African Writing: What is it?, by Dele Ikeorha
African writing: What is it? What really is it? It is not the garment that makes the man or the man that makes the garment, but it is. The answers to the simple question are varied:
1. Any writing by an African, regardless of the subject matter.
2. Writing in an African language, rather than colonial languages.
3. Writing in any language by an African.
4. Writing on themes significant to the African experience.
5. Writing on any theme, whether significant, fantastical, farcical, or fictional that resonates with the human experience is African writing.
I began questioning my own identity as a writer. Am I an African writer? I hesitated to enter the African poetry prize because I had to confront this question. Firstly, I write in English, which is not an African language. However, we now have Nigerian English, West African English, and other variations. So, I can argue that I am an African writer. But do I truly write in Nigerian English? What does that even mean? English is English, after all. Ultimately, as long as I am African by birth and connection, I remain an African writer, regardless of the language I use.
Secondly, I write with a kind of complexity and sophistication not usually seen in contemporary African writing because of my vast vocabulary and command of the English language, which I can say I speak and write better than 98% of English native speakers. I can claim even to be a native speaker of Nigerian English. That gives me the right to write in that language, as it is distinctively African, or in any language of my choice.
One of the insults hurled against African writing is that it is unstructured, lazy, and simplistic. Such conclusions are usually rooted in prejudice and poor scholarship, as the evidence contradicts that hypothesis. Many African ancient and contemporary literary forms – storytelling, drama, poetry, and fiction – are rooted in structural firms, metrics like iambic pentameters, quad meters, etc., rhyme schemes, and variety of firms. Lack of scientific engagement with these forms has led to poor scholarship, and by extension, the possibility of infecting future generations of writers with this uninventiveness and mediocrity. This we must guard against.
Thirdly, I decided to create my own sonnet form, which I call the Ikeorhan Classic Sonnet Scheme (AABB CCDD EEFF GG). I also innovated the Inverted Sonnet, reversing the traditional sonnet structure to create a diversity of new sonnet forms that extend the boundaries and possibilities for writers across the globe. So, African writers and writing can have a global impact. This is what Chinua Achebe has proved.
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Conclusively, but we must engage in cultural exchange and interaction with literary scholarship from other realms – the West, East, and Northern Hemisphere – who control the literary world. Additionally, I introduced Extended Sonnet types, ranging from 16 to 28 lines. I did this to assert my authority in the field. We must all write with authority. To achieve this, we need to read widely, be inventive, and hone our craftsmanship. We can borrow styles from others, but when we merge different influences, the result becomes distinctively our own. We must add our unique touch, making our writing beautiful, classy, and interesting.
Since the sonnet is often perceived as a Western form, I felt compelled to adapt it to my African context. My research revealed that elements of sonnets exist in African folklores, but the dearth of critical scholarship on African literature since Achebe is striking. If time permits, I intend to address this gap in the future.
So, what is African writing? Is it solely about colonialism, poverty, and slavery? While these themes are important, the African experience encompasses the entire gamut of human emotions and history. We can write about anything – our laughter, our tears, our stories. Ola Rotimi’s adaptation of Oedipus Rex, The Gods Are Not to Blame, is a prime example. It’s not just the story itself, but how we tell it, using African settings and motifs.
But what does it mean to have an African setting? We must liberate the African writer from the shackles of the past and propel them into the future. Let’s begin to portray Africa as an El Dorado, a land of promise and opportunity.
Although I have not written a novel, that’s my intention. The African writer is still a prisoner of the past, not due to nostalgia, but due to mental chains that are almost neurotic or psychotic. The African writer can write about anything; it’s not the subject matter that makes it African, but rather who the writer is and how they write.
In essence, even if we turn Lagos into a Paris, but still call it Lagos, it’s still African writing.
The African writer’s identity is not defined by their subject matter, but by their unique perspective, experiences, and cultural background. It’s time for us to break free from the constraints of the past and forge a new path, one that celebrates our diversity and creativity.
As African writers, we must take ownership of our stories, our languages, and our cultures. We must be bold, innovative, and unapologetic in our writing. We must write about the complexities, the challenges, and the triumphs of the African experience. We must also recognize that African writing is not monolithic; it’s diverse, rich, and multifaceted. We must celebrate our differences, our unique voices, and our perspectives.
