Date: 6/1/2024
Panelists:
- Victor Akwu Eneojo
- Dr. Ismail Bala
- Nasiba Babale
Discussion

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We have Nasiba Babale who is a poet, you are welcome. We have Mr. Victor Akwu Eneojo who is a poet and critic, you are welcome sir. While we wait for other panelists, the theme of this discussion is Nigerian Poetry: Where do we stand in terms of production? Are contemporary poets living up to their artistic expectations? I’m going to read something that BM Dzukogi wrote seven years ago, and then we’ll begin to dive into this discussion. He said: that the traditional patronizing phenomenon among the literati in Nigeria is long dead. New voices who have received little help from masters have emerged and are pitching their tents offshore with spots where their faces are never needed before accepting their works. The tragic fate of traditionalists of Nigerian literature is that, they are confused about the imminent flood coming against them because boys and girls have already occupied the “Noah’s Ark.” Their passion, energy, and conviction are admirably unstoppable and what is adventurous about them is that they don’t even care about you. They are just creating a world of letters for themselves. They have been beautiful so far. This was by BM Dzukogi in the year 2017, talking about Nigerian literature and contemporary writers. And then there is this insinuation by many established Nigerian writers that Nigerian literature is dying. So with all their insinuations, we also see many contemporary writers doing exceptionally well in various fields of writing especially in poetry and fiction. That’s why we need to have this discussion this evening. Now that I have my panelists, I want to start with Nasiba. First, do you think Nigerian literature is dead?

Nasiba Babale:
Hello, Emmanuel. Good evening, everyone. Thank you for having me. So, to go straight to the point, I don’t think Nigerian literature is dead. I think Nigerian literature is very much alive. If you look at what is happening all over the country, we have Nigerian authors who are getting published in various magazines and journals. We have Nigerian writers winning prizes. I think, just this morning, I woke up to an African Book Poetry Funds email, informing me that they’ve selected their winners for this year’s Evaristo Poetry Prize and we have a Nigerian there and honorable mention of Nigerians. So, I think Nigerian literature is very much alive. We have literary festivals happening all over the country. Nigerian literature is very much alive.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
Thank you very much Nasiba. Mr. Akwu, do you agree with her? Is Nigerian literature dying?

Victor Akwu Eneojo:
Good evening all. Literature itself is a living thing. We have students of literature across our universities, we have writers and not just even writers, and we have professors of literature. We have lecturers who are still teaching this subject. These are indications that it is still living. So, I agree vehemently with anyone who says Nigerian or African literature is not dead. It is not dying, it is alive. Thank you.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
I have two out of our panelists agreeing that Nigerian literature is not dead. Let me now move to the scholar, Dr. Ismail Bala. Nigerian literature, is it dying or is it slumbering?

Ismail Bala:
Thank you. I’m very happy to be here. It is not new for some people to proclaim the death of literature. In the 1960s up to the 1970s, there were a lot of claims about the decline of the novel as we know it, such as realist novels. However, the novel is still with us and thriving. We have so many novelists across the world publishing their work, and the same goes for poetry. When people say something is dead, like literature, they are usually referring to some aspect of it that has indeed faded. Of course, some aspects of Nigerian literature are no longer prominent. Some voices are literally dead, while others are still very much alive. Some forms of Nigerian writing are no longer in books, are not formalized, are not being studied, or we simply don’t hear about those authors anymore. However, there are still many who are very much around, both literally and metaphorically. They are still writing and their works are being published.
So, it is actually a misnomer when you hear people saying that literature or poetry is dead. Yes, some kinds of poetry might have declined, and in their place, new forms are emerging. Some authors have faded from popularity—they are no longer being written about, taught in schools, or reviewed. Other authors have taken their place. Perhaps it’s from those authors who are no longer popular, or from those who feel neglected, that you hear proclamations that poetry or literature is dead. So, I really don’t know what they mean by that, but I think Nigerian literature and Nigerian poetry are very much alive. Thank you.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
Thank you, sir. Now, one of the insinuations or defenses these people give is about the quality of the work. And that’s what we’re talking about tonight: Are contemporary poets living up to artistic expectations? These critics argue that contemporary writers are not producing quality works. Do you agree with this assumption?

