DICTIONARY OF LITERARY BIOGRAPHY , I -' ---

l,.,.-// --

CYFRI.AN O • D. EKWENSI

(26 SEFTEMBER 1921 - )

by

Ernest N. Emenyonu

University of Calabar

C ala ba.r, N/;G,~.

.---.. . /) . • . f

NAME:

BIRTH:

EDUCATION:

MARRIAGE:

CAREER DETAILS:

1

CYPRIAN· ODIATU DUAKA EKWENSI / . .'

Minna, Niger State, Nigeria,

~ 26 September/ 192\ to David Anadumaka

and Agnes Uso Ekwensi.

Government College, Ibadan; Achimota

College, Gold Coast (now Ghana); School

of Forestry, Ibadan; Higher College,

Yaba; Chelsea School of Pharmacy,

London University.

Married with many children.

Lecturer in Biology, Chemistry,

English at Igbobi College, Lagos,

Nigeria (1947-49); Lecturer in

Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutics at

the School of Pharmacy, Yaba, l1949-51);

2

Pharmacist, Nigerian Medical Service

t1956-57); Head of Features, Nigerian

Broadcasting Corporation, (1957-61);

Director of Information Services,

Federal Republic of Nigeria (1961-66);

Director of Information Services,

Eastern Nigerian Information Sevices

(1966-67); Chairman, Bureau for

External Publicity for "Biafra"

(1967-69); Controller-General Broad-

casting Corporation of "Biafra"

(1969-70); Chairman, East Central

State Library Board (1971-75); Visiting

Artist in Residence, International

Writing Programi/: University of Iowa, '-../

Director, Star Printing and Publishing

3

Company, Enugu (1975-1979); Consultant,

Ivory Trumpet Publishing Company Ltd.,

(Niger Eagle Press Ltd.J, (1980-83);

Information Consultant, Federal Ministry

of Information, Lagos, {1984-85);

Commissioner for Information, Anambra

State, Nigeria (Oct. 1983-Dec. 1983);

Member, Board of The Federal Radio-

Corporation of Nigeria (1984-86);

Chairman, Anambra State Hospitals

Management Board, t1987- present).

AWARDS: Dag Hammarksjoeld International Award

for Literary Merit (1968) .

_, ,<''.,.. .

.., .-Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Sca_ndinavia,

United· States of America.

4 /'. / .,...

. _,./] . __ _..-· I

~

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS ANB,,.-MENBSRSHIPS:

.. · /

/

P.E.N., London; Society for / _/ ,.

~/-·

Nigerian Writer; Member of

-· the Pharmac utical Society of

Britain; Member of the Nigerian

Arts Council; ~ember, British

~nstitute of Public Relatioris;

Member of the World Organisation

of the Diplomatic Press; Member,

._,,,. Association of Nigerian Authors. \ .,~"

.PUBLICAIION:3::- ~-

MAJOR NOVELS:

P~ople of the City (London: Andrew Dakers, 1954;

E,.dt.H:a.+,·a.,,.,v( Book !. London: Heinemann~ f}-rf,,!c~ LJv it'e.v-s .S-e. r"1.e.s_, sj, 1'(63 i

Evanston. Norffiwestern un-i~~---

Press;· 1"§"67;---~.,

e-Y: Greenwich; Cem1ec Lieut, Fawcett,

1969).

Jagua Nana lLondon: Hutchinson, 1961;

London: Panther Books, 1963 ;

er:

5

Greenwich; Ceniie· 1 lGJ.t±, Fawcett, 19b9; . --f"- ' t. , r r 1,_ . \ • ..:... p ,r C::-r,p< ti t.If :: ,1,_~,c,, .... -;;:, t- , · . .. ,,.~~("- 1A-r--?<!l-- · # • .,.Jf ,{.:> ..,1€1t .. J; l W;'"'.)

.... ..... - - • - ..., • .# - { _... ~ /

London: H~in~mannl1

1975) • . . - c ,.

/_..,--t-,:;~~ .: ~> ·. -•'. -: g C Q ~ :, [;;_::: ' ·• L--., ~,.; , · ~ -:,' ; : e ,.' .: :: . .:,, _) /

Burning Grass , (London: Heine~~~-;;i,2J; . --- ·-- -____ ,

Beautiful Feathers lLondon: Hutchinson, 1963;

-London: Heinemann,. 1~1-GJ. /\

lLondon: Hutchinson, 19bb;

-·, s~~ ,.., ~;'; . ~~--:~---:' . l q7 !' •

I :J/

, ~-~ ..

London: Panther Books, 19b8J.

Divided we stand llmugu; NigeZ&: Fourth Dimension, 1980).

~ - f

d / ..... ' ' € ~u ...... c.t .. . · .,

For a Roll of Parchment \Ibadan: Nig ia~ Heinemann~

t\ l~;t'' 6~·.$)' 19tsbJ.

Jagua Nana's Daughter l Ibadan; ~ Spectrum, 1986).

b

SHU.l{T NOVELS:

\ q qt} The Leopard's Claw (London: Longman, ~).

