Wednesday, November 5, 2008
She came home to pick gold

By Akeem Lasisi

To elm-slim Nnedi Okoroafor-Mbachu, the trip she made to Nigeria late last week is one of the best ways to visit home. The US-based Nigerian writer had come to witness the finals of the second edition of the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa, where she and two other writers - Wale Okediran and Uzodima Okonjo-Iweala - were in the race for the award established by Lumina Foundation. At the end of the day, her magical realist prose work, Zarah the Windseeker, was declared winner, thus securing the $20,000 at stake.



Okoroafaor-Mbachu, Soyinka and Obafemi




"It is amazing," Okoroafor-Mbachu enthused at the ceremony held on Sunday night at the Eko Hotel, Lagos. I am extremely overwhelmed. I am particularly thrilled that this is happening in Nigeria. This is my foundation, especially as it is also an African award.

With her victory, Okoroafor-Mbachu appears to have signposted a pattern in the young literary prize initiated by prolific writer, Promise Ogochukwu. In the first instance, it is the second time a Nigerian would win it from the Diaspora, as the maiden edition went to US-based Sefi Attah's Everything Good will Come. On another note, it seems to be another way to affirm the pedigree of Nigerian female writers who have continued to break new grounds within and outside the country.

Apart from the breakthroughs that the likes of Mabel Segun, Akachi Ezeigbo and Chimamanda Adichie have made in recent past, emerging novelist, Kaine Agary, captured the 2008 Nigeria Prize for Literature only last month, cruising home with a whooping $50,000. While everything good seems to be going the way of the women, however, professor of drama at the University of Ilorin, Olu Obafemi, who was head of the Soyinka Prize judging panel, made it clear at the event that nothing but overall literary merit gave the gold to Okoroafor-Mbachu.

Obafemi noted that of the 126 entries received, Zarah the Windseeker, Okonjo-Iweala's Beast of no Nation and Okediran's The Weaving Loom stood out. Describing Beast of no Nation as a gripping narration, he said that The Weaving Loom is a well produced book that inspiringly promotes enduring values. In Zarah the Windseeker, however, the judges saw an unstoppable excursion into myths and taboos and a work with "profound simplicity", beautifully produced and "virtually error-free."

The award ceremony was ignited by Crown Troupe of Africa which staged an interesting and engaging play, The Key, written by Ogochukwu; cultural performances by Nefatiti; as well as poetry recitation that extolled the virtues of Africa and Soyinka, who struggled hard to concede the title, 'celebrant' to an Okoroafor-Mbachu, youngsters at the event, and the future of African literature that, he believes, is very bright.

The Nobel laureate was ushered onto the stage by panegyric chants from the suavely dressed four ladies that made up Nefatiti. So moved was Soyinka that he rewarded each of the singers with a privileged kiss. Or was it a peck?

"I am not the celebrant," he said, adding that the only condition he could accept being so was if he would enjoy the privilege of bestowing the kiss on the girls - almost reminding one of how Elesin Oba, in Soyinka's popular play, Death and the King's Horseman, insists on getting some sacred privileges before his sacrificial death. On a more serious note, however, the 74-year-old indefatigable activist and pen wielder added, "I am not the celebrant. What we are celebrating today is literature."

While congratulating Okoroafor-Mbachu, he commended the two women behind Lumina, Fracesca Emanuel, whom he described as his long-time friend and collaborator and Ogochukwu, not only for sustaining the prize, but also expanding its focus to include running reading clubs in schools.

Also at the ceremony were the Managing Director of Tanus Communications, Dr. Ymi Ogunbiyi; a former President of the Association of Nigerian Authors, Mr. Odia Ofeimun; several publishers and writers.

Emmanuel thanked corporate organisations such as Access Bank, Intercontinental Bank, Zain, Zenith Bank, Macmillan and Oceanic Bank.



http://odili.net/news/source/2008/nov/5/411.html