Nigeria Content Online

First of all, let
us abolish one myth. It is not true that Nigerians (and by extension,
Africans) do not read. When you really think about Nigerians, we are
not much different from citizens in the Western world. These days,
Westerners do not read books, they do not read print. It is too
expensive a habit and it just does not fit into how they live these
days. Similarly, our people stopped reading a long time ago because
like in the West it is an unnecessary luxury. Life is too short.
Besides, how many of you have tried to read a book while perched an
Okada motorcycle on the Third Mainland Bridge?

Our people read.
They read their bibles religiously, begging an indifferent God for
relief from their thieving sons and daughters, our vagabonds in power.
They read religiously: Cell phones, smartphones, laptops, etc.
Regardless, the writer-thinker keeps churning out ideas in books that
few people read. We need to redesign our attitudes and our mindsets. We
are too busy being the sage on the stage when we should be the guide on
the side of those whom we seek to influence. The amount of time we all
spend online complaining about the poor reading culture of poor people
could be more productively spent designing instructional materials that
could be ported to the medium that our people now use.

It is not as if the
books that are being produced in Nigeria are attractive enough to want
to be read. Last year, I visited a number of bookstores in Nigeria. I
found my way to about four bookstores including those at the airports.
The bookstore is still alive in Nigeria. I was at the Jazzhole in
Lagos; I found it to be a very eclectic place. I urge people to
patronise it. You are never sure who you are going to meet there (I met
the legendary Fatai Rolling Dollar) and the proprietors are filled with
an infectious optimism and vision for reading in Nigeria. I bought
several books by known and unknown authors. I was going home to the
States to enjoy the books. I must say sadly that for the most part,
these are wretched productions. There are some bright spots but the
publishing stinks and one is left with a very poor impression of
Nigerian writing and publishers.

Let’s face it: Most
Nigerian writers of note live abroad. Most of those that are left
behind would like to escape. They live on the Internet, communing with
the world outside. The Internet allows the West to further plunder our
best brains. If you truly want to enjoy Nigerian literature, go to the
Internet. Very soon, I will stop reading books and simply prowl the
Internet for good writing. The best of our writing now exists on the
web. Our Nigerian writers are writing feverishly mostly in blogs,
online journals and Facebook. There is some pretty good literature out
there; it is just that we are still busy reviewing books. Have you ever
met someone at a party that introduced him or herself as a blog
reviewer? There is no such animal. There should be. We are missing out
on some great gems out there. We should be reading and reviewing
digital productions. And they are free. These writers should be paid.

We have great
writers in Nigeria; however there is something that happens to their
brains once they begin to write books. They become giddy. Pot-bellied
generals begin to fall off the windows of their books, rapes chase
incest and blood and alcohol and sh*t mix to form a potent brew to
knock the reader senseless with boredom. It sells I guess. There are
some truly great poets out there, but it just seems to me that the ones
that are angling to be read these days lack range and depth. It is the
same tired crap. And yet they complain that no one reads these days. I
don’t blame the astute reader for choosing illiteracy over depression.

This is not to minimize the pain that Nigerian writers feel. What
the Nigeria government has done to our writers is grim beyond the
speaking of it. It is a roll call of abuse, degradation, death.
Beginning with Christopher Okigbo, many writers have paid the ultimate
price for owning words. Wole Soyinka’s lengthy experience in the hands
of Nigeria’s government is outlined with farcical detail in his various
memoirs. Chinua Achebe sits in wintry exile in North America. On one
level it is a shame, how Nigeria has hounded her wordsmiths to the
grave or to exile. The loss has been incalculable. Even in peace time,
Nigeria can be rough on a writer. Like ravenous termites, thieving
leaders have decimated whatever media structures are there. I have said
this before, there are some courageous people doing some really great
things for the arts in Nigeria. But it is not enough, in the year 2010,
it is criminal that these initiatives are still largely dependent on
individuals, rather than on robust structures. Our leaders should be
shot.