The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) along with Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo (AE-FUNAI), Ebonyi State, recently held second annual Nigerian Literature International Conference and Workshop at the University's Auditorium.

The two days event with the theme, “Nigeria’s Literary Criticism in an Expanding Space of Creative Writing and Digital Production in the 21st Century”, which engaged writers, intellectuals, scholars, critics, literatis, students, and lovers of literature and its associated arts, was organised in memory of late Prof. Pius Adesanmi, a member and victim of ill-fated plane crash in March this year.

Declaring the conference open, the representive of the University's Vice Chancellor, Prof. S.I. Osakwe, who is the Dean of School of Postgraduate Studies, observed that African Literature has over times created much impacts by transforming the society through visualized and critical thinking and writings starting from Chinua Achebe, who wrote about African traditional and socio-cultural background to late Prof Pius Adesanmi who was a young brillant literary star, critic, essayist and foremost intellectual. 

Prof S.I. Osakwe declaring the Conference open on behalf of the VC, AE-FUNAI

He encouraged participants to listen attentively to eye opening presentations so as to leave filled with necessary knowledge on critical thinking and writing in this age, while enjoining participants to attend both local and international conferences.

"Form the habit of going to conferences and listen to scholars. It is thus then that you will become a scholar," he said.

In his remarks, Dean, Faculty of Humanities in the University, Prof. R.C. Ejiaga thanked the University management for their institutional supports that made the Conference possible, adding that the University considered hosting the Conference an honour vested on them by ANA which they are delighted about.

He expressed satisfaction with the cordiality the Denja Abdullahi ANA leadership had with the institution in putting up the Conference, while wishing everyone a fruitful meeting. 

Prof R.C. Ejiaga- Dean, Faculty of Humanities, AE-FUNAI

In his address, President of Association of Nigerian Authors, Mallam Denja Abdullahi said the gathering at the 'Home of the Soaring Eagles' for the second time was an indication that the intellectual seed ANA sowed last year is gradually taking root, stressing excitedly that the partnership is having great impact on the criticism of Nigeria's emergent Literature.

He said this annual conference and workshop dubbed "The Expanding Frontiers of Nigerian Literature Conference" has acquired its name and unique identity among plethora of critical literary conferences in Nigeria, while expressing hope that the conference would keep expanding focus and depth yearly like Nigerian Literature. 

According to him, "this annual conference was initiated to remedy the critical gaps in our literary firmament and to by extension re-popularise the critical enterprise in the larger society. 

"This conference was also conceived to focus on new works and young scholars within and outside the academia and one of the major objectives is to divert critical engagement to authors and works that may not be receiving the required critical attention".

Mallam Denja Abdullahi,  ANA President

The writers' body boss noted that there is a lot for all to learn and to still unravel in the contributions of Pius Adesanmi to literary and cultural studies and the public sphere in his lifetime. 

"Pius Adesanmi's life of multi-dimensional scholarship is an inspiration to our young writers and scholars towards living a life of dedication to innovative and impactful knowledge production".

Mallam Abdullahi concluded by thanking the Vice Chancellor, management, staff and students of AE-FUNAI for putting a seal of continuity and sustainability to this venture by agreeing to hosting the Conference annually, while extending appreciation to invitees, writers and literary scholars and wishing them a rewarding experience at the Conference.

In his keynote address, Prof. Olu Obafemi who was represented by Prof. Abubakar Abdullahi of the University of Ilorin said that critics of Nigerian literature have not been fair in their critiques as they most times based their critics on lopsided perspectives which tended to overlook the fact that judging by foreign instruments might affect written literature rooted in nigeria's local languages.

Prof Abubakar Abdullahi, representative of Prof Olu Obafemi- the keynote speaker

Citing Bello Kagara's Gandoki (1934), D.O. Fagunwa's Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmole (1938) and Abubakar Imam's Ruwan Bagaja  (1966), he said  early writings in local languages with foreign symbols traversed both the foreign and the traditional artistic domains and was thus a transposition of oral aesthetics to writing.

Prof Obafemi charged literary critics to be positive knowing the background of the original source of the works they are criticising in order to have a better understanding of the text so as to enlighten and educate the reader.

On new trends in Nigerian literature and criticism, he said the Internet though have minimised the quagmire of accessibility to critical canons and their applications, it has not addressed the disorientation about the use of social media among the youths and limited digital exposure among the pre-digital age-group.

According to him, internet accessibility which could have enhanced the reading culture and nullify dogmatic approach to criticism has failed due to youth obsession with other thrilling internet appropriation.

"It is apparent that a high percentage of the digital compliant youths derive more pleasure from accessing the Internet for sports, fashion, adventures, technology, pornography, cyber-crime, games, etc. rather than develop a hobby in reading lengthy fictional and critical materials which dwells on ' boring' social-political issues.

"This disposition is reflected in the new online literary trends, which have this age-group as the writers and reading audience. This development has helped the emergence of the 'Flash Fiction' genre in Nigeria and Africa generally."

Speaking further, he said, "One cannot deny the impact of this new trend but the thematic preoccupation, social-cultural-political vacuity and length pose the question of national relevance and worth, in terms of critical responses".

