Good evening everyone, tonight I'll be giving a lecture on the topic:
"Writing Genuine African Literature, The Nigerian Example."

Most of us want to reach a wider audience and so we write in English language as African literature isn't considered African until you have characters, words, mannerisms and actions by Africans.

As an African, most especially as a Nigerian, you are a part of an ethnic group. You are named according to that language, you speak the language (fluently or otherwise), you write the language and culture of your ethnic group.

This brings us to our topic: ' Writing genuine African literature,  the Nigerian example.'

As a Nigerian writer, you write with either Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Fulani, Ebira, Tiv, Benin, Idoma, Nupe etc. You either write in your language or fuse your language with English.

All of us know how to diffuse our language with English or vice versa, however, using too much or too little takes away the beauty of the use of the language. You might not know, but using a language that your reader doesn't understand consistently and without further translation makes your reader get bored.

There are five factors to be considered when using your language and culture in your story or literary work.

One: Don't use too much words.  To your reader who is Hausa or Igbo and you are writing a Yoruba sentence, using too much Yoruba words gets them off  track. You loose your reader when they have lost their space in the description.

Two: If you will use your language and culture, learn to describe adequately. Don't go all(i have no idea what this means) Half the time, the reader wants to know what you are fusing, the reader wants to know more about your culture and tradition which you are telling him/her. So, description of all the fused words and actions is very important.

Three: Research properly. You are a narrator of events and no matter what sort of point of view you use. You will always be the main string between the reader and the characters. Research your places, traditions, your foods etc. Having your reader in the loop is essential.

Four: Do not use too much words from your mother's tongue if you are not writing a book in it. It's rude, it's not nice. Readers have to be married with the characters, they have to know what is going on. Your point of writing in English is defeated when you use too many words from your mother's tongue.

And five: Read other works and see the premise for using your own language, it helps give a guage for how much or how little you should use in your literary work.

All these factors are important to having a great book written with fused English. African literature can be truly African and can reach its audience on any platform with proper use.

Presented by Iduh Vivian TheOmoope on October 28, 2018.