If there is anything I cannot stand about this generation of Nigerian youth, it is their timidity. My generation fought our elders to the death, ask Obasanjo, he will never forget the Ali Must Go riots that almost took down his despotic regime. More to the point, is how heartbroken I am to see an entire generation of young writers, most self taught, thanks to the emptiness of the chicken coops that pass for public education, to see them acquiesce to being in the literary shadows, upstaged by elders who will simply not retire. Look at the judging system of this years NLNG Prize. All the judges are professors and all in the dusk or winter of their lives. NLNG Prize Professor Charity Angya Professor Ahmed Yerima Professor Akanji Nasiru International Consultant Professor M. Sirayi Advisory Board Professor Emeritus Ayo Banjo Dr. Jerry Agada Professor Ben Elugbe Why? Why? Why? Ninety percent of the contemporary literature output is by young folks. Why are they not represented? Why are professors awarding themselves prizes while the young look on like sheep? Why? WHY do we need to spend $1 million on a wretched prize when that money could be spread around annually or used on a worthwhile project? No, this is how we roll in Nigeria, patriarchy and gerontocracy rule the ruins! And what is an international consultant for heavens sakes? Are we not sick? As for the winners of the 2014 prize, I have zero interest in the personalities, to be quite honest. In the 21st century, this process of awarding prizes to the merely competent is lazy and appalling. It is unacceptable that I cannot find this winning play anywhere accessible. Kids sell groundnuts on Amazon and eBay all the way from Nigeria. You all forget that there was a short list, my sources could not find any to buy in all the bookstores they went to in Nigeria. I am sure these are nice competent professors in their own right, who cares? What has that got to do with the issue at hand? How have these works impacted contemporary literature? Is $1 million spent annually on obscure works the best way to impact literature? Which is interesting; WHAT do they do with $1million? The Caine Prize uses 15% of that amount to award $15,000 or less and it is 100 times more prestigious than this shoddiness that is the NLNG Prize. I mean, must all the judges be stuffy middle aged or older professors? Look guys, you dont understand, I dont care, I am deeply concerned about the crippling hold a geriatric generation has over the fortunes of the young. These guys do not deserve more than $10,000 for whatever they wrote. The rest should be plowed into supporting our young writers. Ancient professors are basically patting each other on the back. I have met some of them, they wouldnt know a blog post of it hit them or an online magazine. And finally, none of these criticisms of new, there is no transparency in the entire process. None. Disgraceful. I have said my own. The money is excessive for the product and it diminishes the prize and our literature.
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 00:32:55 +0000
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