Editorial

GREAT BRIDGES—SIGNPOSTS FROM SPACE

Nigerian fiction has been in the news over the last three months with the publication of short stories by two important Nigerian writers in the Guardian UK—first it was Helon Habila’s “The Second Death of Martin Lango” and then Chimamanda Adichie’s “Miracle” These stories demonstrate the versatility of Nigerian authors; they deal with global and local themes in a seamless, knowing manner—without the fussiness of artists unsure of their stage and without the superfluous flourishes that mark out the less talented, the ingénues. It is this familiarity with language and one’s story that sets better fiction apart from its kin—the bare, mere narrative.

On that note, I introduce the very best prose written in Nigeria over the last three months and especially hold out Ifesinachi Okoli’s story, “Ugobenna”. In one of the most satisfying stories yet published in this magazine, Ifesinachi explores the tragic effects of the familial relationships with a wife and an estranged son on a junior police officer within a corrupt system—her story deftly addresses complex socio-political themes, as well as intensely private ones, while employing sentences that are each a delight to read. Of equal mention and equal merit is the story “Driver” by Jude Dibia, who has been described as one of Nigeria’s finest prose stylists—his story explores cross-class relationships and paints a picture of what happens at the frayed edges of our social mural. Noteworthy is Mr. Dibia’s confidence which shines forth from the very first sentence, a confidence robustly backed up by his simple, highly effective prose. Kaduna-based writer Elnathan John is published here with the powerful story of a murder. “Your Man” is a well-crafted short story of inter-ethnic love in a time of inter-ethnic hate, an extremely contemporary Nigerian situation whose story, as told by Mr. John, is equally a World Story—as familiar in Rio’s favela’s as it is in Kashmir and anywhere else really. It is this ability of the short story, of the very best sort of short story, to cut to the chase and lay bare our common humanity, frail, frayed but still recognizable, that makes the short story a signpost of our times. The fourth story in this issue is from Ike Anya, and in the style and tradition of Chimamanda’s story “Miracle” referred to above, his narrative paints a portrait of the Niger Delta reality with its full complement of irony and paradox. Mr. Anya’s story avoids the pantomimic outrage which the cultured reader knows to hold with suspicion, and in doing this succeeds in showing the Niger Delta much more knowingly than most recent writers have managed to.

I am pleased to announce administrative changes to the Sentinel Nigeria Team with the coming on board of Myne Whitman and Ivor Hartman. Myne Whitman, author of two well received genre romance novels, will be taking over as Fiction Editor from Professor Kanchana Ugbabe who will now serve on the Editorial Advisory Board of this magazine—we wish to thank Aunty K for all the time and effort spent nurturing this magazine even though we cannot truly thank her enough. Ivor Hartman, a Zimbabwean writer and publisher of the African Roar anthology, will be an editor-at-large primarily responsible for our Safariscope feature from the next issue onwards. The poetry portfolio remains in the able hands of Unoma Azuah while Nze Sylva Ifedigbo remains our indefatigable Essays and Reviews man. This magazine is a child of the perfect synergy of these wonderful, brilliant people.

Our Poetry in this issue is arguably a five-star course with work from seven Nigerian poets. Chiemerie Jerry Okenwa is perhaps, at 17, the youngest poet as yet featured in this magazine but a reading of his poems shows that he is an artist aged far beyond his meager years. Here are the opening lines of his ‘The Test of Time’;

On the line of life I toe
Swallowing the breathlessness that has so overwhelmed me
Dreading the roaring tongues of the flames beneath
That licks the soles of my feet
I stagger
I steady
In rhythm with the drumming of some heathen spirit

Poets Ebele Mogo, Tonye Willie Pepple and Iye Keregbe spice up this issue with two poems apiece while Nathaniel Soonest Iheanyi has got three poems. All these poems are a pleasure to read and Tonye’s “Ampadu Ama” is particularly a delight with its intriguing subject and its effective use of rhyme. Ebele Mogo’s poems are dedicated to a Frank U. Mowah and in them we see the inimitable, intimate relationship between a poet and her Muse—and we cannot help recalling the “Masnavi”, Persian Sufi master Jalaludin Rumi’s poems to his mentor, Sham e-Tabriz. Like Rumi, Ebele is a gifted poet. These lines are from “I Remember”—

When you taught me to listen more
and talk less to beware and be watchful
to clothe myself and sheath my words
in scabbards of metaphors
I remember –

Nathaniel Iheannyi, a computer science student, proves his versatility even in the Arts with three well turned out poems balancing deliberate diction with a very aware sense of realism. Our last two poets in this issue, Uche Mbah and Promise Ogochukwu also have poems of great merit, hence their inclusion here.

