Literary exploits in fantasy worlds

Does fantasy exist in Nigerian literature? The mere mention of the word ‘fantasy’ creates images of dinosaurs, mermaids, witches, wizards and creatures planets away from what we see every day. What we see – maybe not every day – tend to form the basis for mightier imaginations that become characters, objects and nature far from […]

Does fantasy exist in Nigerian literature? The mere mention of the word ‘fantasy’ creates images of dinosaurs, mermaids, witches, wizards and creatures planets away from what we see every day. What we see – maybe not every day – tend to form the basis for mightier imaginations that become characters, objects and nature far from what really exists on planet earth. Here, Nnedi Okorafor’s ‘Akata Witch,’ Ben Okri’s ‘Astonishing the Gods,’ Temitayo Ilori’s ‘Doom’s Wing,’ Amos Tutuola’s ‘My Life in the Bush of Ghosts’ and away from Nigeria, J. K. Rowling’s ‘Harry Porter,’ quickly come to mind – all these, literary exploits into the world of fantasy.
Okorafor’s ‘Magic’
She is one of Nigeria’s new generation writers. Her novel, ‘Akata Witch,’ is in the fantasy genre, written for young adults, while ‘What Sunny Saw in the Flames’ would throw children – and even adults – in a place where 13-year-old Sunny’s (the major character) albino skin, her ability to see into the future and the kidnapping and maiming of children open up doors for her and a team of friends to ‘save the day.’     
With these two ‘exhibitions,’ Okorafor appears to be enamoured by the fantasy genre. It was then not a surprise that in 2011 she beat other such writers internationally to the World Fantasy award with her novel ‘Who Fears Death,’ set in a post-apocalyptic Saharan Africa. The title of this work alone paints a variety of pictures – it sounds like an attempt to shake off this fear from those controlled by it while befriending anyone who does not. But since fear is sometimes not evident on the face but finds its way into the heart, unfolding events would serve to unravel the mystery of who really does fear death.
Who fears death actually means Onyesonwu in Igbo, the name of the novel’s protagonist, who possesses great magical powers and was conceived when her mother was raped during a battle. The rather weird name of the major character, the tragic event that led to her birth, the powers she comes to wield, all culminate in creating a stage for extra-ordinary and intriguing scenarios that make this work a wonderful read.
Okri’s ‘Spirit World’
His novel, ‘Astonishing the Gods,’ has been described as ‘bewitching,’ a modern fable about the relationship between love, suffering and creativity. Set on an enchanted island, the story is shot through with the gentle magic of Ben Okri’s imaginative prose. One of Nigeria’s age-old writers, he takes readers into an exploration of philosophy in a city richly imagined.
But it was ‘The Famished Road’ (published in 1991) an earlier work of fantasy that earned Okri the Booker Prize. Many Nigerians are familiar with Abiku or spirit-child from our folklore. Here, this story’s central character is Azaro, an Abiku who is torn between his mortal and immortal world as he is harassed by his sibling spirits. This along with other intriguing aspects of the narrative make the work a fantastic read for lovers of this genre and those willing to be drawn into the fold.  
Tutuola’s ‘Fantasy’
Michael Swanwick, an American science fiction author, wrote about Amos Tutuola after his death: “One of the greatest fantasists has fallen, and most of us in the field never even knew he existed. But Amos Tutuola, a tribesman of the Yoruba people in Nigeria and author of several books, most notably ‘The Palm-Wine Drinkard’ (1952), ‘My Life in the Bush of Ghosts,’ and ‘The Brave African Huntress,’ was one of the best writers of fantasy in world literature.”
Tutuola’s fiction was described as ‘thronged, grisley and bewitching,’ filled with strange creatures, magic, horror, and humour.  
Ilori’s ‘Legend’
Temitayo Ilori is a young new generation fantasy author. His debut novel, ‘Doom’s Wing: The Legend of Tellam,’ has been arguably compared to the works of J.K. Rowling. His is a story of a strange town with strange names, in a new world.   
It would be a shock if, with age-old writers like Okri and Tutuola, coupled with Africa’s rich and unique heritage, the present generation should lack role models and imaginative powers that would lead to ‘astonishing’ and entertaining narratives that would succeed in informing while at the same time thrilling readers within and beyond Nigeria.