In our past First Draft interviews, we asked leading African writers about the contemporary books they believe will become classics in the future. Here’s what they told us.
Kenyan writer and author of Half Portraits Under Water, Dennis Mugaa, believes that President William Ruto’s administration is authoritarian: ‘Young people genuinely want a better country, but we are living in a country that has been slowly sliding into authoritarianism over the past two years, since President Ruto’s government took over. Beyond that, his leadership has been very poor.’
Founder and editor of Open Country Mag, Otosirieze Obi-Young, believes African writers are not credited enough as innovators for their adaptiveness to solving problems on the page: ‘When Damon Galgut flits between the first- and third-person in one sentence in his book, “In a Strange Room”, the acknowledgement never transcends book reviews into literary culture essays or lists.’
Nigerian writer and Republic’s business and economics editor, Osione Oseni-Elamah, says it is disheartening that many people still refuse to listen to the communities most affected by climate change: ‘I came across an article about the Niger Delta floods in which residents attributed rising water levels to climate change and pollution. Disturbingly, several commenters dismissed these claims, questioning how villagers could understand climate change.’
In our past First Draft interviews, we asked Nigerian writers such as ’Pemi Aguda, Wardah Abbas, and Dami Ajayi about the topics they like reading about. Here’s what they told us.
Author of ‘Remembering Kampala’, Carey Baraka, says the most common misconception about East African literature is that South Sudanese author and critic, Taban Lo Liyong, called the region a literary desert: ‘It is funny that East African writers continue to write against Lo Liyong, insisting that he is wrong, when what people are fighting doesn’t actually exist.’
For decades, families in Tanzania have been demanding the return of their ancestors’ human remains from Germany. These ancestors, executed leaders of resistance efforts against German colonial rule, were exhumed from their graves and taken to Germany. Cece Mlay discusses co-producing a new documentary on how their descendants are seeking justice and closure today.
Founder of Masobe Books and author of Aviara, Othuke Ominiabohs, believes that writers should write whatever truly interests them. However, ‘it would be exciting to see more romantic stories, thrillers, and daring, genre-bending works from Nigerian writers.’
Nigerian visual artist and book cover illustrator, Olusegun Tosin Kalejaye, says his work transcends mere social commentary: ‘Rooted in storytelling, representation, identity, and historical documentation, my work as an artist aims to evoke a profound emotional response in my audience, serving as a catalyst for change.’
In our past First Draft interviews, we asked authors such as Helon Habila and Sarah Ladipo Manyika about the books they grew up reading. Here’s what they told us.
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