When Love Whispers tYaba, Nigeria: Chuks, 1947; i .. ,. - --·~

Oni tsha, Nigeria: Tabansi, · 1948). - . ..,

The Passport of Mallam Ilia lLondon and New York:

Cambridge University Press, 1960).

/\

Yaba Round ,Kbout Murder 7

C,---

lLagos: Nig,~ia: Tortoise '-../

Series Books, 19b2).

Motherless Baby t tEnugu: Nigae:ra--:.. Fourth Dimension,

19t50J.

BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS:

The Drummer Boy lbondon and New York: Cambridge

University Press, 1960).

An .African Night's Entertainment

lLagos; ~African Universities

Press, 1962 J.

7

c,,,/·

Juju Rock {Lagos:~ African Universities Press, -- i '., ' ' ' )

..- ~ • ~ ,, ,, 1 'l ('.l , ·-196. 6) • i ;,.,_ - f. • • . e X,., < • .,, '.\. ·i. / r•°c • •,•-• ,, >.)!'-' <;; J ~ ... , V (· ... ' ,

l-

Trouble in Form Six (London and New York: Cambridge

University Press, 1966); ., .

' ; . :, {. \..

Coal Camp Boy (Lagos: Nige'M:a-~ f' .. '4! ... .J"

Longman 1w 1973): I'\ ,

Samankwe in the Strange Forest

Samankwe and the Highway Robbers

c-/

(Lagos; Nige1'.i-a,-

(London: Evans, 1975)•

COLLECTIONS OF SHORT STORIES: 'Ibo T "-(e. s

Ikolo the Wrestler and Other :&t::11t ie-e

(London: Nelson, 1947) ;

The Great Elephant-Bird

tT,'laa.ton on Toe:mes, (London: Nelson,

1965)j

/I

The Rain l':Aflker and Other Stories

(Lagos; Ni-g.Z:a..: .African Universities ri

) t,. ('. - , l,~P~.:tjEf.\_:5 ~-2 __ ~.:&J<;r 1965),r it ~· 'f lC.,1_.-1,.~ '"' ~-c L. ,

'.I".ne Boa Sui tor

Lokotown ,and Other Stories ;

• • r ,ir' i ~ . t,·d "· ~ ·r_ . r: ,, ... _ 4. •

(London: Heinemann , 1966)}' /•

Restless City and Christmas Gold . ' ' • ) r .. ~ ~ \.,·."'., ,·" r ! 1·5

_,,,.- 1 ' ~ ~ - ·· . . -, . . . ' . ' ~ -:_ , : r". J ._, t c. l - ,i • • _,; • .. ... 4 '\,. .J ~" ~ "

(London: Heinemann~ 1975) 1 /1

The Rainbow - Tinted Scarf and Other Stories -~ tLondon: Evans, 197JJ·

wo~ rN'PAINT:} z,., I . _, _.··1 Benind ·the_r Convent 'Wall ~ /, I _./ ,.., .,,, ---~

,- ./ a · os Love Deal/ / ··

I / / /,. I 1 / /

Murde at Mil/Two

9

(3oc t( ~S EDITED:

Festac Anthology of Nigerian New Writing

{Lagos, Nigeria: Cultural Division,

Federal Ministry of Information -

Nigeria Viagazine special publication,

1977).

/

SOME ANT'dOLOGIES IN WHICH WORKS HA VE APPEARED:

Afr~ New Writin

/

/ {London: I,,titterworth Press,

1947.

Darkness into D;ght ,, ( 1957 J. // -- --~

/-------Refl~{ions ,lL_a/as ~~ria: African Universities

_/ Press, 1962'). . "' I -,.,"'

An African Treasurv: articles, -.essays, stories,

/ .,

poems by black Africans (New York: Crown, 1960).

noutlook for African Wri terd.!1-, \ ; . . ···--·---~ --- . ../

G~st African Revie4 ~anuary) 1950):

"The Dilemma of the African Writer!!-,--;

West African Review~?(.Ju1yi·956): 70 /-iOL/i

Q

"Problems of Nigerian Wri ters~'t c? c,)

Nigeria Magazine, 7tl/~eptember/ 1963): 211-Z-lq/

"Literary Influences on a Young Nigerian~

Times Literary Sunnlemen~(~ 19b4); 47!,-i./7 6)

"African Li teraturet!!--, )

Nigeria lfagazine °/ 8 3) & ecember /1964) : Z '! t/ - '-- 'f 'f;

13

··":h,ssessi..'1.g Cyprian Ekwensi as a writer, ~ ~ ' ,

American st.udent once said, "Eis !,ision may be at /

..,/ times confused, "· l;lis scznes m 'y be crowded, and h:i,.s .

characters unwiel; ,' j,, Cypriru, __EkwenSf' s writings

/ '" ---------· ---the most gener~~:it-aec-essin__le, the most likely to b e

/ / ~ / ·- L~ picked up while shopping for the'- .;weekly groceries."

