When Minna turned Mecca for Literature
Minna was a literary Mecca November 19th as writers and art lovers trooped to the Niger State capital in droves to witness the 1st MBA [Muazu Babangida Aliyu] National Literary Colloquium. The colloquium themed “Building Intellectual Power to Fix Nigeria” was timed to mark the 56th birthday of the Niger State governor and book lover, […]
Minna was a literary Mecca November 19th as writers and art lovers trooped to the Niger State capital in droves to witness the 1st MBA [Muazu Babangida Aliyu] National Literary Colloquium.
The colloquium themed “Building Intellectual Power to Fix Nigeria” was timed to mark the 56th birthday of the Niger State governor and book lover, Dr. Babangida Aliyu. The Chief Servant was at the Idris Kutigi International Conference Centre to witness the event himself.
His arrival ushered in a flurry of creative undertakings. Poets and musicians showcased their skills. Memorable acts by performing poets, Sage Hasson, Karen King Aribisala and the duo of Sadiq Dzukogi and Jimoh Olawale, as well as GSS Minna’s novel way of rendering the national anthem excited the packed hall.
And Then came Odia Ofeimun
When eventually the Guest Speaker and renowned poet Odia Ofeimun mounted the rostrum, the audience was well tuned to his talk.
Odia, as always did not mince words in pointing out the issues and like a true poet, he garnished his talk with a prophecy leaders, particularly in Africa, should keep in view. Odia was principally concerned with the dwindling fortunes of indigenous languages and how they are affecting intellectual development. He pivoted his talk on the Korean example, demonstrating how that country has developed its indigenous language and today is years ahead of Nigeria tecknologically and economically.
He also pointed out the irony in Chinua Achebe’s acclaimed work Things Fall Apart which has been translated into over 50 international languages but is yet to be translated into Igbo, the language of the author.
Odia suggested that if the Muslim scholars of pre-colonial Northern Nigeria had not hoarded their knowledge of philosophy, no matter how antiquated it was even then, perhaps the country could have resisted colonialism. And even now, with the global economic crises wreaking havoc in Europe, it seems Africa is not quite safe from European exploitation, according to the poet.
“When powerful countries are in trouble, they look for weaker ones to take over from. 1894 [the partition of Africa] is around the corner,” he said.
He tasked intellectuals on the “universalisation of knowledge” as opposed to making it a “cultic numb.” The poet then concluded with a rendition of two poems – one for Nigeria, the other for Gov. Aliyu.
The making of Nigeria’s ‘intellectual capital’
When the Chief Servant mounted the rostrum for his speech, he seemed to have been gingered by Odia’s talk. His desire to make Niger State the intellectual hub of the country has not been in doubt since he assumed office. He talked about a number of issues pertinent to intellectual development in the state saying he has increased enrolment in schools and of his desire to deal with those who hamper his goal, specifically teachers who take advantage of female students in secondary schools.
A Literary treat
With the political talks and little sycophancy done with, the second session of the colloquium tagged “Literary Parley” kicked off later in the day. Six panels took turns to thrash out issues in contemporary literature.
The first was rather exciting. It had the theme “Defining poetry: The chaos of perceptions in Nigerian Literature” and had poets Ahmed Maiwada, Akeem Lasisi, Jumoke Verissimo and the academic Dr. E. E Sule with Alkasim Abdulkadir moderating. As expected, the panellist could not agree on a single definition of what an ideal poem should be with Maiwada and Sule particularly taking keenly divergent views on the subject.
The prose session titled “Fiction and the Philistines: Revisiting the Arts for Arts Sake Proposition” was next. Omale Allen Abdul Jabbar tried to moderate Jude Dibia, Dr. Wale Okediran, Dr Vicky Sylvester and Abdullahi Ahmed on the panel. The general view of this group was that literature should serve more than aesthetic and entertainment purposes and incorporate socially relevant themes.
“Playing Around the Stage: The Fate of Drama in Modern Literature” was another session that had Prof. Karen King Aribisala, Yahaya Dangana, and Greg Mbajiorgu with Ezekiel Fajenyo moderating. There seemed to be a general consensus among the panellist that drama is an even more abused genre than poetry and the lack of funding has hampered the growth of the genre as it cost a lost to stage performances and hence contemporary playwrights now tend to publish their works before ever staging them rather than the other way round. This was particularly the view of Dangana and Mbajiorgu agreed and added that the burgeoning home video industry is casting a larger than life shadow on theatre culture in country.
To hem in the night, Richard Ali, Hyacinth Obunseh, Steve Shaba and Ahmed Maiwada discussed “Printing to the Digits: Publishing in the Digital Age while Onyew Bongos Ikwue moderated.
Despite the growing demands for e-books, Richard Ali and Mr. Obunseh have strong faith that books in the traditional format will still be relevant in years to come.
If some of the panellist had been more prepared and more competent to tackle the issues before them, and if they had had more time, the session would have been more interesting and rewarding.
Regardless, the discussions were vital as the Niger State Chief of Staff and Colloquium initiator Prof. Muhammed Kuta Yahaya earlier stated; “Until issues are discussed, we may not know what we are doing or doing right. That is what the MBA Colloquium is all about.”