Akwaeke Emezi demonstrates how Nigeria’s contemporary writers turn our conceptual realities around. They offer a YA novel that doesn’t condescend, but more, one which shows that we should not “walk away” from Omelas, but perhaps “Stay and Hunt.”

This is also the final of three episodes which offers a broader look at the history and newer trends in Nigerian literature along with recommendations for reading. Part 1 discussed Dear Ijeawele by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Part 2 explored Wole Soyinka’s play, The Trials of Brother Jero.

Episode 6.25 –

Words from Nigeria 3 - Emezi’s Pet & Hunters for Truth

Full list of African writers with sample works I recommend:

Abani, Chris (Nigeria): Graceland, The Secret History of Las Vegas
Achebe, Chinua (Nigeria): Things Fall Apart, The Anthills of Savannah, Arrow of God, Hopes and Impediments
Adeyemi, Tomi (Nigeria): Children of Blood and Bone
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi (Nigeria): Dream Count, The Thing Around Your Neck, Americanah, Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun, Dear Ijeawele
Agualusa, José Eduardo (Angola): A General Theory of Oblivion
Armah, Ayi Kwei (Ghana): The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born
Bâ, Mariama (Senegal): So Long a Letter
Braithwaite, Oyinkan (Nigeria): My Sister the Serial Killer
Cole, Teju (Nigeria): Open City, Tremor, Known and Strange Things, Every Day Is For a Thief
Dangarembga, Tsitsi (Zimbabwe): Nervous Conditions, The Book of Not
Djebar, Assia (Algeria): Fantasia: An Algerian Cavalcade
El Saadawi. Nawal (Egypt): Woman at Point Zero
Emezi, Akwaeke (Nigeria): Pet, The Death of Vivek Oji, Freshwater, Dear Senthuran, You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty
Farah, Nuruddin (Somalia): Sweet and Sour Milk, Secrets
Forna, Aminatta (Sierra Leone): The Memory of Love
Gordimer, Nadine (South Africa): The Conservationist, July’s People
Gurnah, Abdulrazak (Tanzania): Paradise, Desertion
Gyasi, Yaa (Ghana): Transcendent Kingdom, Homegoing
Head, Bessie (Botswana/South Africa): A Question of Power
Iyay, Festus (Nigeria): Violence
La Guma, Alex (South Africa): Time of the Butcherbird
Mabanckou, Alain (Republic of the Congo): Black Moses, Broken Glass
Makumbi, Jennifer Nansubuga (Uganda): Kintu; The First Woman; A Girl Is a Body of Water
Marechera, Dambudzo (Zimbabwe): The House of Hunger
Mbue, Imbolo (Cameroon): How Beautiful We Were
Mujila, Fiston Mwanza (DR Congo): Tram 83
Nwapa, Flora (Nigeria): Efuru, This is Lagos and Other Stories
Okorafor, Nnedi (Nigeria): Noor, Death of the Author, Binti
Okri, Ben (Nigeria): The Famished Road, Starbook
Owuor, Yvonne Adhiambo (Kenya): Dust
Salih, Tayeb (Sudan): Season of Migration to the North
Saro-Wiwa, Ken (Nigeria): Sozaboy
Sarr, Mohamed Mbougar (Senegal): The Most Secret Memory of Men.
Sembène, Ousmane (Senegal): God’s Bits of Wood
Serpell, Namwani (Zambia): The Old Drift
Soyinka, Wole (Nigeria): A Shuttle in the Crypt, The Trials of Brother Jero, Kongi’s Harvest, The Lion and the Jewel, A Play of Giants
Thiong’o, Ngũgĩ wa (Kenya): A Grain of Wheat, Petals of Blood, and Wizard of the Crow
African Instapoetry: Lebo Mashile (South Africa), Titilope Sonuga (Nigeria-Canada), Dike Chukwumerije (Nigeria), Yrsa Daley-Ward (Nigeria-UK), Upile Chisala (Malawi)

Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

CHAPTERS

00:00 Barbarians Block the Gate
06:06 Intro Theme
06:42 Exploding Canons
18:03 The Power of YA and Queer Ontology
25:48 Evasion Modeling
32:46 Reading Differently
36:33 Closing Credits
...