Ismail Bala:
Well, we should be talking in relative terms when we discuss quality. Who determines the quality? I want us to remember that there is a disconnect between Nigerian literature and academia. If you ask the old professors from English departments across Nigerian universities, many of them, I dare say, don’t know what is happening in contemporary Nigerian literature. They are not up-to-date. So when we talk about quality or even quantity, which determines the quality? That’s why I say it is a relative term. If you say that writers are not living up to expectations, what do you mean by that? Each writer has his or her own expectations. Why do we write? Each writer has his or her own purpose. Each writer has a specific audience. We all write for different audiences. Each writer started writing for a particular reason. For some, it’s just to publish a book; for others, it’s to be reviewed; for others, it’s to pursue an MFA; for some, it’s to win a prize; and for others, it’s to be involved in literary conflicts. We all have different purposes for why we write, and why we strive to be poets, critics, or other roles in the literary world. So, we cannot have the same expectations. We cannot all respond to the same expectations because we write differently and for different audiences. Of course, we happen to be Nigerian writers, but that is probably where the comparison ends. These are big terms unless we are being scientific about it. And, you know, when we talk about literary matters, there is no being scientific about it unless we have some kind of measurement for what is artistic expectation, what is quality, and so on. We should be talking in relative terms. These are balloon-laden concepts, and we can never be completely objective about them.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
So we should consider literary work based on its value and not just based on quality per se. Is that what you’re saying, sir? People’s sense of value is subjective.

Ismail Bala:
No, no. Even value is subjective. What is valuable to you might not be valuable to me. Many people come to literature looking for political interpretation or ideological fulfillment. They want to see their political ideology reflected in the work. Some people, like me, are only interested in the language. Others are interested in the meaning. We all come to literature with different expectations, looking for different things. So, how do you satisfy all these people who come to literature looking for something entirely different? This is what I’m saying.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
I get it, sir. So in other words, you cannot satisfy all the expectations of your readers.

Ismail Bala:
There is no way! That is not possible, whether in Nigerian literature or any other literature. There is no way you can satisfy the expectations of all your readers because you may have an idea of who you think your readers are, but they are not always who you expect them to be. Some readers are really sophisticated, some are naive, and some are students. You can’t measure up to all their expectations. You can just do what you think is right, what you think you can do.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
Thank you, sir. Let me go to Mr. Akwu. Some of these postulations about literature and poetry suggest that society is not introspective enough to engage in provocative writing, dealing with recent Nigerian experiences. In other words, critics feel that contemporary writers are not introspective enough, and because of that, their works are not provocative enough to reflect our societal experiences. I remember Carl Terver once said that if you’ve read one Nigerian poet, you’ve read them all because their thematic concerns are just grief. Do you agree with this assertion that contemporary poets are not introspective enough and that if you read one poet, you’ve read them all?

Victor Akwu Eneojo:
I think the background of the reader matters a lot. As a critic, my endeavor is to unravel what is hidden in the text. Having been exposed to different texts and writers, and having studied literature, you discover a disconnect when you compare earlier writers to contemporary ones. The difference is clear between social media poets and literary poets. For instance, I started learning how to write around 2004, and it wasn’t until nearly a decade later, around 2010, that I began to gain some visibility. This was before social media became prominent. When social media platforms like Facebook emerged, we started putting our work out there. In the earlier generations, there was a clear ideological foundation. A writer could be a social realist, angry with societal issues, using Marxist or dialectical materialism as tools for critique. This ideological meaning is often missing in today’s social media poetry.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
Is Dr. Ismail still on the call? Okay, so my question is, do you think everybody resists criticism?

