Let’s Bring Back The Short Story

By Banji Ojewale

Art is a lie which makes us see the truth—Pablo Ruiz Picasso (1881-1973) Spanish artist

To prepare for this short essay on the short story, I have had to rescue from my home library two old local magazines that, in an earlier generation, sought to offer vibrant voice to this literary genre. First pushed out as a monthly in March 1985, one of the publications was simply called Mc.Quick Short Stories, with a cover price of N2. If you were willing to part with that ‘pittance’ for that product, you were guaranteed an animating literary excursions with some of the greats in the industry.

So, I have in front of me Vol. 1 No. 1 1985 edition of Mc.Quick Short Stories. Wale Adeniran is the Publisher. Kole Omotoso is the Editor-in-Chief, and Femi Omowumi, Odia Ofeimun, Seun Ige and Labo Yari, in tow as Associate Editors. Graphic arts and illustrations are handled by Abiodun Araba, Victor Olusa and Akin Adejuwon. As you close-up on Mc.Quick, you run into the inner world of some of the eminent short story exponents of the age. Leban Erapu, the Ugandan intellectual, has an entry he calls, Guns and Books. He looks at Africa’s political scene, and intrigued by its internal rumblings, wonders why the problems they mischievously engineer remain unresolved. 

Christopher Okigbo Conference - Sept 2017: Call For Abstracts

Theme: Legacy Of Christopher Okigbo: 50 Years On

The Christopher Okigbo Foundation invites abstracts for 15 – 20 minute presentations during the International Conference to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the passage of Christopher Okigbo under the theme; “Legacy Of Christopher Okigbo 50 Years On.’’  

The conference will hold at the University of Ibadan on September 20 and 21, 2017.

The conference is to celebrate the golden anniversary of the passage of Christopher Ifekandu Okigbo (16 August 1932– September 1967) the Nigerian poet, teacher, and librarian, who died fighting for the independence of Biafra. He is today widely acknowledged as an outstanding postcolonial English-language African poet and one of the major modernist writers of the 20th century. As part of the activities to commemorate his passage, a two- day Conference is being planned for September 20, 2017 at his alma mater, the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

In so doing, the Conference will also be celebrating the works of one of Africa’s most outstanding Poets as well as the achievements, friendships, partnerships and challenges of African Literature this past 50 years.

The conference will be a platform for writers, scholars, literary critics and other interested parties to engage, rethink and propose possible new directions for African Poetry and Literature.

In view of the above, we invite you to submit abstracts, not exceeding 200 words, on any of the sub-themes below:
1. Prophesy and Poesy in the works of Okigbo
2. Okigbo and the Poetics of Obscurity
3. Journey of self-rediscovery in the poems of Christopher Okigbo.
4. Traditionalism versus Modernity in the poems of Okigbo
5. War, Communality and the Okigbo Legacy
6. Alienation as a technique in Okigbo's Poetry.
7. The Okigbo Spirit in the Establishment of Modern African Poetry
8. Culture, Nationalism and the African Writer
9. Literary Influences, Impacts and Imitations across Generations
10. Okigbo in the Style and Function of Nigerian Literature

Deadline for submission of abstracts: 30th April 2017.

All abstracts should be submitted electronically to:

Charles Akinsete,

 Department of English,

Univeristy of Ibadan

Emails: tolu304@gmail.com; waleokediran@yahoo.co.uk

Notification of abstract acceptance: 15th May 2017

Full paper submission deadline: 15th August 2017

*Obiageli Okigbo(xxxxx) and Wale Okediran (08035765553)
Chairman, Christopher Okigbo Foundation and Chief Advisor, Christopher Okigbo Foundation