Travel writer and author of Black Ghosts: A Journey into the Lives of Africans in China, Noo Saro-Wiwa, travelled to Guangzhou after reading about the African community in China: ‘I was intrigued by the fact that people were prepared to live in a country that is far less culturally accessible than Europe or the Americas.’
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First Draft is our interview column, featuring authors and other prominent figures on books, reading, and writing.
Our questions are italicized.
What books or kinds of books did you read growing up?
I read children’s fiction especially books written by Roald Dahl. I adored his imagination, the way he had figures in paintings come alive and die and turn into skeletons. I was particularly into The Magic Finger. I also liked Willard Price’s adventure series about two boys who travelled around the world with their dad, collecting exotic animals. My father made me read a Buchi Emecheta novel (I have forgotten which one), which I really enjoyed.
And which book would you say had the most influence on your decision to explore travel writing?
Almost Heaven by Martin Fletcher. He was the US correspondent for The Times (UK) newspaper and wrote a book about his travels around the backwoods of America. I was an aspiring journalist, and it was the first time I encountered reportage that was literary and not connected to headline news. It opened my mind to the possibility of non-fiction writing.
What’s the greatest travelogue you’ve ever read?
An African in Greenland by Tété-Michel Kpomassie. Just reaching Greenland was an odyssey in itself. Kpomassie took years to travel from Togo to Europe, inching his way along the West African coast, educating himself and doing jobs to earn money. When he finally sailed to Greenland from Denmark, he integrated into Inuit society and wrote the most insightful, richly detailed book about their culture. A grafter who was intellectually curious—I love those qualities.
I travelled to Guangzhou in China after reading some newspaper articles, books and academic papers. I interviewed people, noted down the discussions, then selected the conversations and incidents I want to write about.
What is the last book/text you disagreed with, and why?
Pico Iyer’s The Half Known Life: Finding Paradise in a Divided World. I found most of it engaging, but something jarred when he talked about embracing trauma and turning it into a positive. He quotes the Zen teacher, Eido Roshi who, referring to a crucified Jesus, said: ‘The struggle of your life is your paradise.’ I agree with the sentiment, but turning one’s pain into paradise is easier for those who have agency and space to meditate. What about the trafficked sex slaves, or the man who witnesses his entire family being slaughtered? Can they find paradise anywhere other than the afterlife?
Your first book, the non-fiction memoir and travelogue, Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria, was published in 2012. Looking back, what’s one thing you might revise/do differently if you were to write it again?
Nothing specific, but I wrote with the assumption that my readers were diasporans like me with a similar outlook. Also, certain aspects of my thinking went unspoken. I would take into account some Africans’ defensiveness and their ability to misinterpret your words in unanticipated ways.
What is your writing process: edit as you write or draft first, then edit?
I edit as I go along. I find it very hard to move onto the next sentence or paragraph if I’m not happy with the preceding one.
What was your process for writing your latest book, Black Ghosts: A Journey into the Lives of Africans in China?
I travelled to Guangzhou in China after reading some newspaper articles, books and academic papers. I interviewed people, noted down the discussions, then selected the conversations and incidents I want to write about. There is a battle between relaying the stories thematically versus chronologically.
Black Ghosts explores the lives of African economic migrants in China. What drew you to this topic, and why China?
I first heard about the African community in China on a news website. I was intrigued by the fact that people were prepared to live in a country that is far less culturally accessible than Europe or the Americas. The language is hard to master, and the Chinese aren’t known for their progressive attitudes towards race. It seemed like the toughest migration gig.
I was intrigued by the fact that people were prepared to live in a country that’s far less culturally accessible than Europe or the Americas.
Which book/author had the most influence on your approach to Black Ghosts?
I guess Jean Hatzfeld, a French author and journalist who interviewed survivors of the Rwandan genocide. Although his subject matter was vastly more serious than mine, I took note when he addressed the difficulties of interviewing people who have reasons to lie or whose memories are affected by trauma. As a writer one must be cognizant of that when interpreting their responses.
And what’s an interesting piece of information you discovered while working on this book that didn’t make it to the published version?
During the 2010 Asian Games, the Chinese government wanted to create more space in Guangzhou, so they asked the Nigerian Association (a local grassroots organization) to persuade undocumented Nigerian residents to move to Foshan, a nearby city. Foshan wasn’t developed back then, so these immigrants subsequently boosted its local economy. This is an example of how surprisingly flexible the Chinese government can sometimes be, in contrast to its hard line image. It’s truly a land of contrasts. Whatever you say about China, the opposite is also true.
What’s a common misconception about travelling, especially as a Black woman?
There are no such things as misconceptions—only a variety of experiences, all of which are valid. People experience places in contradictory ways. One person’s racist purgatory, e.g. Brazil, will be another person’s paradise.
What’s something you can’t travel without?
Headphones and a music device. I need music all day, every day, especially as a soundtrack to passing scenery during car or train journeys.
During the 2010 Asian Games, the Chinese government wanted to create more space in Guangzhou, so they asked the Nigerian Association to persuade undocumented Nigerian residents to move to Foshan, a nearby city.
What is the most meaningful piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?
The novelist, Kazuo Ishiguro, explained (in The Guardian) how he wrote The Remains of The Day in four weeks:
I wrote free-hand, not caring about the style or if something I wrote in the afternoon contradicted something I’d established in the story that morning. The priority was simply to get the ideas surfacing and growing. Awful sentences, hideous dialogue, scenes that went nowhere—I let them remain and ploughed on.
He’s right. Any old crap is better than an empty page. You’ve got to build on something.
Who are the African authors you’re most excited about today (and why?)
Chinelo Okparanta—she’s pushing the boundaries with nuanced LGBTQ storylines.
What is your favourite topic to write or read about these days?
I’m fascinated by the optimists who argue that despite supplanting human labour, Artificial Intelligence will open the door to a wave of unimagined jobs—just like the Industrial Revolution. I’m also interested in evolutionary biology, especially in regard to war. Professor Margaret MacMillan has examined this topic, asking why gangs, religions or nations fight, and whether war is an inescapable part of being human.
There are no such things as misconceptions—only a variety of experiences, all of which are valid. People experience places in contradictory ways.
What are you currently working on?
My new policy is to not talk about my projects until I’m close to completion.
Question from Michael Afenfia: If you could travel anywhere to write for six months, what destination would you pick?
I love the wilderness, but I can’t be away from cities for too long. I need culture, a variety of food, and somewhere to play some sport. So, I’d choose a big city in proximity to nature. Either Southern California or Kerala—I could dip into India’s urban chaos for inspiration but then retreat to its beaches and hills for headspace.
Bonus: Please suggest a question for a future author’s First Draft
Would you rather write one laughably bad, lowbrow bestseller that brings you wealth but ridicule, or write five meaningful books with low readership?
Who do you think we should interview next?
Francesca Ekwuyasi, Femi Kayode or Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ⎈
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