Ismail Bala:
Well, I think this is preposterous. The job of the writer is to write, and the job of the critic is to review or write criticism about it. If someone writes something about your work and you don’t like it, you can write a rejoinder, or you can exercise your right of reply. Many publications offer this. You can write a letter to the editor, but you can’t resist criticism. Of course, we don’t like negative criticism. It affects everyone differently, but as a writer, no one wants to see their work criticized publicly. However, if it happens, there’s nothing you can do. Most criticism, if looked at critically, will help the writer. Let me give you the example of William Logan in the US. Those familiar with him, like Saddiq Dzukogi, if he’s on the call, will know William Logan. He is a very acidic critic who critiques for fun, and he’s also a poet. People learn to live with that. What can you really do? If you can’t live with criticism, probably you shouldn’t be a writer. If you see a writer who always wants to be praised, they are probably mediocre. Some of the best writers I know have very thick skins. Whatever you say against them, they will just brush it aside. Some writers don’t even read reviews of their work, even if they are positive, because it will influence how they write in the future. To say that they don’t like criticism is likely true for young writers who prefer praise all the time. This is the influence of social media. When you post your work on social media, most of the people who comment are not actual critics or writers but friends who will praise you. So, if you are used to that, you may not like criticism. But any serious writer knows that no matter how good you are, there will always be critics who do not like your work and will say so.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
Abu Bakr Saddiq? I thought I saw him. Is he on the call or has he left? Okay, he left. Let me just push on. In the pursuit of Western literary opportunity, do you think Nigerian poetry is lost?

Zaynab Bobi:
I don’t think so. There was a time when I thought poetry was one of the forms of art that couldn’t lose its essence because it reflected what was happening around us. Many Nigerian poets write about their environment, even if there are some elements of Western lifestyle. The sense of their surroundings remains because they pay attention to what is happening around them. So, I don’t think it’s lost. It’s contemporary and evolving. We can’t stay stagnant. We have to move on and adapt to where the future is heading. Technology and other developments are part of this evolution. So, I think we’re still on the right track.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
Are you saying our poetry is influenced by Western culture?

Zaynab Iliyasu Bobi:
Yes, but not overly. I mean, not entirely, but somehow.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
Thank you very much. I want to ask Dr. Ismail. You mentioned something earlier about Nigerian academia being out of touch with the contemporary literary community. What can we do about this? How can we incorporate Academia with the contemporary community so that we can benefit from each other?

Ismail Bala:
Well, I think it’s generally known that there is a disconnect between the academic community and the contemporary literary scene in Nigeria. In the ’60s, ’70s, and even up to the early 1990s, Nigerian literature and academia were closely aligned. Writers who were also academics would publish books and critique each other’s works, creating a vibrant exchange of ideas. But now, with the internet and a large number of Nigerian writers in the diaspora, it’s very difficult to keep up with all the developments. The economic difficulties in the country also affect this. Libraries, even if well-funded, cannot acquire all the books being published by Nigerian writers. Scholars cannot keep up without the necessary resources. Unless the situation in the country changes and allows scholars to buy all the relevant books or for libraries to acquire them, this disconnect will continue. Of course, some scholars are abreast of the current literary scene, but they are very few. For example, if you go to Nigerian universities, you will see that writers like Zaynab Alkali and Abubakar Gimba are still the subjects of dissertations. There are new writers but they are hardly studied because either the lecturers are more comfortable teaching the older writers or they are not aware of the new ones. To bridge this gap, there needs to be synergy between literary associations and the academic community. The academic community tends to be conservative, and this conservatism needs to be addressed to create a conducive atmosphere for collaboration. Events and programs that involve the government, literary communities, and academia could help facilitate this.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
Thank you. So, in other words, there is no way forward at the moment…

