Nigeria Content Online

The serene premises of the British
Council in Ikoyi, Lagos, recently played host to young art lovers who
turned out in large numbers for the official presentation of Zainabu
Jallo’s book – ‘Onions Make Us Cry’ and the Creative Arts Mentoring
Forum.

The event kicked off with a press
conference, which afforded journalists a one on one interview session
with the author, as well as an introduction to her latest work,
recently longlisted for the 2010 NLNG Literature Prize.

The visibly shy Jallo is a freelance
writer, radio presenter, scriptwriter, and playwright. During the meet
and greet session, the Plateau State native told the audience that she
had been running an imaginary column since she was 5.

‘My mum recently came up with some of
my writings at age five to six and I was amazed at some of the things I
had written down as far back as then. While at the university, many of
my professors would say I would do better as a writer, and so I guess
that could be the reason I write today.”

The title

The interesting
title of Jallo’s play may not be unconnected to her deep and
imaginative thinking. She said, “I chose to title the book ‘Onions Make
Us Cry’ because I felt it summed up the various reasons people give for
their shortcomings or predicament. So, since we all say things like
‘onions make us cry’, what other title captures it better?”

Set in an engaging
mad house, ‘Onions Make Us Cry’ is written in an open style. It also
has a lot of poetic dialogue and employs a general dose of metaphors.
The dialogue is also rhythmical and thus makes it easy for a reader to
flow with the pace as it progresses from one situation into another.

The first thing a
reader notices when he or she picks up the book is the light pink cover
(it has some rings of onions on it); at 62 pages, it is also
lightweight in terms of pagination.

“I wrote the first
draft in 2008, but I have been collecting ideas since 2006. I thought
of something which will appeal to anyone who doesn’t read too much. I
read plays that are written in acts and scenes, so I wanted to write
something I would love to read myself,” she explained.

A writer’s mind

Jallo read excerpts
of her work to the audience during the book reading session. The
dialogue comes across as deep and therefore, causes a reader to ponder,
meditate, and read in-between the lines.

The lead character,
Malinda Jandayi, a patient in a psychiatric home, is a representation
of women who are locked up in silence, despite being abused by their
husbands or relatives. On the other hand, the clinical psychologist,
Lola Gambari, is herself a victim of the same condition which her
patient suffers from. At the end of the day, the patient ends up
helping and counselling her doctor. An irony such as this is what the
reader encounters at one point or the other as the reading progresses.

So, just how does
Jallo’s mind work? According to her, “I write selectively. Its like my
old Sony camera: whatever I see, I capture. It is a potpourri of
everything. I have a weird mind and nothing in the story has got to do
with my past experiences. I’m not a feminist, but I think a woman is a
strong breed – but unfortunately, many of them do not know that. I tell
a story my heart bleeds for. It is a collection of people’s stories
written in a poetic dialogue.

The mentoring session

Feminism and its
themes have always been a touchy and sensitive issue. However, the
University of Jos graduate makes it easy for the reader to appreciate
and come to terms with it, thanks to her witty anecdotes and quips.

All through the reading, Jallo’s sense of humour is not in any way drowned by her introvert nature.

Other readers of
‘Onions Make Us Cry’ at the event were: Koko Kalango (founder of the
Port Harcourt-based Rainbow Club), Yinka Ijabiyi of the British
Council, and Segun Adefila (leader, Crown Troupe of Africa). As the
reading began, Jalo hinted the audience that her book will soon be
adapted for stage by Segun Adefila. The book readers were later joined
by the mentors for the day: the Inspiration FM on air personality, Dan
Foster; MNET managing director, Biola Alabi; and the event anchor, Carl
Raccah, Oragangotan record label boss.

It was fun all the
way for the audience, many of whom were excited at the rare opportunity
to see and meet with the likes of Dan Foster and Biola Alabi in person.
From the ‘how- to-be- a-better- presenter’ to ‘how- to- succeed –in-
the- creative- industry’ tips, lectures and tutorials were given in a
very informal way.

Jallo was also on
hand to give some words of encouragement to budding writers who may
have had their manuscripts rejected at one point or the other. She
empathised with the plight of the budding writer who has faced
rejection, saying, “I was rejected times without number. All I ever
heard were things like we don’t publish plays, prose is a lot more
welcoming here in Nigeria. And now, I was not using the acts and scenes
you find in conventional plays, so I had to persevere and keep my hope
and dream alive.”

She also added that
she was pleased with the audience reception of her play, adding that
this was the first time she would be having a reading in Nigeria.

It was an evening
well spent and the audience had an opportunity to pitch creative ideas
and also interact with their mentors on a first hand basis.

The book presentation was part of the British Council’s Creative
Enterprise mentoring programme, a platform for emerging creative
persons to interact, network, and be mentored by established and
successful creative entrepreneurs in the various sectors of the
creative industries.