Welcome Back!

I duly apologize for not having posted anything, yes, anything, on this blog for more than three months. I, too, hate dormant blogs. The reason for my silence is not really because I had nothing to say, or that nothing was taking place in the world out there. There are, indeed a lot things happening. And I had and still have quite a lot to say. I traveled; I went to see my Mama in Nigeria. Since Nigeria is immersed in the good job of name re-branding, I really don't want to say anything that would vitiate that effort.
The truth, however, is that the moment I landed in Nigeria, I began to lose contact with the world. Most things I have come to regard as obvious, yes, most things I no longer took notice of, suddenly became luxury goods. Take a simple case of turning lights on and off, turning taps (or faucets) on, turning on your computer, googling. All these appeared to have taken place in my past life.
I spent the first night in my brother's apartment in Lagos. He, like many Nigerians, had a standby generator. Actually it shouldn’t be called standby, for it never stood by, it hummed all the time. Since almost all the apartments had "stay-on" generators, the house literally shook with noise. We shouted the whole time in an attempt to make ourselves heard.
I spent four days in Lagos, where I welcomed myself back to Nigeria. Then I traveled to my village where I spent weeks with my Mama. There I was effectively cut off from the rest of the world. Thanks to my world receiver, I was able to hear Dora Akunyilu re-branding Nigeria, telling the world that all was well with Nigeria.

But I'm back. I’m now in my apartment. The sun is shining. I am typing these words. Whichever word I’m not sure about, I right-click on it, then click on “Look up.” It takes me to an on-line dictionary. Goodness. I am here! I feel like crying. I know it might sound naïve, but sometimes I think I don’t deserve this luxury. The luxury of having constant power supply, running water, day and night internet connection. A part of my soul is still in my village, wrapped in wishes. How I wish that village could have water, electric and telephone connections. I could still stay with my mother and be connected with the larger world. That is what I wish the good people of Nigeria, the beautiful, and talented people I left behind in my village.

And by the way, have you heard that my novel, The Trial of Robert Mugabe, is coming out on September 15? Check it out on AMAZON.

Stay tuned.

Fiction faction: Calabash goulash

I love this prose poem. What tickles my mind is the unresolved and unresolvable nature of the human mind. The speaker is so attacked to his broken lamp that he calls it a perfect lamp. it is sound philosophy.
ENJOY.

Aid Ironies: A Response to Jeffrey Sachs

I love this article. It's hot. That's exactly what the African mind, spirit or whatever you call the core of one's being, needs. Boy, this Dambisa Moyo. She rocks.
Okay, read the beautiful article that appeals to me not only because it is aesthetically crafted, but, indeed, particularly because it is logical. Quite unlike the one she is rebutting - her former professor, Jeffrey Sach's largely ad hominem essay.
ENJOY.

Dora’s metamorphosis

I love this reflection, a creative non-fiction. For those of us who loved what Dora Akunyili did to protect Nigeria from the flood of fake drugs; those of us who were ready to canonize her a saint, but who have been lately shocked by her job as Nigeria's minister of information, this write-up might help.
ENJOY!

Nollywood, Nolly what?

In a deep, soul-searching essay, Eddie Iroh provides an analysis of Nigerian home-video production, otherwise known as Nigerian film industry, or Nollywood. The problem with Nollywood, says Eddie Iroh, is not quit different from that of Nigeria: the love of mediocrity, living in illusion of grandeur because of the failure to compare oneself with the best in the world; the refusal to aim for excellence.
I so love this essay that I posting a link in every blog that I have a control over.
So, friends, enjoy!

The Trial of Robert Mugabe

How do you like this? This is what I've been working on all this while. It'll be published by Okri Books in September. Please stay tuned.