Ismail Bala:
I wouldn’t say there is no way forward. As I mentioned, there are scholars who are in touch with contemporary literature. What is needed is for writers’ collectives and associations to establish relationships with the academia. However, the academic community tends to do things in traditional ways, which can be a barrier. Organizations like ANA (Association of Nigerian Authors) and literary festivals should create programs that involve both the literary community and the academic sector to foster collaboration.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
Thank you for that point. Now, let me move to Mr. Akwu. One of the criticisms I’ve read about Nigerian poetry is the perceived loss of authenticity. Ernest Ogunyemi, for instance, argues that Nigerian poetry can only be considered authentic if it contains elements of “Nigerianess.” Do you agree that for a poem to be within the Nigerian literary canon, it must contain Nigerian elements, or can any poem written by a Nigerian be considered Nigerian poetry?

Victor Akwu Eneojo:
This issue of “Nigerianess” in poetry is reminiscent of the 1962 conference on African literature where they discussed what makes literature African. I don’t believe we should judge the authenticity of a poem solely based on its inclusion of Nigerian elements. Every writer has a unique voice and the authenticity of a writer depends on their individuality. T.S. Eliot, in his essay “Tradition and the Individual Talent,” talks about the need for writers to understand the tradition but also to break away from it to create their own voices. For example, the poet Christopher Okigbo started by imitating modernist poets but later developed his unique style. Similarly, Nigerian poets should not be confined to writing only about Nigerian subjects or in a certain way. If a writer is Nigerian and writes about their experiences, whether they include traditional Nigerian elements or not, it is still authentic. The language and content are what makes a poem authentic, not just its adherence to traditional themes.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
Thank you. Moving on to Dr. Ismail, can you comment on the future of Nigerian poetry, especially considering that contemporary writers are experimenting with science, mythology, and other themes? Do you think we might lose touch with traditional themes like grief or political writing?

Ismail Bala:
Well, it’s hard to predict the future, but we can see trends. The choice to be political or not is itself a political choice. Writers like Abu Bakr Sidiq and Zaynab Iliyasu Bobi, who are experimenting with new themes, are reflecting the current stylistic and ideological climate. This may change in the future. Historically, styles in poetry have changed over time. For instance, about 20 years ago in the US, there was a revival of closed-form poetry. Now, the trend has shifted. Similarly, what we see now in Nigerian poetry might be different in the next decade. There are writers like Tanure Ojaide who have lived abroad for many years but continue to write in a way that reflects traditional themes. The current trend among young writers to experiment might be influenced by their aspirations to study or publish abroad. This doesn’t mean traditional themes will disappear; it just means the landscape is evolving.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
Thank you very much. I can see Abu Bakr Saddiq is back. Abu Bakr, do you think there is a foreign perspective influencing contemporary Nigerian poetry, especially considering many poets study and work on their writing abroad? Abu Bakr is off again. Dr. Ismail…

Ismail Bala:
Of course, there is a foreign perspective influencing Nigerian writing. Many Nigerian writers in the diaspora are contributing to our literary landscape. This doesn’t diminish their authenticity as Nigerian writers. We relate to Nigeria in different ways, and this diversity enriches our literature. For example, some writers might write about experiences abroad while others focus on local themes. Both perspectives are valid. The key is to understand that Nigerian literature is diverse and encompasses various experiences and styles. The Nigerian literary community is growing and evolving. We don’t know exactly what the future holds, but we can expect a rich and diverse body of works that reflects both our local and global experiences.

BM Dzukogi:
Can I say something?

Ismail Bala:
Yes, go on, since Olumide has a problem with the network.

