When the Nigerian author, Rotimi Babatunde, was declared winner of the prestigious Caine Prize for African writing last year with his novel, Bombay’s Republic – about Nigerian soldiers who fought in the Burma campaign during World War II, the world was agog to celebrate the novelist.
The celebration gained a greater height a forth night ago when a United States of American based Nigerian writer, Tope Folarin, scooped away the £10,000 ($15,000) prize, with his short story, Miracle.
The story is set in an evangelical Nigerian church in the US city of Texas. The book’s plot raced through a congregation that gathers at a church to witness the healing powers of a blind pastor-prophet.
Declaring him winner, the judges’ report described the book as a “delightful and beautifully paced narrative.”
Folarin was among five writers short-listed for the prize, regarded as Africa’s leading literary award, reports the BBC.
Three other Nigerians were short-listed. These include Elnathan John for Bayan Layi, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim forThe Whispering Trees and Chinelo Okparanta for America.
Sierra Leone’s Pede Hollist was the only non-Nigerian short-listed for his short story Foreign Aid. As members of the literary community began to celebrate the great humour and recognition bestowed on it worldwide, there erupted a ‘war’ among writers.
“Elnathan was one of my boys in my workshop. But what’s all this over-privileging of the Caine Prize, anyway? I don’t want to talk about the Caine Prize, really. I suppose it’s a good thing, but for me it’s not the arbiter of the best fiction in Africa. It’s never been. I know that Chinelo is on the short list, too. But I haven’t even read the stories—I’m just not very interested. I don’t go the Caine Prize to look for the best in African fiction.” This was what award winning author, Chimamanda Adichie would say in an interview with Aaron Bady when she was asked to comment on why four out of five shortlisted candidates for this edition of Caine Prize this edition were Nigerians.
This comment, according to a number of reactions from Nigerian writers home and abroad was considered to have been soiled with “unreasonable pride” as it sounded non-complementary from the status of celebrated writer like Chimamanda.
Another nauseating reference that others regarded as the hype of the literary episode was the fact that she must have considered literary works of some Nigerians as well as Caine Prize as a body, as substandard in the comity of literary prizes.
Her words: “I go to my mailbox, where my workshop people send me their stories. I could give you a list of ten—mostly in Nigeria—writers who I think are very good. They’re not on the Caine Prize short list. Also, you do realise that Nigeria is the most populous country, and we have a crazy, chauvinistic nationalism. So when you say anything bad about Nigeria, we attack you, but when we all go back to Nigeria, we attack each other.
That’s how it works. We’re very happy that there are four. Actually, we think all the people on the short list should be Nigerians, because we are born with the natural arrogance of the Nigerians. Of course, what’s wonderful is that there’s nothing to be arrogant about. Nigerians feel very superior to Ghana, for example, but then you go to Accra, and Accra actually works.
“Who’s the other Nigerian on the short list? There’s Chinelo and Elnathan but I don’t know who the others are.”
In his response, Elnathan John felt insulted by Adichie’s comment. “What a depressing week. First I don’t win the Caine Prize. Then I become touted as Amanda Adichie’s boy. Then I don’t make her own shortlist!”
One of the shortlists, Abubakar A. Ibrahim also reacted angrily against this comment. “So the best African fiction is in Chimamanda Adichie’s inbox? I hail thee, queen-god mother. … Nonsense.”
For Tade Ipadeola, the poet and legal counsel, Chimamanda has not been fair enough with her comment. “Why would Amanda Adichie be so disrespectful to other writers, Fidelity Bank and her own self?”
Former Arts and Culture Editor of defunct newspaper, NEXT, Molara Wood claimed that Adichie’s comment must have been deliberate judging by her reaction to one of the publications of the newspapers.
“Concerning Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s use of “one of my boys” and the debates surrounding, I woke up this morning and remembered something from my days as Arts & Culture Editor of NEXT and, all things considered, I wish to share it.
“Ms Adichie graced the cover of the 16-page weekly supplement I edited at least three or four times, looking stunning on each one – and featured on countless side boxes, top banners, etcetera. On one of the covers, I wrote a banner along these lines: ‘The Glamour Girl of Nigerian Writing’. Myself and my team meant this as a compliment, but the author did not share that view. I had known her personally for several years, with emails and telephone numbers for two continents, yet Ms Adichie lodged a complaint directly with my bosses at NEXT, who in turn communicated her displeasure to me.
“It was not so much the word ‘Glamour’. The author objected to the use of the word ‘Girl’, especially as she was now over 30. I sent an email to Ms Adichie, copied to my bosses, in which I offered the author my unreserved apologies.
“What do you guys think? Was Chimamanda trying to belittle the Caine Prize? Did Elnathan go overboard in his response to Adichie?”
More reactions especially through the social network, which some writers advised should be maturely handled, nearly affected the glamour of the celebration.
via daily independent
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