What Troubles Modern Nigeria?

A Literary Overview From Achebe to Adichie

Abstract

Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka are two names synonymous with Nigerian literature, yet the literary output of the country is far from limited to these two greats. A whole generation of young writers has appeared on the scene, some of whom are already reputed for creating classics. This review focuses on the latest bestsellers written by Nigerian-born authors that attracted the most attention from readers for the past few years – fiction and non-fiction that shows an often caricatured country in all its rich variety. Nigeria has a terrible image as a land of obscene corruption, email scammers and religious bigotry and violence. But behind the stereotypes there lies a more complex truth. The British colonial edict that created Nigeria in 1914 amalgamated more than 250 ethnicities ignoring the complexities of the ethnic and cultural divisions of the country. Invariably following Nigeria’s independence from British rule in 1960 the colonial legacy did not change, it was destructive and destabilising leading to a civil war. No one can understand Nigeria today without some knowledge of those events, and here are reviewed two accounts of the conflict: There Was a Country – A Personal History of Biafra by Chinua Achebe and The Tragedy of Victory by Brigadier General Alabi Godwin Isama. The fact-based political story of how things in Nigeria fell apart between January 1, 1984 and August 27, 1993 is told in Soldiers of Fortune – Nigerian Politics from Buhari to Babangida by Max Siollun, one of the most passionate but objective historians of post independence Nigeria. The cronicle of a new generation growing up after the Biafran war and Nigeria’s everyday life in the 1980s and 90s is related in witty, Nigerian English by Eghosa Imasuen in his novel Fine Boys. I Do Not Come To You By Chance is about who is behind those Nigerian scam emails promising untold riches. The author, Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, shows the industry’s darker side exploring why people might decide to enter the criminal world. Jude Dibia’s Walking with Shadows is a brave and sensitive novel about homosexuality in Nigeria. A Bit of Difference by Sefi Atta exposes the differences between foreign images of Africa and the realities of contemporary Nigeria. And finally, Americanah, a most powerful and astonishing novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, tells the story of a young man and woman who emigrate from military-ruled Nigeria to the West just to face difficult choices and challenges, all the while feeling the weight of something they never thought of back home: race, before years later they reunite in Nigeria and reignite their passion for each other and for their homeland. If you have never been into Nigerian books, I recommend that you start exploring them and you will learn much about Nigeria along the way.