BM Dzukogi:
It’s all right. You know, there are so many things I want to say. Some I’ve even forgotten, but the first thing is that there are more Nigerians writing poetry today than before. And the number is higher among young people. These young people are abandoned by Nigerian society, including the young writers. They are abandoned, they are hopeless, they are helpless, and they have no means of accessing opportunities to promote their art. One thing I have noticed with them is that going outside Nigeria, most of them who have gone outside have flourished more than the ones who have stayed in terms of opportunities for writing, improving their craft, and their art. To get to that place, they need to pretend to be like them so that they can be accommodated. It’s just a trick by them. I know. That’s what I think, and I think it’s true. Because, when some of them get there, probably after acquiring their MFA or other degrees, they stop writing the way of the West if they ever did at all. For example, you can see that Saddiq, Romeo, and the rest of them are still writing in their Nigerian form. Like Saddiq, as Ismail mentioned, his recent manuscripts have the dominance of Hausa and its mythology, from beginning to end, almost 150 pages. In fact, it is about Bayajida and Daura mixed with a dose of Nigerian political history. There is even one after that which is purely about Palestine, about Gaza. That, contemporary poets are writing in the form of Europeans or their new countries of residence is not true. I want to say that those who are peddling this allegation are simply those who don’t exactly know what is happening outside the university environment. They think they know, but they are just speculating. Jumoke is either in London or Canada. I think she should be in Canada…

Ismail Bala:
She’s in Canada.

BM Dzukogi:
Okay. Is she writing about Canadians and Westerners? No. The issue about being abroad and writing like them is not true. Another thing is that there are not enough critics looking at the works of contemporary writers. This is because of the overwhelming production of literature by new writers. Truly, many do not know what is happening. So, issues of ideological leanings and the rest of it, nobody will talk about that because the critics themselves are not there. Before now, for example, my first book, which was in 1996, the first person to review the book was a professor. I didn’t know Professor Aderemi Bamikunle from ABU before then, but one day someone called me and said somebody was talking about my new book in the New Nigerian newspaper. Ibrahim Sheme published it. So at that time, a professor could just pick a book about somebody he didn’t know, review it, and publish it. How many of our critics are doing that now without being paid for it? Almost none. So, how will these people talk about ideological issues? Until the critics review books, categorize them, and see what they are talking about, we will never know which ideology they are following. It does not necessarily mean that the ideology of the first Nigerian writers or poets is the one to follow in this century. These young writers are abandoned. They have no opportunities. These poets are writing about grief. Are they not in pain of abandonment and grief-inducing Nigeria? Whether political pain, social pain, or even educational pain, they are all in it. If you pick Saddiq Dzukogi, who has a book on grief, written in an age where people are saying they are just writing about grief. Okay, does that mean Saddiq didn’t lose a child? Shouldn’t he write about it if he wants to? Does that make it a bad text? He has experienced it. So, what these young poets are experiencing today is what they are writing about because a writer cannot remove himself from the environment, from Nigerian pain and grief. He is an actor in it like any other person. So, the issue of coming to prescribe what they should write about is in itself a wrong thing. It is warped, it is useless. Abu Bakr Saddiq, Zaynab Bobi, and some others who are doing speculative writing or speculative poetry, young people are envisioning the future. Should we say because we need some kind of ideological categorization, they must always be concerned about the political occurrences of their society? Or because there’s so much social crisis in their society, they should not be free to speculate in science? When did we create boundaries for art? When? As far as I’m concerned, there is a serious production of poetry in Nigeria today. Serious production. In fact, I hold them in high regard because there’s no market, no readers yet they are writing it. The poets appear to be more in Nigeria but have little market. Even Umar Sidi, who is now going into prose, is doing so because of the lack of a market for poetry. The thing is, the attention would be more for him if he wrote prose, which he has. If not for Umar Sidi’s kind of office work, he would also not remain in Nigeria. Many of them would not remain in Nigeria because there is hardly any attention to what they write about either by Nigerian critics or by Nigerians as citizens. Who is buying books today? Ismail said earlier that we are writing for ourselves as writers. So the issue is, let’s have more critics. A country not recording itself didn’t exist. Yet, there is no institution where people or boys and girls can access funds and promote their art or take their art to the next level. It’s not there in Nigeria. The young writer is like any other child in Nigeria today who is abandoned. They have become fathers and mothers unto themselves. That’s why they are looking for opportunities anywhere they can find them, and nobody can stop them. But we thank God that production is going on. I just saw Razak Malik. All these people are good writers. Razak is writing about his society. He is also in the diaspora. So allegations, I don’t take them seriously. I think some of these allegations are coming from their peers who are envious of what they have been able to achieve. Let me stop here for now.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
You said so much about Nigerian poets. In terms of production, do we agree on the call that there is massive production? But we’ve not been able to determine quality since we say quality and value are relative, anyway.