In our Interviews, we feature a fresh new voice in Nigerian writing, Ngozi Achebe—whose debut novel “Onaedo: The Blacksmith’s Daughter”, set in the 16th Century at the time of the Portuguese discovery and the start of slave trade, has made quite an impression in Nigeria—is one of our guests. Richard Ali interviews her on the novel, its writing as well as the social issues it addresses. Miss Achebe has also graciously allowed us run an excerpt from the novel, here. Our second guest is Professor Yusuf Adamu of the Bayero University Kano, who writes prose and poetry in both the Hausa and the English. He is interviewed by Dr. Ismail Bala Garba whose intelligent questions elicit answers that are important to any scholar or reader of contemporary Nigerian writing. Our Safariscope feature this time takes us on a safari to the land of Safari—Kenya, where we feature poetry from Michael Onsando and Sitawa Namwalie. Sitawa’s “Names of the Dead” is particularly powerful.

Our long time contributor, Emmanuella Nduonofit, provides the only Drama featured in this issue—her “Merely a House” looks in on a dysfunctional family and its secrets. In our Essays and Reviews we have a well informed essay, “Art is a Debt We Owe”, from the 2009 CNN African Journalist of the Year, Tolu Ogunlesi, in which he cogitates on the relationship between the artist and his context, especially when such context is one of social conflict. We also feature an important review of Debayo Adelaja-Olowo-Ake’s thriller “Thunder, Lightening & Storm” by Henry C. Onyema—who has won the 2011 Sentinel Nigeria/Jude Dibia Fiction Review Competition and has already received a certificate and the cash prize of N4,000. Henry’s review best embodies how a review should be written and would-be reviewers will do well to study his style and modify and better it. The deficient quality of criticism in Nigeria is nowhere more glaringly demonstrated than in the entries we received for the Sentinel Nigeria/Jude Dibia which simply did not make the cut excepting Henry’s last minute submission. Sentinel Nigeria is committed to showcasing the best of both Nigerian writing and criticism and we hope to hold similar competitions in the near future. Finally, our Review’s Editor, Nze Sylva Ifedigbo, contributes a review of “Pulse”, a new book by Ferdinand Chiladi Adimefe.

Having rounded up the contents of this issue of Nigeria’s most anticipated literary magazine, it is important to say a few words on the rather unusual title of this editorial. It comes from my childhood memories at Little Jewels Private School, Jos, from a day in the early 90’s when we watched clips of the American astronaut Buzz Aldrin taking the first human steps on the moon—clips I remember was shown us by a Pakistani teacher, Mrs. Hussein. That day, there was also a clip showing the world as first seen from the Moon and Mrs. Hussein’s statement that one of the few things that could be made out from Outer Space was the Great Wall of China has stayed with me ever since. To the present, in my mind, should some great artistic mapping of the cosmos be carried out by some alien life form galaxies removed from here, I am sure they would find the contributions of Nigerian writers glowing clearly against the dross of our little planet Earth. Similarly, it is my certainty that amongst the cluster of those glowing lights there would be one small beacon no less bright, no less proudly shining—the contents of this issue, Sentinel Nigeria Magazine No. 8. I believe this because gathered here is writing that is the great bridge of my country to the world, demonstrating our habit of saying—“Welcome, brother, sister, sit down and relax; tell us your story, share in ours.” It is my hope that each of you for whom we have prepared this issue will read the works of these fine writers and assess the certainties of this editor.

Salaam.

Richard Ali
6 Utonkon Road
Jos, Plateau State,
Nigeria.
+234 806 239 2145
Email: richard.ali@sentinelnigeria.org
Twitter: @richardalijos