Names in Nigerian literature that may have been ‘forgotten’

Today, contemporary names like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Helon Habila, Richard Ali, to mention a few and older ones such as Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe, appear to have stolen the literary scene, with several reasons quickly sufficing to explain away the ‘forgotten ones.’ Perhaps, the early death of a thriving author, inactivity or simply a […]

Today, contemporary names like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Helon Habila, Richard Ali, to mention a few and older ones such as Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe, appear to have stolen the literary scene, with several reasons quickly sufficing to explain away the ‘forgotten ones.’ Perhaps, the early death of a thriving author, inactivity or simply a glitch in a nation’s spinning literary memory wheel, explains it all.   
Amos Tutuola
In 1946 this former blacksmith wrote a novel, ‘The Palm-Wine Drinkard,’ in a matter of days, in 1952 it hit the bookshelves to international acclaim. After the fit that was probably unexpected of a man with only six years of formal education and especially at that point in a country’s history, he let off several works, beginning with ‘My Life in the Bush of Ghosts’ in 1954, ‘Simbi and the Satyr of the Dark Jungle,’ 1955, ‘The Brave African Huntress,’ 1958, ‘Feather Woman of the Jungle,’ 1962, ‘Ajayi and his Inherited Poverty,’ 1967, ‘The Witch-Herbalist of the Remote Town,’ 1981, ‘The Wild Hunter in the Bush of the Ghosts,’ 1982, ‘Yoruba Folktales,’ 1986, ‘Pauper, Brawler and Slanderer,’ 1987 and ‘The Village Witch Doctor and Other Stories’ in 1990. Tutuola’s vivid presentation of the world of Yoruba mythology and religion and his grasp of literary form made him a success among a wide range of British, African and American audience. The theatrical and operatic versions of ‘The Palm-Wine Drinkard’ made by others have also proven popular, Encyclopedia Britannica reveals.  
Tutuola died in 1997 and is said to be best known for his first work, ‘The Palm-Wine Drinkard,’ which was the first Nigerian novel to achieve international acclaim. Intriguingly, despite his short stay in school, he wrote his works in English. Some of his works may not be easily found in many bookstores, but voracious Nigerian readers probably would go miles to lay their hands on them.
Cyprian Ekwensi
To any ardent reader growing up some decades ago, Ekwensi was perhaps larger than life and why not? He wrote, his pen dipped in ink designed to educate, inform and entertain children. His short stories held fond memories for many, even beyond childhood. In 1954, his first work, ‘People of the City,’ also said to have garnered international attention, entered the book market, ‘Drummer Boy’ in 1960, ‘Jagua Nana,’ 1961, said to be his most successful novel and a sequel to it ‘Jagua Nana’s Daughter.’ Others include ‘When Love Whispers,’ 1948, ‘The Boa Suitor,’ 1949, ‘The Leopard’s Claw,’ 1950, ‘People of the City,’ 1954, ‘The Passport of Mallam Ilia,’ written in 1948 but published in 1960, ‘Burning Grass,’ 1961, ‘An African Nights Entertainment,’ 1962, ‘Beautiful Feathers,’ 1963, ‘Rainmaker,’ 1965, ‘Iska,’ 1966, ‘Lokotown,’ 1966, ‘Restless City and Christmas Gold,’ 1975, ‘Divided We Stand,’ 1980, ‘Motherless Baby,’ 1980,  ‘Behind the Convent Wall,’ 1987, ‘The Great Elephant Bird,’ 1990, ‘Gone to Mecca,’ 1991, ‘Masquerade Time,’ 1994 and ‘Cash on Delivery,’ 2007.
Ekwensi died in 2007, but his impact on Nigerian literature lives on.   
Gabriel Okara
Perhaps, had his manuscripts not been destroyed during the civil war, the Nigerian literary scene would have been richer. Okara is better known for his famous poem, ‘Piano and Drums,’ and another with an intriguing title, ‘You Laughed and Laughed and Laughed.’ He has also written a novel, ‘The Voice,’ 1970, ‘The Fisherman’s Invocation,’ 1978, as well as plays and features for broadcasting. His later works include two books for children, ‘Little Snake and Little Frog,’ 1981, and ‘An Adventure to Juju Island,’ 1992.
Okara, who was born in 1921, told Premium Times in an interview last year,  when asked if he still writes: “Oh yes! The urge is still there, but doing the physical is now slower than before. The growth of the idea is now very slow and the inspiration develops slower than before.”
Abubakar Imam
He wrote the plays, ‘Ruwan Bagaja’ and ‘Maganar Jarice.’ The latter became a popular series on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). He authored ‘Tafiya Mabudin Ilmi’ a book on his experiences after a visit to London. Imam, from 1911 to 1981 was a pioneer in the establishment of modern Hausa literature.
Imam won second prize in the competition for ‘Ruwan Bagaja’ (The Water of Cure), a quest story whose hero experiences many adventures on his various travels. While the book was being printed, Imam left his teaching post and joined the Translation Bureau, where he composed a three-volume collection of tales, ‘Magana Jari Ce’ (The Art of Speech Is a Capital Investment), for which he drew on Arabian, European and Oriental sources, retelling the stories in typical Hausa narrative style. Thus began Imam’s long career devoted to the educational, political, and literary betterment of his people. New names have emerged over time, of writers of Popular Hausa Literature, such as Zainab Auwal, Zuwaira Isa, Bala Mohammed Makosa and many more who came after Imam, however even after his death in 1981, his name still leaves a prominent mark as far as Hausa literature is concerned.  
D. O. Fagunwa
This author is said to have pioneered the Yoruba-language novel. Daniel Olorunfemi Fagunwa’s ‘gbójú d nínú Igbó Irúnmal,’ is widely considered the first novel written in the Yoruba language and one of the first to be written in any African language. It was later translated by Wole Soyinka into English as ‘The Forest of A Thousand Demons.’ His later works include ‘Igbo Olodumare’ (The Forest of God), 1949, ‘Ireke Onibudo,’ 1949, ‘Irinkerindo ninu Igbo Elegbeje’ (Expedition to the Mount of Thought) 1954, and ‘Adiitu Olodumare,’ 1961.
Fagunwa is said to be the most widely read Yorùbá-language author, and a major influence on such writers as Amos Tutuola and also the first Nigerian writer to employ folk philosophy in telling his stories. He died in 1963, but his legacy lingers.