Guest Writer: Veronique Tadjo

Véronique TADJO was born in Paris and grew up in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. She has a BA in English from Abidjan University and a doctorate degree in African American Literature and Civilization from the Sorbonne. In 1983, she was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to Howards University in Washington, D.C. and then went on to lecture at Abidjan University.  She has travelled extensively in Africa, Europe and America and has lived with her family in Lagos, Nairobi and London.

Tadjo’s work includes two collections of poems, Laterite/Red Earth, which won a literary award and several novels among which The Shadow of Imana: Travels in the Heart of Rwanda which bears witness to the genocide and Queen Pokou: Concerto for a Sacrifice based on an ancient Akan myth. It was awarded the prestigious prize, “Le Grand Prix Littéraired’Afrique Noire” in 2005. Her most recent novel, Far away from my Father is a story set against a backdrop of looming civil strife in Côte d’Ivoire that highlights the tension between tradition and modernity, between faith practices and scientific truth, as well as the deceptive legacy of polygamy. Each of her novels explores the dynamics of an individual’s most intimate relationships and the social contexts that shape them. She is also a writer of children’s literature, an illustrator and a painter.  She has facilitated writing workshops in several countries namely in France, Mali, Haiti, Rwanda, South Africa and the Benin Republic.

Her work has been translated into many languages, including English, Swedish, Italian, German, Vietnamese, Xhosa and Afrikaans. She was a judge for The Caine Prize for African writing and for the European Union Literary Prize for South African writing.

GCLF 2012: Books of the Festival

Death and the King’s Horseman, by Wole Soyinka

Elesin Oba, the King's Horseman, has a single destiny. When the King dies, he must commit ritual suicide and lead his King's favorite horse and dog through the passage to the world of the ancestors. A British colonial officer, Pilkings, intervenes.

The Concubine, by Elechi Amadi

Ihuoma, a beautiful young widow of exemplary character, has the admiration of the entire community in which she lives, and especially of the hunter Ekwueme. Obedient to the expectations of the traditional society they belong to, they forswear their love so that Ekwueme can marry the girl to whom he has been betrothed since birth. But their passion is fated, and jealousy, a love portion and the closeness of the spirit world, lift this simple tale on a tragic plane.

The Spider King’s Daughter, by Chibundu Onuzo

Seventeen-year-old Abike Johnson is the favourite child of her wealthy father. She lives in a sprawling mansion in Lagos, protected by armed guards and ferried everywhere in a huge black jeep. A world away from Abike’s mansion, in the city’s slums, lives an eighteen-year-old hawker struggling to make sense of the world. His family lost everything after his father’s death and now he sells ice cream at the side of the road to support his mother and sister. When Abike buys ice cream from the hawker one afternoon, they strike up a tentative and unlikely romance. But as they grow closer, revelations from the past threaten their relationship and both Abike and the hawker must decide where their loyalties lie.

Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria, by Noo Saro Wiwa

At its heart Noo Saro-Wiwa's Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria is both a travel memoir and a search for closure. Noo Saro-Wiwa, the daughter of the world-renowned anti-corruption and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa was brought up in England but regularly visited Nigeria every year, that was until her father was executed in 1995 by the military government of Sani Abacha. After her father's murder Noo Saro-Wiwa decided that she would rather not have anything more to do with Nigeria and stayed away from the country for 10 years. Looking for Transwonderland is Noo Saro-Wiwa's attempt to rediscover and come to terms with Nigeria, to connect with her family history and heritage through experiencing Nigeria's rich diversity and to understand its complexities.

Tropical Fish, by Doreen Baingana

Tropical Fish follows the three Mugisha sisters, as they grow up against the backdrop of Uganda in the 1980s. Patti is a born-again Christian; Rosa is adventurous and sexually precocious. The star of the show however is Christine. We travel with her as she takes her first wobbly steps in high heels and later encounters the alienation amidst material wealth of America, before her final return home.

The Blind Kingdom, by Véronique Tadjo

This multi-layered narrative comprises a series of interwoven short stories and poetic texts which can be read within continental Africa, the African Diaspora and beyond. Véronique Tadjo imagines an African society on the brink of total collapse, yet there is no doubt that the story resonates in unsettling ways with recent political and social unrest in Côte d´Ivoire. This is a lyrical and yet haunting story, a book of love with fresh insights into the unfinished and complex struggles for African independence. Tadjo envisions a new world where outrage and chaos — necessary for change — generate hope, creativity and renewal.

Joys of Motherhood, by Buchi Emecheta

Nnu Ego is a woman devoted to her children, giving them all her energy, all her worldly possessions, indeed, all her life to them -- with the result that she finds herself friendless and alone in middle age. This story of a young mother's struggles in 1950s Lagos is a powerful commentary on polygamy, patriarchy, and women's changing roles in urban Nigeria.

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, by Lola Shoneyin

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives is a book that explores the dynamics of a polygamous home in urban (circa 2001) Ibadan in Nigeria. It is told with a dry wit, very satirical and earthy. A stirring tale of men and women, mothers and children, servitude and independence, Shoneyin's novel illuminates the common threads that connect the experiences of all women: the hardships they bear, their struggle to define themselves, and their fierce desire to protect those they love.

***These books may be the focus of the festival but there are many other titles available for sale at the book fair. You don't want to miss out on these treasures. Happy New Month readers!

Call For Entries: The GCLF Writers' Workshop

Entries for the 5th edition of the annual Garden City Literary Festival Writers’ Workshop are now being accepted. The workshop will hold in October 2012.

The Writers’ Workshop is a creative platform where aspiring writers sit under the tutelage of their established counterparts. It is recommended for anyone who wants to improve their writing skills. Each applicant must indicate their preferred choice of workshop.

Application to more than one class will not be considered. Participants are required to submit samples of their writing (in line with requirement for the different genres) before Friday 31st August, 2012, to secure a place.

All applicants must submit the following:

FOR SHORT STORIES:

• Sample short story of between 1000 and 1500 words (please highlight--in the subject of your email--how many words your story contains). You should submit only your best story.

FOR POEMS:

• Sample poem (no longer than 1000 words). Please note: synopses or abstracts will NOT be accepted.

FOR DRAMA

• A ‘one act’ play script on any subject.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES MUST BE ADHERED TO:

• A one-page personal CV must be submitted along with each entry;
• A brief paragraph about what you intend to learn from your chosen workshop must be included in submission;
• All manuscripts must be double spaced with a header showing ‘author’ to the left, ‘title’ in the middle and ‘page number’ to the right;
• Handwritten entries or entries that do not adhere to the manuscript format above will not be accepted.

All sample materials must be submitted to info@gardencityfestival.com not later than 12 noon on Friday 31st August, 2012. Materials submitted after this date and time will not be accepted.

*Guest writers at the 5th edition of the Garden City Literary Festival include Doreen Baingana, Lola Shoneyin, Veronique Tadjo, Noo Saro-Wiwa, Chibundu Onuzo and the Caine Prize administrator, Lizzy Attree.