In conclusion, African writing is not just about writing about Africa; it’s about writing from an African perspective, with an African voice, and with an African heart. It’s time for us to reclaim our literary heritage, to celebrate our diversity, and to forge a new path for African writing. Let us write with pride, with passion, and with purpose. Let us write to inspire, to educate, and to entertain. Let us write to celebrate our Africanity, our humanity, and our shared experiences.
As we write, let our words ignite a passion for change, for growth, and for a brighter future for Africa and the world. Through my research, I uncovered a treasure trove of African literary riches, boasting over 1,000 art forms, including Ethiopian literature, with its over 20 ancient art forms, such as songs, poetry, and storytelling.
My research revealed that “African writing” is, in fact, a multifaceted entity, encompassing the rich and diverse realm of “African literature,” firmly rooted and grounded in oral traditions. There, the phrase African writer or writing is an oxymoron. The innovative storytellers of ancient Mali, who kept the epic of Sundiata alive through generations, and the folklores of our tribes are a constant source of inspiration for me.
While reading Sundiata’s epic, I discovered that his vast empire surpassed even that of Alexander the Great, contradicting and challenging the Western-centric history I was taught and had learned. This revelation, together with the expanse of the global power of Queen of Sheba, whose history I dramatized, sparked a flurry of questions and made me acutely aware of the need to critically evaluate Western perspectives on Africa and realize we can’t take Western accounts at face value.
As African writers, it is our duty to scrutinize, challenge, and engage with Western narratives about Africa, pushing the boundaries of what is possible and forging a unique literary identity. We must not be limited by stylistic, structuralistic, dogmatic, and pedagogic fixation to tradition, convention, or modernization to such an extent that we lose track of the immense and boundless opportunities for innovation and distinction in African writing.
My own work, Empress Candace, embodies this spirit of innovation and exploration. The queen of Sheba’s remarkable legacy, stretching and spinning from Morocco to Indonesia, remains largely uncharted and uncelebrated, like African literary, intellectual, technological, and historical heritage, despite her profound impact on world history.
It’s our responsibility as modern African writers to reconstruct history, turning footprints in the sand into monuments. We must stop retelling the same stories and instead forge a new path. We have the freedom to write anything, and I choose to celebrate African women like Candace, who ruled India, Arabia, Europe, Asia, and South Africa.
By reclaiming our heritage, we can tap into our creative genius, surpassing the likes of Shakespeare and Achebe. Our challenge is to create works that are more powerful and impactful than those of Achebe, Soyinka, Ngugi, and others. But we can’t achieve this while still bound by mental slavery.
Like Spartacus, Thomas Sankara, and the Igbo people, we must revolt against our mental chains, secure our freedom, and deserve our liberty.
The Falcon Snatches the Falconer’s Chicken: A Literary Criticism of Contemporary Nigerian Literature
Despite the perennial criticisms of mediocrity and waning creativity, Nigerian literature boasts a rich heritage worth celebrating. It is instructive to reflect on the past, present, and future trajectory of Nigeria’s literary space with pride.
We must socialize our common or distinctive experience in s way and manner that resonates with the rest of the world. We must write and ensure African writing is counted among the classics of our time. We can’t stop at the Chinụa Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. We must write Apart Falls Things and take African writing to the next level in quality, quantity, excellence and profundity.
Historically, Nigerian literature has been characterized by a vibrant tradition of folklores, storytelling, epic dramas, poetry, and other forms. These literary expressions were often created by artists deeply immersed in the social experience, including singers, dancers, composers, and storytellers. Their works served as entertainment, education, moralization, and celebration, highlighting the significance of literature in Nigerian culture.
However, the socialization and celebration of Nigeria’s literary heritage have been hindered by a growing intellectual vacuum. This void has resulted from various factors, including:
– Lack of emphasis on literary education and criticism
– Insufficient platforms for literary discussions and debates
– Limited access to Nigerian literature, both within and outside the country
– General decline in reading culture and intellectual engagement
– Distraction of economic and political challenges
To revitalize the Nigerian literary landscape, it is essential to address these challenges. Initiatives such as literary festivals, workshops, online platforms, educational programs, and promoting literary criticism and scholarship can help bridge the intellectual vacuum.
