The 2015 Literary evening with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie which was sponsored by Nigerian Breweries Plc. held on the 26th of June 2015 at The Oriental Hotel Victoria Island, Lagos, South-West Nigeria.
The event brought together literary enthusiasts from all walks of life to strike an atmosphere of colourful celebration for literary achievements. It was a night for the presentation of certificates to participants who made the list for this year’s Literary workshop with Chimamanda.
The event started with a cocktail party which introduced the attendees to the classy hospitality treat of The Oriental Hotel. You could feel the subtle rendition of the music, the exquisite decoration of the hall, the vibrant expectation of participants and the
transcendental poetic climax that followed.
Efe Paul Azino invoked poetic lines with visionary idealism and the suspense that came with the stories from his ‘temple of language’ took us through cosmic visitations where we felt the pulse of language dropping through the oasis of our absorbing souls. He struts:
“This is for the storytellers
Watchers at the temple of language
Those whose heads brush against the sun
Whose hearts weave tales from our laughter
and spin our sorrows into songs
This is for the dreamers
who first spoke today’s clichés
hunched over blank papers
peering into the empty pages
of computer screens like crystal balls
waiting for the spirits to whisper
Those who have mostly found truth in sadness
Brooding windows to the soul of the human condition
This is for those navigating silences
who need solitude to breath
who refuse peace and quiet
in the face of injustice
who chose gulags
when the only option of freedom
was in a city under jackboot
those who smuggled out their truths
on toilet paper and wrote back from exile
Telling us There Was a Country
its dream aborted under Half of a Yellow Sun
where would be without the bards
who showed us the Path of Thunder
and unravelled the House of Hunger?
But Weep Not Child, The Beautiful ones Are Not Yet Born
this is for the post-colonial pens
writing rainbows across a dark sky
and eclipsing single stories
Those who pitch their voices against the noise
Frame a new age with language
paint a better world for themselves and for us
given nothing but alphabets
pay no mind to the rumours
the stories are still alive
in books, in bits and bytes
in the conscience of a world dancing
to the rhythm of its own delusions
This, right here, is for the tribe
for those who come out of their heads
to drink at festivals
who still write to convince parents
they can be something better than lawyers
who still write because the urge
is stronger than death
this is for the last ones left
recipients of the torch
pouring sentences to keep the flame burning
those who do this for something
more than prizes
who write past rejection letters
as long as the universe holds
there will be stories to tell
and this is for the tellers
for the chosen and the few
for the trusted and the true
for the howlers at the moon
for those gathered here in this room
my tribe
this one is for you.”
– Efe Paul
The event was anchored by Olise Adibua who introduced the special guest with apt presentational skills. He opined that Chimamanda is readily committed with the Nigerain Breweries’ team to help empower Nigerian writers to develop their craft in every way possible. He introduced the MD/CEO of Nigerian Breweries Plc who spoke about the company’s quest to expand the scope of their social responsibilities scheme; one of which is to help Nigerian writers through various programme to showcase their creative abilities in writing and be assisted to enable them get their works published and reach the outside world. He spoke with great passion as a lover of literature when he saw the enthusiasm tuned in peoples eyes.
Chimamanda alongside the the MD then proceeded to present the certificate of participation to the attendees of the workshop. She commended the participants adding that even those who didn’t make it to the workshop due to limited space sent in good writeups. While she stressed that she does not believe every one of them will end up as a Novelist, she said many will be editors and great writers in different sectors across the world. She said she was impressed when she found the participants during the training, putting down words that elicited great human emotion during their task. She believes their stories defies expectations.
“My dream for this year is to create a Pan African space for writers to be validated,” she said.
I curiously asked Chimamanda what it takes to get into the workshop for the benefit of those who have sent entries repeatedly but were never taken. This was her response: “We are looking for confidence, vision and talent. Entries with good beat of creativity. Many good talents applied but they were not taken because of the limited number we have to take.”
During the interactive session, Chimamanda said “the decision to write is a political act.”
Binyavanga Wanniena; a Keyan Novelist believes we must tell our stories honestly and said “while the rich Americans I taught African literature didn’t read our literature, I read theirs and they enjoyed poverty because it is fashionable.” Binyanvaga commended the participants for their efforts. He also thanked Nigerian Breweries for the wonderful event.
Kiss Daniel’s performance at the end of the show took the event to another level with his trending song that set the atmosphere for dance and merriment.
It was a great event and we look forward to the 8th edition next year.
About the Writer: Evans Ufeli is a lawyer and the author of acclaimed novel, ‘Without Face’. He is also an Alumni member of the Writers Bureau, Manchester, a highly sought-after conference speaker with a passion for the concept of change. He lives in Victoria Island, Lagos. You can contact him via Facebook: Evans Ufeli, Email: evanylaw@yahoo.com, Twitter: @Evansufeli and Phone: 08037712353. He blogs at
www.ethicsafrica4u.wordpress.com.
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This article was first published on 13th July 2015
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