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Published March 27, 2024 on The Nation newspaper
A creative writer and author, Akin Akingbogun, has said Nigeria can produce another Nobel winner almost two decades after Prof. Wole Soyinka won the prestigious prize in literature.
For that to happen, the limitations must be addressed, he said.
The Obafemi Awolowo University Civil Engineering graduate is the author ‘Dreams from Yesterday’, published last year.
It comes after his ‘Prisoner of Fate’ published in 2021 and a two-in-one thriller titled ‘Waste of Sin’ and ‘Blood in the Water’ (2022).
Akingbogun said: “Whilst the Nobel Prize appears to have taken the centre stage as the most important award in the category for many decades, African writers of Nigerian decent have distinguished themselves in the prestigious Booker Prize (Ben Okri 1991) and Pulitzer Prize (Dele Olojede, 2005).
“There are quite a lot of Nigerian writers and authors who have given a good account of their literary works and originality on the global stage.
“However, to stand heads and shoulders above other writers on the globe, in our ever-dynamic world, we must tell stories that present a side to Africa and its people, yet invite a welcome curiosity about our culture and the impact of our changing world on the African society.”
According to the author, one of the challenges faced by many writers in Nigeria is the lack of access to learning platforms to hone their skills.
He said: “Writing isn’t just about putting a string of sentences together.
“It is akin to a piece of artwork that must be carefully crafted to pass just the right sort of message and emotion to the readers.
“It is also a reflection of the upbringing, cultural roots, value systems, and the literary journey of the writer.
“Writing is a powerful tool that must be applied with the precision of a marksman.
“In addition, most young Nigerian writers struggle to get their works out into the literary world as publishing opportunities continue to dwindle just as the reading culture continues to suffocate under the weight of the lucrative visual social media contents.”
Giving an insight into his new work, he said ‘Dreams from Yesterday’ is a compilation of 14 short stories, drawing attention to common societal issues ranging from teenage pregnancy, domestic violence, terrorism, depression, peer pressure, youthful exuberance, death and love.
The stories, he said, are written from an unusual perspective to leave the reader asking questions about our norms, values, and things taken for granted.
Akingbogun added about the work: “It is intended to get readers to view issues from the lens of those involved. The feedback has been positive.
“In my opinion, it hit the right notes with the book reviewers leaving them with a lot of questions that they must find answers to, in seemingly obvious and very likely situations.”
On whether creative writing is a rewarding venture, the author said: “I think this perception will depend on how successful the writer is. I consider each copy of my book a currency I trade with in return for a fair value.
“Traditional bookstores allow the literary works far-reaching publicity just by sitting on the shelves, but a whole different market segment exists in one’s social, business, and literary networks.
“Social media platforms offer yet another marketing opportunity just as Amazon KDP presents a global opportunity in foreign currencies.
“If authors are willing to explore the options, writing can be quite rewarding financially.”
On how young writers can succeed, Akingbogun said: “One of the biggest strengths of writing is consistency. The more often you write, the better you get. The more you explore new themes, the more creative you get.
“Writing can be enjoyable as a passionate hobby. But it can be lucrative if applied for commercial purposes.
“Young writers must define their niche and be consistent both in the frequency of writing and in the sort of message they intend to pass across
“Due to the high amount of visual content on social media competing with traditional books or online readers, the attention span of readers has reduced drastically.
“Long-length novels only appeal to a small section of regular readers, and the messages and learnings are often lost to a great number of readers.
“Short story writing, while not new, is a dynamic approach to keeping readers engaged long enough for their attention span.
“We need to find innovative ways to get readers to spend time reading without being invasive.
“This would include using interactive storytelling, short videos with voiceovers and other similar approaches.”
How Nigeria can produce another Nobel winner, by author
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