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The literati met with some of the writers whose works have been
nominated for this year’s Nigeria Prize for Literature at Eko Hotel, Lagos, on
Sunday, August 1. The Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) facilitated the forum
where Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo, Zaynabu Jallo, Ziky Kofoworola, Emmy Idegu, Irene
Salami-Agunloye, Uduak Akpabio, Akinwumi Isola and Uwem Udoko featured. Ahmed
Yerima and Phillip Begho didn’t attend, while a minute-silence was observed in
honour of the late Esiaba Irobi.

The writers offered interesting insights into their works at the
event which also featured performances by chair, Lagos State chapter of the
Association of Nigerian Authors, Dagga Tolar; and the American cast of
‘Preemptive’ and ‘Seven’, staged in Nigerian cities as part of the ‘African
Lives’ project.

The occasion became lively during the discussion session
moderated by actor and poet, Wale Obadeyi. The eight writers had earlier read
from their works while Secretary General of CORA, Toyin Akinosho, had explained
the purpose of the forum.

“One of the reasons why we are doing this is to increase the
opportunities for people to know about the literature produced in the country.
But as any piece of literature is derived from a slice of history, or personal
experience, this event offers us glimpses of ourselves,” Akinosho had stated.

Some insights

Speaking about his ‘The Killing Swamp’, a fictional account of
the last moments of the late Ken Saro-Wiwa, Adinoyi-Ojo, disclosed that he met
the environmental activist only once and didn’t hear from him again until he
read news of his death in the papers.

Jallo said that contrary to the moderator’s position, her
‘Onions Make Us Cry’ is not a feminist play lashing out at men. “It just talks
about domestic violence; violence at all levels; from the home to national and
global level.”

Idegu, a lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, is a
contrarian who chose to write his ‘Ata Igala the Great’ from the Igala
worldview because he doesn’t believe the Yoruba worldview portrayed by Wole
Soyinka is representative of Nigeria and Africa. He said the Igala believe in
the world of the living, the dead and the space of God.

Her ‘Idia, the Warrior Queen of Benin’, Salami- Agunloye
explained, is “not an historical play though it uses historical materials.” The
African Drama and Women Studies teacher at the University of Jos added that
it’s a feminist play that uses the feminist perspective to show how women are
perceived in Benin kingdom.

Udoko, a political scientist, disclosed that ‘Broken Pots’ was
motivated by Nigeria’s socio-political challenges. He noted that though Nigeria
is a blessed country, our actions “have contributed to the problems we have in Nigeria.”

Head, Performing Arts Department, University of Ilorin,
Kofoworola said his ‘Queen Ghasengeh’ is “experimental even from its title.”
Reacting to Akinosho’s earlier description of events in the play as a family
affair that snowballs into war between two hitherto friendly kingdoms,
Kofoworola said, “It’s not a purely family affair. It’s a universal affair in
content, concept and context.” He added that the work “is not a campaign for
womanhood but a realisation of the fact that women are our mothers.”

Isola, whose ‘Belly Bellows’ centres around the goddess, Oya,
said he tries to show that women are not the weaker vessels people believe they
are. He held that though Yorubas believe women are weak and that though this
might be true going by their physique, it is not true. “At each period of
history, you have women who really bring out the nature of women.” Oya whom the
play centres on, he added, fought for women empowerment. “Women are stronger
than men. We should be bringing up our daughters to feel they are strong and
intelligent like boys,” Isola reiterated.

Drama and history

The talking point of the evening, however, was how historical
materials should be used in fiction. Salami-Agunloye noted that writing fiction
is not necessarily easier than writing true historical accounts. She added that
it depends on the issue being written about.

“You have to be careful the way you interprete history,” Idegu
noted while citing the late Ola Rotimi’s ‘Ovonramwen Nogbaisi’ and Ahmed
Yerima’s ‘The Trial of Oba Ovonramwen’ as examples of works which interpreted
history differently. While the Binis rejected Rotimi’s play which was more
historically correct by saying the Oba bowed for a portrait of the Queen, they
gladly welcomed that of Yerima which downplayed the point to celebrate their
Centenary. “You have to know the dividing line between falsification and
interpretation,” he reiterated.

Isola, who disclosed that the Efunsetan family of Ibadan didn’t
like the way he portrayed their matriarch in his play, noted that, “drama is
not history. It’s a way of interpreting history. Using history in drama is not
very comfortable. If the family is still living, they can challenge you for
trying to blackmail their parents. You have to be careful. It’s only children
of very wicked people that don’t complain.”

Weighing in, Adinoyi-Ojo said he decided on writing about Wiwa,
“because it’s a familiar history. The challenge for me was the process that led
to that end; to be able to hold the audience spellbound until it reaches that
predictable end. It’s been a painful experience. I met this guy, I fell in love
with him despite the fact that he was bloody arrogant. It’s a play that
questions the situation in the Niger Delta that turned Wiwa and the Ogonis into
victims.”

The evening ended with the writers stating their expectations about the
Prize.