BM Dzukogi:
Yeah, that’s what Ismail said, which is correct. Who is to gauge? Who is to tell us what quality is? The thing is that what pleases you, what poetry book pleases you, pick it, read it, and enjoy it. The one that doesn’t please you, drop it and move forward. That’s my own.

Ismail Bala:
Let me give you the example of the Canadian poet, Rupi Kaur. She became an internet sensation and an Instagram poet. Someone went to London last year and bought me her book. I couldn’t read it. I threw it away, but she sold over two million copies. So if you talk about quality, if you are in traditional poetry, you will not like a lot of what she wrote. But she became an internet sensation overnight and sold two million copies. How many writers have you known that have sold even 5,000 copies of their poetry work in Nigeria? So if you are talking about quality, who determines the quality? Is it myself? If it is by sales, you have someone who most readers of poetry would not even consider quality selling two million copies. How many poets, even the so-called great poets, have sold even 5,000 copies of their works? So if you are talking about value, literary value, is it when a writer is taught in a university? Is it about the canon? Is it about being reviewed? How many cultural outlets do we have that publish reviews? What criteria do we use in measuring this value or popularity? It’s very suspect. Alright, it’s like what we say in Hausa, like nose bleeding. Sometimes you are not even sure you are bleeding unless someone tells you. Success or popularity is like nose bleeding. It just comes on its own without much effort on your part. You just see it.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
That’s a good point. So we are rounding up. Are our contemporary poets living up to the artistic expectations? Let me talk to Nasiba and then I’ll take the final words for today’s discussion. Nasiba, are our poets living up to the artistic expectations?

Nasiba Babale:
Well, a lot of what I would have loved to say has been said. But it all boils down to the question: What is the expectation of contemporary writers? That’s the number one thing. And then I feel like artists, not just poets, are being burdened with a lot of things that are not essentially our responsibility. Who sets the rules, who sets the expectations? Who said this is what we want you to write and why? I believe what Nigerian contemporary writers are doing now is their job, and their job is essentially to write. How they choose to write it is their own choice. In a society where we are always saying we don’t have readers, we don’t have writers, we don’t pay attention to art, it is not good to keep saying to the writers, you’re writing this, you’re not writing that, you’re supposed to write this, you’re supposed to do this. So, I think the important thing is, that people are writing, the output is there, the production is there, and that’s the most important thing. If they are writing in a particular kind of way seeking opportunities, instead of asking why they are writing this way, we should try to provide more avenues for them. Let us have more local platforms that are publishing poetry. Let us have more journals. Let us have more creative writing programs. So I think we should give them avenues to present their works and let the readers do what they want to do with them. We should have publishing houses willing to publish poetry. But if you refuse to feed your child, he’s going to go and beg somewhere else.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
Okay, finally, let me just ask Dr. Ismail this, and we’ll take our final words. If new writers are seeking to get into MFA programs, in years to come do you think there will be much influence of MFA programs to grow as writers? What would that be doing to our writing? Because I have read an essay where someone said in an MFA program, they determine what you are to write. So how will that not affect our writing in the future when we have more writers leaning towards that direction of MFA programs?

Ismail Bala:
Are you directing that question to me?

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
Yes, sir.

