'Oprah's Book Club Announcement Was A Shock To Me'- Akpan
By Anote Ajeluorou
AFRICA's literary scene continues to elicit excitement in spite of the despondence that pervades the continent. Its writers have continued to provide a ray of hope; indeed, they have consistently been at the forefront of providing a breathe of fresh air in the polluted waters of its murky politics and economy.
One such excitement streamed from the creative imagination of a Nigerian Catholic priest, Rev Fr. Uwem Akpan, whose first book got nominated into Oprah's Book Club owned by America's top TV show host, Oprah Winfrey. It is one of the most prestigious book clubs in the world.
Akpan is the second African to have achieved that feat. However, it was Akpan's Say You're One of Them that overtly received the famous book club's endorsement including special recognition from foremost news TV, CNN and social network platform facebook.
Even the VOA, America's top radio news service, was also part of the promotional frenzy sparked off by Oprah's Book Club endorsement.
Also, as part of the book club collaboration with CNN, the news TV undertook to research the five stories contained in the collection in the four countries they are set. The result was shown simultaneously during the show to give credence to the authenticity of the narratives. Although fictional, the stories were given the aspect of added visual verisimilitude for the global audience to be able to relate to their background and the characters in the stories as they are far removed from the realities of the US and other Western audiences.
And on November 9, 2009 Akpan appeared on the famous Oprah Show in Chicago, USA, after CNN had had an exclusive and extensive interview with Akpan a few days before. With this selection, which Akpan said took intense and intriguing turns, is Oprah's first collection of short story in its 63rd book so far selected. According to Oprah "These stories left me stunned and profoundly moved." Continuing, Oprah said of Akpan during the show, "He is the author of the most powerful collection of short stories that I believe I've ever read".
Reputed to be the biggest book club in the world, with nearly two million online members, Akpan's Say You're One of Them, has received the highest possible exposure any writer can get, especially coming from black Africa. Each of the club's selections usually skyrocket to the top of bestsellers' lists. Shortly after the book's announcement on Friday, September 18, 2009 Akpan's publishers Hachette Book Group in the US printed over 650,000 copies of the book to meet the expected sharp rise in demand for it, a development which the author said he felt "very excited at; a very significant thing to happen to a book in the US".
And, to show the staggering influence the book is already commanding at the global stage, Grammy-winning African musician Angelique Kidjo was so moved by Uwem Akpan's Say You're One of Them she wrote a song called Agbalagba in its honor. Now, she has started a personal journey to making a difference in the lives of Africa's children, which stories in the collection powerfully highlight.
A statement announcing the choice of Akpan's work for Oprah's Book Club stated, "Told in five separate stories, each from the perspective of an African child protagonist, Say You're One of Them vividly captures the resilience of children in the face of unimaginable devastation. Published in 2008, this compelling, unforgettable work depicts Africa in its glory and grace as well as its horror and pain".
Shortly before Akpan travelled to the US for the November 9, 2009 appearance on the show, The Guardian posed some online questions for the author. Though his response came a little later than expected, they are here reproduced for the readers' delight:
How did the Oprah's Book Club announcement come to you?
It came to me as a shock. But I am very thankful to God for making this possible. This is beyond my dreams.
What has the experience been since the announcement?
It has been a very humbling experience. It is difficult to know how to react to something like this, you know. I must say it was very difficult waiting for the announcement day. At a point, I was even afraid. Even as I am speaking, I am still pinching myself and trying to take it all in...there has been a lot of press coverage, a lot of interviews and congratulatory messages from friends. The other day, CNN came to Ikot Akpan Eda, my village, to film my Mass. I had gone home to say a Mass in my small outstation church. After that they interviewed my parents and a few people. This is the first time Oprah is teaming up with CNN and Facebook to promote her selected book/author. So it has been very hectic, and I never knew my first book would go this far.
Oprah is certainly not a fan of Nigeria's ways of life (with 419, corruption and all that giving a bad image about her) but here you are, a recipient of her prestigious endorsement. Is there possible hope of redemption for Nigeria thereby?
I am not a fan of 419 and all that either. I do not know any good Nigerian who feels something positive about 419, corruption, etc... Of course, there is hope for redemption-if politicians stop stealing the money and develop the schools and roads. I am very happy with what that Justice Oyewole of Lagos High Court has done with the NPA (Bode George's conviction) case.
As a priest, how do all these add up, the fame from your creative experience and the evangelical message that can be expected from it?
It is a very spiritual thing to hear and feel and experience the struggles of the poor. If people learn to love and forgive their family members and neighbours, it is a spiritual thing. This is at the core of my work. The world is still trying to answer the question: who is your neighbour? In the Bible, the Good Samaritan parable explores this very well. There has to be a way to get this message into the world. Fiction has a unique way of doing this, without sounding dogmatic. If the world does not want to come to Church, maybe you try and take the Church to the world!
Some critics have cited your book as conforming to Western stereotype about Africa's negative record: senseless wars, child soldiers, child abuse, religious conflicts and all that as accounting for the book's popularity in the West. What have you to say to such criticism?
I laugh each time I hear this! Of course, I am not the first person to write about these things. And again the big TV networks and print media from the West have covered these issues again and again. So, maybe critics should look for what makes my work unique...
Remember too that I started writing short stories for The Guardian in Nigeria. If you look up those stories, you will see that I have always written about these things, even for the Nigerian audience. And when I wrote "An Ex-Mas Feast" which is set in Kenya, I first published it in Kenya. How come back then nobody accused me of peddling stereotypes?
I am very happy, I must tell you, that some American and European publishers bought the rights to my work. The funniest critique of my work comes from the people who feel offended that I have gone all over Africa to write as if I was born and grew up in those places. I mean, shouldn't that be a positive thing, that I am able to do that? Must I write about my tribe? Must I write about my country? Must I write about men, since I am a man? Where do you draw the line?
We must get away from the "only the native should write about his tribe" mentality or era. How come it is okay for Don Cheadle, an American, to be the main actor in Hotel Rwanda, and Uwem Akpan, an African, cannot write about Rwanda? What is art if we can't step into other people's cultures and experiences and write from their depths?
What fictive experience might your fans expect from you next?
I just don't know now.
And, what promotional efforts are you making to bring the book home to Nigerian readers? Might you do a book tour in Nigeria, perhaps?
Bookcraft has bought the rights to my book in Nigeria. I wanted them to publish my book because they believe in quality and are decent. I will do a tour in Nigeria in January or thereabout.
(Uwem Akpan's full interview with Oprah can be found at Say You're One of Them Webcast transcript section at O Magazine online)
