Two Saturdays ago in
Lagos, South Africa’s Sifiso Mzobe walked away with the coveted US$20,000 of
the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa. A journalist, Mzobe is the
second South African to have won the prize after Dr. Kopano Matlwa (Coconut) jointly won with Nigeria’s Dr. Wale Okediran (Tenants
of the House) two years ago. In
this online interview with ANOTE AJELUOROU, the newly crowned literary
laureate, Mzobe, expresses his delight at winning the prize and being able to
shake hands with the iconic Prof. Wole Soyinka, the man for whom the
pan-African prize is named. Excerpts:
What special feelings
does winning the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa engender in you?
I am
deeply honoured, humbled and grateful.
It gave me a deeper appreciation for the written word as to how far and
wide it can travel.
What
has changed in your life and work since winning the prize?
Getting
known in the continent has been the major change. I mean I am answering
questions in a Nigerian publication, for example.
What is changing in your
life since? Do you have new friends, relations, etc?
Yes, I
have made new friends. Quite a lot of friends in the few days I was in Lagos.
What is likely to change in
your life and work?
I hope
my work can reach a wider audience.
I’d like to travel and see more countries in our beautiful continent.
The success of your
story typifies the ascendancy African writing has witnessed in recent years.
How would you describe what is happening to African fiction?
There
has been a welcomed boom in African literature. This is to be expected as a
younger generation grew up reading masters like Soyinka, Achebe and Mda.They
carved the path, made us realise it is alright to have stories to tell. Our
cities are growing and rapidly changing making for favourable writing
conditions.
What is the nature of
fiction publishing in South Africa? How are writers treated in terms of
royalties, promotion, etc? Was it hard finding a publisher for your book?
Fiction does
not outsell non-fiction but it is surviving. It is out there; our writers are
breaking into the international scene, and naturally more will follow. With
democracy barriers are broken hence these stories, country finding our feet on
the social mingling aspect. The promotion aspect could be better, of course. It
was hard finding a publisher, it took a while but I just persevered and kept
rewriting.
How would you describe the
writing environment in you country?
Our book
market is small so it is hard. It has to be supplemented. I hope this can
change because writing is time consuming yet time is the chief maker of good
prose. If writers were given the time to just write, we’d have a clearer
reflection of ourselves.
What reception did you get
back home in South Africa?
The win has
been well received. The media supports literature so interviews have come in
thick and fast. And, all the congratulations from friends, family, the works.
What was your
impression of the award event in Lagos?
It was a
lovely event. Top class in all regards. I got to shake Wole Soyinka’s hand, and
shared a joke with the great man. It was a wonderful evening!
How would you describe the
work of the organisers of the prize, The Lumina Foundation in promoting
literature on the continent?
The Lumina
Foundation is a beacon in the continent. They provide a platform for the
exchange of culture, among many things. We need more of their ilk.
What specific issue (s)
does Young Blood address? What
relevance to modern African societies?
Young
Blood addresses crime from inside a car
theft syndicate. The tale of a lost black male, showing how and why he gets
lost. Navigating a world bent on adding barriers. It a story that happens
everywhere in the cities of Africa.
What's next, then, for you
as a writer? Any work coming soon?
I’m working
on the second book. It’s a detective story of the rare kind begging to be
finished.
No comments:
Post a Comment