By Damiete Braide
This year’s longlist of the Nigeria Prize for Literature (Drama) organised by Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas is an all men’s affair.
Previous editions witnessed a mixture of both men and women for the longlist, but, this year, all the men are optimistic and hopeful that they will make the shortlist of three when it is announced next month before winning the grand prize of $100,000 in October.
In keeping with tradition, the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA), in collaboration with NLNG, held a book party for the 11 shortlisted authors, last Sunday.
Toyin Akinosho, Secretary General, CORA, who was represented by Ropo Ewenla, in his address of welcome, said “Drama is perhaps the least fashionable writing genre in Nigeria. The Nigerian writer is firstly a poet, then a novelist or short story writer, meaning a prose stylist.
Then, he is grudgingly a dramatist and also a grudgingly a children’s story writer, either.
“ Welcome friends, book lovers, book readers, literary enthusiasts, plain well-wishers and everyone here present, to the 14th edition of the Book Party organized by the partnership of CORA-The Nigeria Prize for Literature.
“ Whoever wins the NPL is the most literate Nigerian in the year of his winning. The Nigeria Prize for Literature is the biggest cash prize award for a literary competition on the continent. On the street, today, $100,000 will deliver N86 million.
“The prize money makes the competition to be as keen as some of the most prestigious literary prizes on the planet, but what writers want, primarily, is to distinguish themselves with magical writing and gain a wide audience in the event.”
Andy Odeh, General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, NLNG, said, “We have been doing this successfully for 17 years, and am glad to welcome you to this year’s edition of the annual Book Party
“Interestingly, the Book Party has assumed a life of its own in the administration of the prize, as it showcases to Nigerians and indeed the rest of the world outstanding books for each competition year. 19 years of successful administration has produced 17 winning works and over $1million has been won. This prize stands out as the biggest and most prestigious literary prize in Africa, and one of the world’s biggest and most reputable.
“ We are glad that Nigeria can showcase great literary works published in Nigeria. Works that portray excellent editing, proof-reading and publishing. Our library and bookshelves have been enriched with very many great works by Nigerian writers. The Nigeria Prize for literature alone has received over 2400 entries to date in the four genres and many of them are top quality entries.
The 11 longlisted writers and their works are: Ade Adeniji (Dance of the Sacred), Victor S. Dugga (Gidan Juju), Obari Gomba (Grit), Cheta Igbokwe (Homecoming), Christopher
Boat People), Abuchi Modilim (The Brigadiers of a Mad Tribe), Abideen Abolaji Ojomu (The Ojuelegba), Bode Sowande (The Spellbinder), Olubunmi Famionin (When Big Masquerades Dance Naked) , Olatunbosun Taofeek (Where is Patient Zero) and Henry Akubiro (Yamtarawala – the Warrior King).
During the book reading, the 11 longlisted writers talked about their works to the excited audience and friends.
Cheta Igbokwe said he wrote the very first dialogue of Home Coming in Lagos at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, in 2019, around the problem of recognition of his sister away from the country for many years.
Obari Ogombo said he wanted to write a play about the people in an interface between the government, the family and the public in that area and “it talks about the constant interaction between the central characters until we come to a point where the family is accidented in the society.”
Chris Anyaokwu said: “The Bold People is about people migrating from the local staff to a northern hemisphere through the risky transatlantic route.
For Olubunmi Familoni, his book about Yoruba culture, using masquerades as a metaphor for the story, a tussle between the elites (masquerades) and the people.
Taofeek Olatunbosun noted the inspiration for his book was born out of the COVID-19 period, and the need to make a statement out of it.
Henry Akubuiro, on his part, said his play, Yamtarawala, the Warrior King, “is a historical drama set in the 15th century in the ancient Kanem-Bornu empire over succession tussle between the two princes of the kingdom,” with the elder brother, Yamtarawala, leaving the empire to found his own in Biu, with all the intrigues that went with it.