Ismail Bala:
Okay. I, for one, am not looking to study for an MFA. Of course, if I have an opportunity to study at an American university again, I could use that opportunity. I was an alumnus of the famous Iowa Writers’ Programme. I gave you an example earlier about Tanure Ojaide, he is still in the US. He’s a professor there in North Carolina. Osundare too, is in the US and the University of Ibadan. They are still writing. The homegrown writers like me, there is Nasiba. There is Umar Sidi. I don’t know much about them, but I know that they are not writing like American poets. Probably if they have an opportunity to travel to the US to attend, they will do so. It’s not every Nigerian that wants to leave the country, no matter how bad the country is. So, as much as I treasure the liberty to write in the way I write even at the point of being called an American poet, I don’t want to. I don’t want to be an American poet. Probably I could go on for an MFA, you never know, but then even if MFA, determines how you write, there are some writers who will be there and be original. If I go back to your question earlier about originality, originality again is suspect as to what is determined by the original. Who determines what is original? Some philosophers argue that whatever you are going to say has already been said by someone in a different way. So in that way, you can’t be original. Originality itself is suspect philosophically speaking. So, I think we are given this MFA and power more importance than it deserves.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
I would just take a final word from each of our panelists. Let me start with Nasiba, then Mr. Akwu, then Sir Dzukogi.

Ismail Bala:
I think Rasaq should chip in and Umar Sidi as well.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
That’s true. Thank you very much for that. Okay, I can see Rasaq (RMG) and Umar Sidi. We’ve been talking about Nigerian poetry. Where do we stand in the time of production, are contemporary poets living up to the artistic expectation? So Rasaq, I would like you to contribute to this.

Rasaq Malik Gbolahan:
I am happy to be here with everyone. I think finally, everyone has been able to provide important contributions. I want to start from where Dr. Ismail Bala stopped. I don’t think MFA is a new thing. I mean, it’s not a new thing if we look at the history of the only picture and the writers, especially the second generation or Generation major races. I mean, we have among these writers who also had their educations in US universities. I think what popularized MFA is the digital platforms, where these opportunities are available online. So people get to know more about MFA. So it’s not a new thing, and then I also agree with Nasiba about the fact that we need more local opportunities. I mean, how many Nigerians literally have a contract, do we have? So if we want to draw these writers back home to remember home or to write about home, opportunities must be available here. What opportunities are back home now? What are the benefits of being a young writer? Writing is not just about the big money, right? Opportunities. I mean, you can’t say people shouldn’t go abroad or go for MFA if you do not provide opportunities for them back home. So the question is, how are we going about providing more opportunities, monetary, journals, more fellowships, more grants, more residencies, you know? Everyone agrees that probably the government is not doing enough, so it depends on individuals and collective intervention. Nigerian poets are really doing great, you know, talk about the platforms, we all agree that these guys are publishing abroad. I mean, which is probably the alternative now because if we don’t have enough literally getting us back home, so they have to look elsewhere, which they are doing. And then I think there’s this proliferation of poetry styles. Again, we can’t police the way these guys write. We can’t police the way they write. We just have to leave them to explore, you know, be more inventive. And then there’s also this question of what is African poetry or I mean who is an African poet or what we should call an African poet. We can’t control these movements abroad.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
Okay. Thank you. Can we have Umar Sidi?

