Interviewed by Kangsen Feka Wakai (Originally published in The Frontier Telegraph)
On the African writer's role in a global world
I think the role of the African writer was well articulated by Chinua Achebe in his collection of essays, Home and Exile where he argues that we are there to capture the story of the African community, at home and in the Diaspora, with the respect, dignity and sensitivity that it requires given that Africa, as a continent has suffered and continues to suffer from stereotypes. Thus, our role is to celebrate what is positive about our community and to highlight the challenges within that community.
On being a researcher and a creative writer
There are certain basic rules in science that call for modesty whereby the scientist's opinions or sentiments do not count--they are irrelevant. In research unlike in fiction, there is no room to maneuver. But because I am interested in fiction, I am able to interpret and relay material drawn from research in a creative way that does not alienate ordinary people. Also, because I write fiction, my exposure is beyond the scholarly community. In fact, material drawn from research in particular situations or communities has bled into my fiction.
The Writer, Displacement and Globalization
Africa has been a victim of arbitrary boundaries that have excluded people of the same culture and divided others culturally--the divide and rule strategy.
This consequence of European colonization has created tensions for the excluded and others. And so much time and effort has been spent, by the excluded and affected, in dramatizing these tensions of belonging or not belonging instead of them figuring out ways to get along with one another.
And with so much being said about globalization you would think territorial gates are being open but you and I know that the gates are being closed. If we define territory in these rigid terms, the way we do now and claim that globalization exists then we are not being honest. Therefore we have to portray the world as a rigid place instead of pretending that it is open.
For example: even though you live in the states, no matter how much you assimilate yourself in the culture, the feeling of home will not be there in spite of your host community and the presence of others from your home community.
These contradictions deserve special scrutiny and must be explored.
Imagining Realities
I try to create my own geography to liberate the stories and characters, hence, increase their universal appeal. If I write a story about Ngong and someone reads it, the tendency is to freeze that character or the story in the North West Province because that name is from that geographical location. If I used Limunga , the character or story is frozen in Bakweriland, whereas if I use Killian that belongs to no particular ethnic group, hence freeing the character. Even though one might argue that it is a Christian name, hence foreign, a lot more people will be able to identity with that character's neutrality. For example, the stories in Mimboland and A Nose for Money are larger than Cameroon. Why should I glorify Cameroon when it transcends that geographical unit? It is like someone with big feet trying to squeeze wear undersize shoes. No matter how hard one tries, it just doesn't fit.
I can't be contesting geography as a writer then at the same time glorifying it. Geography should be at the service of ones creativity not ones creativity being confined by geography. We must take a flexible approach toward geography. Geography should enhance a story and not stand in the way of us telling a good story. One should be able to move swine quarters in Bamenda to Yaounde and still able to tell people about the dynamics of that particular place.
Many people move places all the time. When Europeans conquered Africa, they moved places imposing new boundaries and renamed one place this or the other--they called it domesticating the wild. Even in the U.S. today there are places named after places in England like Birmingham and Manchester.
'The novel is dead,' V.S. Naipul
I understand what Naipul means when one looks at the history of the novel. Even when people draw stories from personal experiences that are universal, there is still that notion that many writers do not take the time or make the necessary effort to create from the imagination.
Also, most writing is so narrowly political, sometimes, it seems as though the writer has an axe to grind with his or her target.
Stories must be woven with an element of creative imagination that is undeniable that comes through with elegance. This is not to say that ones experiences should not feed fiction, no, but that the creative imagination must be used.
For example, lets say you were to write a story about the Lake Nyos disaster and went to the region and talked to the people. If all you do is recreate what took place then the writer has not fully applied their creative imagination. History should be at the service of creativity and not the other way around.
Virtues of Writing
Writing is very important. The ability to document the events of a given community or society is key to a sense of memory. Even more important is the crystallization of a reading community. If you write about Africa and your target audience does not read it, even if people outside of Africa read it, you fail in your purpose. African writing should be able to enhance our consciousness of ourselves to better relate with one another and the outside world. It has to impress upon us the realization of a dignity that has been trampled upon. We must create what is familiar and true to our reality. Hence we must reexamine what we construe as literature and film.
For example, Nigerian films are very popular around Africa even though these films are not free of stereotypes whereby traditional African practices are portrayed negatively. In spite of that, Africans love these movies, because these stories are familiar. Besides, to free writing of stereotypes is difficult.
**Francis B. Nyamnjoh, PhD is Associate Professor and Head of Publications and Dissemination with the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) in Dakar. His publications include; Stories from Abakwa (short story collection), Insiders and Outsiders: Citizenship and Xenophobia in Contemporary Southern Africa (non-fiction), The Convert (Play) and A Nose for Money (a novel) amongst others.
Interviewed by Kangsen Feka Wakai, a freelance writer based in Houston, USA.
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