The Words Finesse

The struggle of the barren land 

To become like alluvial soil,
Is treated by the generous cloud
With repugnance and recoil.

The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) will on Friday, 20th of April 2018 hold her first ever literary awareness capacity building workshop in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara state.

The Awele Creative Trust (ACT) has announced a six-name shortlist for the ACT Award 2017, following a four-month period of deliberation. Now in its fourth year, the N50,000 Awele Creative Trust Award is an annual short story prize conceived to encourage aspiring writers in Nigeria.

The shortlisted stories are:

•“The Goat Thief,” by Famous Ogbewe

•“With What Mouth Does One Tell This Kind of Story,” by Olakunle Ologunro

•“The Return,” by Imade Iyamu Oduduwa

•“This is How You Lose Your Mind,” by Tochukwu Okafor

•“Solving for X,”  by Dami Lare

•“Theatre of Tattered Things,” by Adams Adeosun

First awarded in January 2015 to Caleb Adebayo, the award has been judged by names like Justine Labalestier, Brian Chikwava, Toni Kan Onwordi, Madeleine Thien, Joe Dunthorne, Chibundu Onuzo, Vamba Sherif and Monica Arac d’Nyeko.

According to the organisation’s press statement, the shortlisted writers have “embraced the freedom that the  short fiction form offers to experiment, to be innovative, to mix old myths with new ones. Their stories are bold, touching and entertaining. Born between 1993 and 1998, these writers assure us that the future of writing is in good hands with Nigeria’s youth.”

Awele Creative Trust was set up in 2014 by award winning writer, Chika Unigwe, who is also its creative director. Prof. Akachi Ezeigbo, Prof. Femi Osofisan, Kanene Dieobi and Ichie Nnaeto Orazulike are the other board members of the non-profit organisation.

A court in the self-declared republic of Somaliland has sentenced a young poet, Nacima Qorane to three years in jail for her poetry for the unification of Somali, BBC reports.

She was found guilty of bringing the state into contempt by advocating for Somaliland to reunite with Somalia.

Pressure groups in Somaliland have launched into campaigns to point out that her basic human rights have been violated.

Somaliland self-declared independence in 1991, but is not till present recognized internationally. 

Ms Qorane was arrested in January after returning from the Somali capital Mogadishu, where prosecutors said she had recited poetry calling for Somali unity.

The prosecution said that she had labelled the self-declared republic of Somaliland a "region" and "insulted and defamed" its government.

Somaliland's Human Rights Centre has asked the government of Somaliland to release Nacima Qorane and respect human rights.

Its director, Guleid Ahmed Jama, told the BBC that it was "very concerned about the conviction and sentencing of Nacima Qorane".

"Freedom of expression is enshrined and protected by the constitution of Somaliland. We urge the government of Somaliland to respect its own constitution," he said.

We gathered that some other artists and journalists have been arrested in Somaliland for the same offence.