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The 12th Lagos Book and Art festival (LABAF) opened at the Exhibition hall of the National Theatre on November 12. The organizers, the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) scheduled two festival colloquiums into the event in honor of Nigeria’s 50th anniversary. Each discussion session was tagged with its own theme, with selected books which would be discussed by a group of panelists.

It therefore seemed appropriate that the first festival colloquium was titled ‘Literacy and Independence’ and featured Wole Soyinka’s ‘You Must Set Forth At Dawn’, Sarah Ladipo Manyika’s ‘In Dependence’, Eghosa Imasuen’s ‘To Saint Patrick’, Ike Okonta’s ‘When Citizens revolt and Wale Okediran’s ‘Tenants of the House’.

“The books we are discussing, have at the core the nation-building experience,” said Toyin Akinosho of CORA.

Panelists included Tade Ipadeola, Wumi Raji, Osita Agu, Wale Okediran, Yemi Ogunbiyi, who chaired the panel and Sir Olaniwun Ajayi, whose book ‘Nigeria, Africa’s Failed Asset?’ was also up for discussion on the panel.

Olaniwun Ajayi’s book

Ogunbiyi expressed delight that a few students were present at the session. Before opening the forum for the first book, he echoed Professor Tamuno’s words that ‘The Northernisation of Nigeria’ would be another title for Olaniwun Ajayi’s book.

According to him, the book seemed to be saying that unless Nigeria was restructured, it would fail. “The political imbalance in the country is the undoing of this country today. Since independence Nigeria has not experienced political stability,” said Ajayi as he began to speak about his book.

“In this regard, our colonial masters played roles in structuring Nigeria in a way that it would ultimately be a failed experience”, he pointed out. Ajayi, whose book reveals some of the intrigues of the British Government during colonial rule, said the British Government’s move to amalgamate the various groups that now made up Nigeria, was the nation’s undoing.

“I thought I should put on record the evil that the British people did. They put us together as if we were homogenous. You do not put people together like that, it will cause explosions like it has (done) in some parts of the world today,” he said.

Ogunbiyi then asked Ajayi to express his view on the future of the country and the youths, some of whom were in the audience. “Their future lies in an event such as this,” came the reply. “That is why I commend this festival which is attempting to get our children to read and learn. You cannot cheat one who is educated. Our kids should grow up knowing their rights.”

He encouraged the students to continue to read and learn and to fight anyone who tried to rig elections. Ogunbiyi however told the audience that Ajayi’s work was not an anti-North book, as the suggestion could arise.

He said that the writer balanced his treatise by documenting the fact that Northerners also faced oppression at the hands of their own rulers. Wumi Raji added to this by saying that Nigerians were also oppressed by their own indigenous rulers so Nigerians must begin to look beyond the North and South problem.

When Citizens Revolt

Osita Agu’s review of Ike Okonta’s ‘When Citizens Revolt’ drew attention to the fact that ethnicity was a product of European rule and the country’s response to it. According to him, although the book was about the atrocities committed against the Ogoni citizens and their revolt against this, it could also transcend this and become the response of Nigerian citizens against tyrannical governments. Agu also said that the writer of the book seemed to be arguing that local autonomy was essential to the nation.

Sarah Ladipo Manyika’s ‘In Dependence’ echoed similarities to the previous reviews. According to one of the panelists, woven around the narrative is the story of Nigeria and its crises since independence. The coups and counter coups, the civil war, the eroding of the educational system in the country were some of the issues in the book. In spite of this, the protagonist Tayo is still hopeful about the country and does not join his academic counterparts fleeing the country in search for greener pastures.

Past ANA president Wale Okediran read an excerpt from his latest work ‘Tenants of the House,’ . “The book was borne out of my experience as a member of the house of Representatives. I decided to put down some of my experiences. In fictional form of course,” he said.

Imasuen while commenting on his novel, ‘To Saint Patrick,’ said he was intrigued by books that told the stories of Nigeria, like Wale Ademoyega’s ‘Why We Struck’. “I often wondered what would happen if a point in history was changed” he told the audience. He then went ahead to read an excerpt from the book, showing what a simple change in history could result in.

World to conquer

Addressing the audience, especially the students, Ogunbiyi made reference to Imasuen and Okediran as doctors who were writers. “This is good for you young people to know that the creative world is yours to conquer, regardless of what you do.” He encouraged the students to buy books from the display stand which consisted of different publishers displaying their books for sale.

Fielding questions from Journalists at the end of the session, Akinosho, spoke on some of the challenges of the festival, which included getting people to participate and getting people to buy books. “People are not naturally attracted to doing book things,” he said.

He disclosed that the festival was dedicated to the Father of the African novel, Chinua Achebe at 80. “While he belongs to the world, he is also our son,” Akinosho said. “He was published two years before our independence so he fits into the anniversary.”

Akinosho expressed that the nation did not give premium to its creative writers. “So we’ll celebrate ourselves,” he added. The following day, LABAF held a birthday party in honour of art figures including Mabel Segun, Achebe, journalist Dele Momodu, broadcaster Patrick Doyle, poet Eddie Aderinokun and writer Uzor Maxim Uzoatu.