In “A Principle for the New Nigerian Criticism,” posits that a new approach to literary criticism is necessary to appreciate the complexities of Nigerian literature. This new principle emphasizes the need for critics to engage with the social, cultural, and historical contexts that shape Nigerian literary works.
By adopting this new principle and addressing the intellectual vacuum, Nigerian literature can reclaim its rightful place in the global literary arena. The falcon, once a symbol of Nigerian literary excellence, can once again soar high, unencumbered by the criticisms of mediocrity and waning creativity.
The Falcon Snatches the Falconer’s Chicken: A Literary Criticism of Contemporary Nigerian Literature
Despite the perennial criticisms of mediocrity and waning creativity, Nigerian literature boasts a rich heritage worth celebrating. It is instructive to reflect on the past, present, and future trajectory of Nigeria’s literary space with pride.
We must socialize our common or distinctive experience in s way and manner that resonates with the rest of the world. We must write and ensure African writing is counted among the classics of our time. We can’t stop at the Chinụa Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. We must write Apart Falls Things and take African writing to the next level in quality, quantity, excellence and profundity.
Historically, Nigerian literature has been characterized by a vibrant tradition of folklores, storytelling, epic dramas, poetry, and other forms. These literary expressions were often created by artists deeply immersed in the social experience, including singers, dancers, composers, and storytellers. Their works served as entertainment, education, moralization, and celebration, highlighting the significance of literature in Nigerian culture.
However, the socialization and celebration of Nigeria’s literary heritage have been hindered by a growing intellectual vacuum. This void has resulted from various factors, including:
– Lack of emphasis on literary education and criticism
– Insufficient platforms for literary discussions and debates
– Limited access to Nigerian literature, both within and outside the country
– General decline in reading culture and intellectual engagement
– Distraction of economic and political challenges
To revitalize the Nigerian literary landscape, it is essential to address these challenges. Initiatives such as literary festivals, workshops, online platforms, educational programs, and promoting literary criticism and scholarship can help bridge the intellectual vacuum.
In “A Principle for the New Nigerian Criticism,” [Author’s Name] posits that a new approach to literary criticism is necessary to appreciate the complexities of Nigerian literature. This new principle emphasizes the need for critics to engage with the social, cultural, and historical contexts that shape Nigerian literary works.
By adopting this new principle and addressing the intellectual vacuum, Nigerian literature can reclaim its rightful place in the global literary arena. The falcon, once a symbol of Nigerian literary excellence, can once again soar high, unencumbered by the criticisms of mediocrity and waning creativity.
Pastor Dele ikeorha (ikeorha@aol.com, +2348035999921) writes from Abuja Nigeria. He is also the President, Lay Bible Translation Group, and translator of the Authorized Lay Bible.. A Project Development Consultants, IT expert and a veteran commentator and activist of over two decades, with professional writing experience spanning over two decades, he is the author of over 1100 poems, 5 dramas including The Tigon and the Gold, The Rejected. Bride, King Offiaji, Outlaw of the Primitive; Short stories: The Young Man and the Sea, The Clothe Under Your Feet. He is also author of four Poetry Collections billed for release in 2025 including Aurora Dawn, The Soup We Make With Alphabets, Shakespeare Is Dead, Apples of Gold in Pictures of Silver, and the Canonical Historical Drama – Empress Candace: Queen of Sheba. Pastor Dele Ikeorha is a literary Critic and author of the Writer’s Guide: and the literary criticism essay collection titled: The hawk Preys Upon the Falconers Chicken – a literary Criticism of African and Nigerian Literature. He is also the author of Functions of Leadership and the Intellectual Father of three fields 1. Polignotics – a meta theory of Infinite, Universal and Diverse Intelligence, 2. of Leadership Intelligence, and 3. of new field if Artificial Intelligence Pathology AIP.. The Sun Rises In the West and Sets In the East: a literary exploration of African writing in modern and in antiquity: Case for a New Paradigm of African Literature” is a collection of essays that seeks to remove all the roadblocks to literary excellence in Africa, exploring diverse nous of African Literature, broadening African writing possibilities and boundaries and the need to interprete this with globalisation in mind.
To be continued…
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