Prof. Obafemi called for the creation of means through which youths can participate more actively and productively as creative and critical writers to sustain the popularity of both arts, noting that live performance and internet media are strong platforms that can attenuate the current inviolable approach to criticism in order to enhance popular participation.

Prof Ernest Emenyonu

Also speaking, Prof. Ernest Emenyonu, a notable African literature critic and the Editor of African Literature Today, thanked ANA for coming up with such a vision and prayed ANA conferences, which to him is long overdue in Nigeria, would be taken across the globe. 

He chided scholars of African Literature for their deficiencies and ineptitude to emerge winners of African Literary Awards having failed to submit articles for appraisal in his headed 3 years backdated writing award for critical essay.

He said the only way for Nigerian scholars and critics of African Literature to dispute his claim that they are just existing in names and not worths is by their defence in action, "Go home and get angry by producing three articles written in the last three years, or else it  (i.e his verdict) will remain an indelible smear in the Nigeria's critical space and literary scholarship".

Prof Emenyonu urged literary writers, scholars and critics to write works that would continue to resonate in the heart.

The lead paper presenter, Prof. Moses Tsenôngu by way of interrogating the theme of the conference said most disturbing reflection of the sorry state of Nigerian literary criticism at present is in the challenge of globalization. 

Prof Moses Tsenongu, the lead paper presenter

According to him, the implication of globalization on literature, criticism and the theme of ANA/AE-FUNAI's Conference is that it has birthed a new genre of literature known as digital or electronic literature which is yet to  be sufficiently acknowledged in Nigeria because its reality is far from Nigeria's literary and critical consciousness.

He observed that the dearth of digital literature along with lack of hermeneutical tools, limited vibrancy, and the dwindled demography of critics were evidence of critical scarcity in Nigeria and Africa.

Prof Tsenôngu said despite the unhappy facts about Nigeria's literary and critical paucity, there are still living literary critics doing Nigeria proud home and abroad through their enduring efforts in sustaining literary criticism while ensuring the progress of Literature and Arts in the country.

As a way of setting direction for remnants and upcoming literary critics, he said in African and Nigerian criticism, it is appropriate to contrapuntally conduct a metacritical surgery of the appreciation of the literature to ascertain a verifiable and critical depth and consciousness.

"While researching for my PhD, oral literature in University of Jos, I was frustrated by the theoretical limitations in the discipline vis-a-vis what I was interested in  researching. So I wondered what theory the Okpewhos, Darahs, p’Biteks, Zirimus, Owuors, Awoonors, Kunenes, Egudus, Babalolas and several others used for their studies, but found no such theory. However, when I reread their works contrapuntally, I  discovered that there was an attitudinal and scholarly posture/approach that though not named, ran throughout their works. That was the beginning of my Afro-centric hypothesis which I used in my PhD thesis and have been deploying in my oral literary studies," he said while sharing his cuntrapuntal metacritical experience. 

Prof Tsenôngu charged practicing and upcoming critics of Nigerian and African literary criticism to re-read the corpus of earlier critics with a view to finding possible echoes of hermeneutical standards that have so far been missed. 

He decried the critical illiteracy of many present day Nigerian writers who are shameless of their critical irresponsibility.

"Writers should at least consider dropping one or two prefatory words about their thematic and artistic preferences. Prefaces are therefore a good opportunity for productive autocriticism. 

"When some writers lament the absence of critics, I sometimes feel amused that they expect to be appreciated by others but they themselves are not willing to say anything about their works".

He enjoined writers to acquire more theoretical education which would enable them to write better, while making useful autocritical commentary on their works as desirable so as to improve the situation of criticism of both their works and literary works in the country generally.

He called on Nigerian critics to go manuscripts-hunting, stressing that finding and obtaining manuscripts of great authors of nigeria's literary tradition like Tutuola's Palmwine Drinkard, Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Okara's The Voice can garner a lot of social capital for the discipline thereby boosting professional station of both writing and criticism in the country.

On digital literature and digital humanities, he proposed, "ANA should set up a digital literature committee whose terms of reference will be to develop ways by which the literature will be promoted in the country.

"I also suggest that both Departments of English and Faculties of Art/ Humanities in Nigerian universities should do same and come up with ways by which both undergraduate and postgraduate students will be properly introduced to digital literature.   

"But beyond all these,  ANA also needs to assemble a team of scholars and commission them for An Encyclopedia of Nigerian Literary Criticism and approach friendly bodies, institutions and individuals for its sponsorship".

Present at the event were Prof. Ernest N. Emenyonu, Prof. Moses Tsenongu, Prof Abubakar Abdullahi, Prof. Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, Prof  R.C. Ejiaga, Dr Wale Okediran, Dr Greg Nbajiorgu, Dr Austin Amanze Akpuda, Dr Obari Gomba, ANA executives members and students of AE-FUNAI.

Highlights of the conference were paper presentation, drama presentation, writers/critics forum, workshop on the three genres of literature, panel session on late Pius Adesanmi and a festival of sound- an evening of palm wine, pepper soup and poetry.

Below are other pictures from the two-day event...