Umar Sidi:
Yeah, thank you. I joined late but I really enjoyed all the contributions and the things everyone said. So, I just want to respond to what you said about contemporary writers, and whether they’re living up to expectations. I want to believe if this is not the Golden Age of Nigerian poetry then maybe this is a signal to the golden age because like BM Dzukogi said we have more poets now than ever. Poets have a lot of visibility, they’re able to connect with the global audience with a lot of opportunities. So I feel this is a very good era, in terms of production, in terms of the number of poets we have, and the ability to reach a wider audience. There are a lot of writers, and a lot of poets doing great things and have a lot of opportunities, but I think what we can always do is what Dr. Ismail talked about and Rasaq, about the influence of MFA on style, it’s also true that you see a lot of Poets after some time, they cycle back to being themselves. So I think it’s a good thing that we’re having this opportunity and we’re having people out there. You see I was opportune to read by Bakandamiya and I can say that, it’s a complete departure from the earlier poems to have come from Saddiq Dzukogi. I’ve read Abu Bakr Saddiq’s works and they’re very impressive, Zaynab Bobi and a lot of other emerging young poets. So to support what Rasaq said, we just have to continue to create those opportunities for ourselves. We have to continue to encourage one another to make sure that the literary scene continues to make contributions to our individual and collective development as a nation. Thank you.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
Thank you very much. I should also add that what the Spring Writing Fellowship is doing, connecting writers, and contemporary writers to Mentors is worth acknowledging. I also use our platform to raise contemporary writers. And so the Nigerian literary scene is very kind I can begin to think that in years to come there will be massive production. So let me take final words from our panelists. Let me start with Dr. Ismail and then Nasiba and then Mr. Akwu, and then I’ll have our father; BM Dzukogi and we’ll be done for today. Go ahead.

Ismail Bala:
This might be a golden time for Nigerian poetry, for Nigerian literature. You have more writers writing. You cannot say the same about readers. You have more books being published, but in terms of purchasing power, you have less, sadly. The purchasing power of Nigerians is declining and you have very few people who could afford to buy books. So if there’s any way we could help our readers support what we write then it would be very good because you can’t thrive, Nigerian literature cannot thrive without readership. Its prospect cannot be good if you have more writers than you have readers. I look forward to having our writings affordable and accessible to readers because without the readers we will just be writing for ourselves all the time. Thank you.

Nasiba Babale:
Okay, what I am going to say is that Nigerian poets are trying their best. What we need more is literary administrators, festival curators, publishers, and other collectives that will make sure that the poets get the kind of promotion they need. Also, we need the critics to keep doing their own jobs. Thank you so much.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
Mr. Akwu…

Victor Akwu Eneojo:
In literary production, we have many poets producing texts. It is a good thing. But, you know the second part of it is the aesthetic aspect of what they’re writing. I will advise those who have the opportunity to study literature, you use the opportunity to study, it is good to study the tradition, to study what others have done, and to see what different poets have done. Expose yourself to different traditional styles of writing. This will give the poet more advantage. That is my final words.

BM Dzukogi:
As Dr. Ismail said, you cannot afford to have more writers than readers. Then Nasiba said if you don’t feed your child well he will go elsewhere and beg for food. So, the issue of reading by Nigerian society is what we should be tackling now. The lecturers in the English Department should come out of their shells see what is happening in the classrooms and pay attention to some of these new writings. They cannot claim that all are bad texts. We also need to pay attention to the fact that we need to go to the government and take what belongs to us, by causing policy changes at local, intermediate, and at higher levels. They should patronize our books and distribute them to schools. We should also focus on focus on teen authorship at all levels of society. Teenagers are within the local environments, I mean at the bottom of Nigerian society. It means they will readily find attraction from other teenagers who are in the communities. If we focus on teenagers and publish them, and you have these teenagers go back to their localities, and other teenagers or young people are seeing them as authors, chances are that more attention will be given to reading and book consciousness will increase, and by extension having more readers. These young readers will grow to be adults in years to come, and chances are that we will have more readers than writers, someday. Thank you.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
Thank you very much. Fatima Salihu wants to say something, just one minute, please.

Fatima Salihu:
Good evening, everyone. The older poets should mentor these young ones and teach them the craft, not just encourage them to write. We need more constructive criticism and guidance in the literary community. Thank you.

Ojo Olumide Emmanuel:
Thank you, Fatima. Alright, this has been a very, very engaging and enlightening discussion. I want to thank all our panelists, Dr. Ismail Bala, Nasiba Babale, Rasaq Malik, Victor Akwu Eneojo, and BM Dzukogi for sharing your insights and experiences with us. It has been truly insightful. And to all our participants, thank you for joining us today. Let’s keep the conversation going and continue to support Nigerian literature in all its forms. Have a great evening, everyone.