Black African Artists Are Winning Globally
The 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature, the Global Rise of Afrobeats, the presence of talented writers contextualizing these wins, Nigerian Netflix originals and budding YouTubers—a lot is happening, fam.
Hey everyone. How’s the Sunday been on your ends? Mind's been pretty Nigerian: made rice and banging stew; stayed at home ‘cos outside is expensive; and, to spice all our weeks, here’s some culture-related stuff you should totally check out.
The Nobel Prize Comes To Africa
By far the biggest literary news right now, the 2021 Nobel Prize was awarded to an African. The Tanzanian novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah was chosen for his “uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents.”
Gurnah began writing as a 21-year-old who’d fled Britain after Arabs like himself were targeted in uprising-torched Zanzibar, which shortly became The Republic of Tanzania. He’s written ten novels, from 1987’s Memory of Departure to Afterlives, published just last year. Gurnah’s writing, suffused with religious, cultural and historical allusions, is rich and highly deserving of the Nobel.
Read more on his Nobel announcement and here’s a guide to his ten novels. This New Yorker piece on having “some knowledge of the tradition to which the writer belongs [as essential for truly appreciation their work]” also makes for a good read.
Swallow — Kunle Afolayan’s New Film
Ever since Netflix’s entry into Nigeria, there’s been a case to be made for quality. Quite simply, certain films and directors shouldn’t be caught slacking: storylines, actors and adequate settings are looked out for by fan, critic and God. Its first original, Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart, did well for the film culture, telling a rarely shown narrative of a young businesswoman with directorial reserve, while sprinkling the off-film celebrity (the rapper Phyno) which drives the plot, and doesn’t just portend a commercial shtick.
More films, less originals and more genre flicks and cult classics, have all appeared on the platform. One name has been consistent: Kunle Afolayan. If Kemi Adetiba is the talented writer of continental blockbusters, reining decades of work in the entertainment industry into the flourishes of her uber-dramatic movies, then Afolayan is the opposite: a purist’s pleasure, his movies pursue the silent facets of everyday reality; he attempts to entire a world and unravel its deepest secrets, its greatest fears and solemn joys. The Figurine, a movie starring himself and Ramsey Nouah as the main characters, is a story I won’t forget in a hurry. His last, Citation, encouraged discourse on tutor-student relations in a way similar to J. M. Coetzee's novel Disgrace.
Therefore, it’s somehow that I haven’t seen Swallow; more so because it’s an adaptation of a novel. Here’s my fear: I haven’t read Sefi Atta’s novel, and this is my first time writing about film—I fear I’d need context (from the book, that is) to rightly critique Afolayan’s movie. Perhaps his reputation is a presence in the room, but there’s artistic integrity in possessing a balanced view of what’s at stake. He surely can’t show everything in the book, but does he choose right? Are his plotlines sufficient for a viewer like me, who hasn’t seen the film? Do his actors reflect the inner turmoil of the book’s characters with clarity? Quite importantly, does the setting amplify the motivations on screen?
I’d love to review Afolayan’s movie, but I’m in no hurry. The reviews I’ve seen hold complex opinions and there’s no way to really unpack them until you watch it. But based off the strength of his previous work, it’s surely worth seeing.
Nigerian culture journalists are in their bag!
Every week, there are a good number of pieces written about music, film, fashion and all that stuff. My favourite writers to read are those who connect these experiences, and even pan out to observe the general society, its politics and how it shapes culture trends—and, while at it, maintaining clear and immersive language. Some pieces I’d recommend this week are Joey Akan’s essay on The Grace of Tems, which dissects the recent wins of Tems and just how much deliberate marketing and collaborations have to account for it. Second piece is a profile of versatile Nigerian artist Prettyboy D-O, who is redefining punk; the writer, Makua Adimora, is a most respected colleague. Wale Oloworekende’s essay on the recent global triumphs of Afro Pop is well researched and flawlessly written. Michael Chiedoziem Chukwudera’s review of Ukamaka Olisakwe’s second novel Ogadinma (Or Everything Will be Alright) accounts for the book’s feminist themes, its similarities with classic texts like Buchi Emecheta's Second Class Citizen and Flora Nwapa's Efuru; the writer’s technique and her composition of characters.
On YouTube, I’ve found some videos quite striking: Here Mark Anthony Osuchukwu interviews Professor Ngozi Ezenwa-Ohaeto, a revered academic in Language who works at the Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka. They discuss Professor Ngozi’s new book Ahamefuna, a deep dive into 5,000 Igbo names and their contextual interpretations. The conversation provides insight into the history of Igbo names, why most surnames are masculine and how names tell more than just the identity of any one individual.
Korty is a genius filmmaker whose creations on YouTube connects instantly to the viewer and unravels any guest, who quickly own their quirks and discuss stuff no one else is asking them. Here she follows Don Jazzy around with a trademark deadpan expression, Kortishly pulling revelations on his business values, Jazzy’s cherry online persona and his infamous shyness.
Nigerian-British rapper Lil Simz recently won Best International Flow at the BET Awards, a category Nigerian rapper Ladipoe and British-Nigerian rapper Dave were also nominated in. She’s several projects into her career but her latest album, Sometimes I Might Be Introverted, is a good place to start—it’s a Jazz-inspired record, with an cinematic leaning towards its structure, its languid start and eventual speed up, its vignette-esque verses on Simz’s fatherless adolescence, United Kingdom's socio-political space, modern explorations of womanhood and Black strength. A highlight is “Point & Kill,” which features American-based Nigerian Obongjayar, whose distinct vocals color this sunny record with the echoes of a classic.
CKay is currently killing it on a global scale so it makes sense that Ayra Starr, who’s also doing great, just off the back of a packed show at the University of Benin, would release an acoustic video of “Beggie Beggie,” their standout collaboration off Starr’s exciting debut album 19 and Dangerous.