In Abuja, a book spoke louder than its author
Authors draw their own crowd where they go. But the Guest Writer of Abuja Writers’ Forum (AWF) for the month of May, Abubakar Adamu Ibrahim, did not draw just the literary public, his publisher, Azafi Omoluabi Ogosi from Paressia Publishers, was in the house, too. “We like to publish stories that interest us. Whatever we […]
Authors draw their own crowd where they go. But the Guest Writer of Abuja Writers’ Forum (AWF) for the month of May, Abubakar Adamu Ibrahim, did not draw just the literary public, his publisher, Azafi Omoluabi Ogosi from Paressia Publishers, was in the house, too.
“We like to publish stories that interest us. Whatever we like we take and work on,” she had said in response to a flood of inquiries as to what her Lagos-based outfit takes interest in. And she intimated her listeners of other packages that her firm has, including full traditional publishing, as well as self-publishing options. All of that and much more must have been good songs in the ears of writers and would-be authors present in the hall. Or what of Ogosi’s words that she pays authors sign on fees ahead of the release of their published work?
Ogosi explained more as to what her dreams are for the Nigerian book industry, mighty tall dreams they by any standard, in a market that is confronted with so many challenges such as piracy, and lack of good and trusted distribution network. And it is surprising that in a nation with more than 150 million people, publishers close shops more than they open.
The hearer of the whisper
So Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, who is also the Art Editor of Sunday Trust newspaper, took the stage after Professor Unoma Azuah, the award-winning author of Edible Bones, read a brief introduction.
“I have always been fascinated by the relationship between a child and the mother,” Ibrahim said. He was referring to the first story in his book, Twilight and Mist. He drew largely from old African myth and folklore in this story. A child desires to see his late mother so much, even as an adult. Then the mother showed up in a strange form, the child believed, and it left his world turned upside down. One reader of this work described it as belonging to the genre of fantasy, but many only saw good craft at work in the story, and it was what mattered to them, fantasy or not.
This first story in a collection of twelve, can do one thing to the reader – draw him in, and draw to the extent that he wants to read more. All of that in addition to the packaging, the quality of the paper, the editorial quality, as well as touch and tone to the manner the author penned all the stories in The Whispering Trees. Attendees said so, and they no doubt continued to cast glances across the hall at Ibrahim’s publisher that made this work come out the way it did.
The author also read Closure, the seventh story in the collection. In it, a man died “exactly thirty six hours and fourteen minutes, after his wedding.” His elder sister came into his house to take stock of his property “forty-four minutes” later; it was to ensure that the bride, whom she thought should not inherit her brother’s hard-earned fortune because the marriage was yet to be consummated, touched nothing. “Did he sleep with you? Did he consummate the union?” were the questions the bridegroom’s sister posed to the weeping bride. The bridegroom was buried “six hours and forty- four minutes” after he died, buried by the same people that had earlier on celebrated his wedding. And the bride, the quarrelsome sister, as well as the coveted property later ended up in an inferno.
The Precise Author
Precise reference to time in Closure was of interest when the floor was opened and Master of Ceremony allowed punches to be thrown at the Guest Writer. Thirty six hours and fourteen minutes, after his wedding: “That is the mind of a science student at work, a medical doctor to be precise,” an attendee pointed out. It was an observation that was not off the mark because Abubakar Adam Ibrahim had been fascinated with writing from a much younger age. It motivated him to dump the sciences and study Mass Communications at the University of Jos. Others commended the stories in The Whispering Trees, and as for an observation made that the author has his ‘darlings’, words that he put on the lips of his character a bit too often, he graciously admitted that the “observation is valid,” and that it is one of those few things an author inadvertently overlooks, but which his readers don’t fail to notice.
Ibrahim’s boss, Editor-in-Chief of Daily Trust, Mallam Mannir Dan Ali, was the Special Guest of Honour at the event, and his representative, the Features Editor of Daily Trust, Dafe Ujorha, had observed the complimentary items on display, commending the organisers for “doing a good job.” Such items included a poetry rendition by Mike Ekunno, live music performance by Lorraine Panam, as well as the mini art exhibition by Chime Emembo whose paintings that he themed, Christian religious art have always generated immense interest and debate among attendees of the Guest Writer Session.
Ajibade is with the AWF.