philosophers who are great or impressive writers, writing about Europe, Germany, Greece or England per se? No. They are writing about the human condition from their backgrounds as Europeans, a background that is not definitive of the subject matter of their works.
Nnedi Okorafor has six reactions to the stipulation "Submissions in the children’s literature, science fiction or fantasygenres will not be considered"
My first reaction: No science fiction or fantasy genres? WTF?! Well, why the heck not?!
My second reaction: So…just how many Africans are even WRITING fiction directly, openly categorized as “science fiction” and “fantasy”? Sooooo many that this has to be said?
My third reaction: Would novels like Famished Road, Icarus Girl, or Wizard of the Crow be rejected?
My fourth reaction: A prize with this kind of stipulation is openly disrespecting science fiction and fantasy as literature. Good Lord, I felt like I was back in my PhD program again.
My fifth reaction: This will do wonders in inspiring African writers to write science fiction and fantasy (I’m being sarcastic).
My sixth reaction: Well, the judges for the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature were open-minded enough to choose my fantasy novel Zahrah the Windseeker.
Rules are made by humans, for humans and not humans for rules, not so? We are wondering the mentality behind the rules as they'd rather restrict creativity instead of promote it. What do you think?
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Online Creative Writing Course
Are you thinking of an online Creative Writing Course? You may consider this tailored-to-fit course with friendly and supportive professional writer Liz Ashworth.
Develop your fiction, poetry, journalism or drama to publishable standard or just enjoy the trip! Single sessions or ten-session package at you own pace, with free creative writing handbook on enrolment.
Contact Liz Ashworth by sending an email: liz@lizashworth.com
Visit her website or just Google (trust me, it works).
Develop your fiction, poetry, journalism or drama to publishable standard or just enjoy the trip! Single sessions or ten-session package at you own pace, with free creative writing handbook on enrolment.
Contact Liz Ashworth by sending an email: liz@lizashworth.com
Visit her website or just Google (trust me, it works).
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
CREATIVE WRITING COMPETITION
Happy new month to all Bookaholics!
We welcome you to July with this however don't let the seeming illusion that the deadline is far off be a clog in your writing wheels; start writing NOW. Well, that's if you are interested in winning 1,000 dollars!
Topic: Nigerian Women and Development: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
For further enquiries call 08089803557, 08098060004 or visit the Centre’s website.
We welcome you to July with this however don't let the seeming illusion that the deadline is far off be a clog in your writing wheels; start writing NOW. Well, that's if you are interested in winning 1,000 dollars!
Topic: Nigerian Women and Development: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
The competition is open to young women and men between ages 20-40 years to develop skills in writing, designing and creating short plays, essays and poetry and to stimulate their interest in issues regarding the changing roles of women in society. Interested participants are requested to send in an original scholarly writing in form of prose or short play or poetry to express their ideas about the selected theme.
Submission of entries: Participants should submit soft copies electronically to info@chdafrica.org and 2 hard copies to Centre for Human Development, Suite 1 , First Floor, New Adeoyo Road , Off Ring Road , Ibadan , Oyo State.
Prizes: $1,000 will be awarded to the winner in each category of the competition.
Deadline: December 31st, 2009.
More about the Competition:
Within the framework of its strategy of educating the youth on Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality, the Centre for Human Development (CHD), with support of the Ford Foundation in Nigeria, is organising a writing competition on the above theme to underscore the important role of the Nigerian Women’s Movement in the quest for women’s empowerment, gender equality and sustainable development. This Creative Writing Competition is designed to celebrate the productive roles and achievements of women in national development in the last 50 years, stimulate enquiry into the changing roles of women in society and institute a gender sensitive representation of arts and culture.
Deadline: December 31st, 2009.
More about the Competition:
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