/ ~ / '-.,,

This s1J.1ri's up the /// .

t "' ~- .. .:i. , ...... ype OI e-qU4i::..SJ.L.££k±on 1:u.~a em·tn.6 iu bY,--..... ..

"·,.

are

wh{ch a study of Cyprian Erllensi as 2. noveli1:?t evokes. '·

a..,_ Cyprian Ekwensi is ,Q,ae-·JJ.~ writer who deserves

patient reading and ca reful review. He is frer.ue~tly

_gere~y relegated to the background by in%crit:i.csJ

spurned by some and ignored by a few. :Many a critic

.,.of ~ ::rieacr HtePo.tu1e, Oft"~! fr om .. if;;he Western w<h'.-ltt;

C_.?

has made his debut by n shooting down" 0., .... /im1 Ekwensi .

One went so far as to assert that II whatever Ekwensi' s

' virtues, they do not extend to 1 i terature. 11 It is .ae i CA 1 +e.

?i- fof1..J(,t.v- wr; fer /, K'e ekw~ ,,; f-, / ~~

easy to cri ticize C½,:r,1 ian ~kwen's1, mac,1 nrore-s~

~ve"·rwt'"•ev~n· r~a°tt"ha-m. yhiatever his f aults .

~ ,__,.,.~~~;::=EFl;¥.l~~~.,_ ( and there

t 9 ::~d ~ d. h 'j a. "' ~ ,, serious student of African

14

he C.&..n /It () t are many of them), :&e- 0

1iterature1

~::-a i ffe:rd _Lo

importe.nt pla.ce in the historical development of the

I S

~est African novel in English, and truly the father of "-

the modern Nigerian novel in English. No matter how

r\1.0 v' a.. (1 ·~ +:s / ' offensive some of his adult novels may be to FQOf)le ~,i~ ___ ,....,,.,

a-certain frame Gf m-.ind and m€.i'a1 di~, no

!jet(_ r"Vi ! V! 0

parent or teacher who has young children who. :;r0~~ for ~

{ 1te(a.f!.(ttZ o. +loid +o ov0'"/,,ok exciting si:.~rieo can ~o~e Cyprian Ekwensi's stories

A..

for young readers. No matter how uneven the quality of

his novels may b~ Yi geBcrar, Ekwensi remains one o:f

Africa's best short story writer~O! tae twentieth sz__,

~--- 'l'he key word to his art as a creative writer

is versatility.

Born on September 26, 1921, Cyprian Ekwensi has

written about one book for every two years he has lived,

he

15

and about two short stcries for every year of his life

so far. He has published novels 2nd short stories; he I\

,.-e!e,.1 1 s1 c l-\ fl :J-, ..• ~,,,

has written plays fer the radio and filmscripts forAthe

screen. He has written about love, infatuation,

infidelity, war, adventure, fantasy, politics, c~ildhood,

marriage, death and ritual sacrifice. He has written

for adults as well as youngsters. Ee has collected

folktales. He has written about life in various Nigeria~

etbnic groups:

He

' (ec..o rd ,>'l.v ~etet:ior, :it! a.ii:.8 fi:etiOB Mei ,i c,.ded tlnoag!! t:he

'f_ici ssitud:e~ of 1.tfe in"' new "uro'an ~e!rv:tr~

Perhaps if he had stuck to one genre, if he had

focussed on one major theme, if he had concentrated '

N~-~1'.k¾-on one segment of ~ society

1 :for :b:is :;.:i.::4ience , ..

. /\ a.. !J re.."--+cit

Cyprian Ekwensi could he.ve commanded r•mr?ze., t@2.li1!r '2,__._.

-9-aUow:~1 ;1 (l,..;.::,€- fie hi, __ f-:fellow9'.F-vl · .f-, among literary critics. ~L 1S hOW;": !Ml

16

.._. coverW- many situations, many themes and many types

14-0sr of characters. ~ readers ~ have no knowledge of

h ,'~ e.;;.,-fro..()rJ,~~ry

~J,:R-Jj¥jts±14J lit-::rarJ output in the l2st forty

0.....-

yes.rs:~ l:ige~ It includes ni..Yle major novels, five

short novels, seven children's readers, seven collections Cl

PJ:rJbQrS Qf ::­of short stories, co~L~tlessdshort stories~-~=~ in -r -

~~e journals and magazines, and several unpubliahed ~

bo~\<:J<tv\j~ manuscrirts. He is without doubt the most prolific

w r:te.l(' l.1Cve1--yt in Nigeria today.

~...., .. wio'~ .a5 p;b@e.1 Ekwensi' s c areer is as versatile and

widespread as his fiction. An Igbo born in r.:ir.na,

Niger State ( where he had his primary education),

Ekwensi received his second&.ry education in Ibad2n,

Oyo

his

State, his :post-second2.ry education in Ghana and /

~ professional,-r-miivers~education in England. His family moved

A-.,,,....-·-~. /

to Northern Nigeria from their homeland Nkwelle. nerr ·....___,_ ._

17

C5idi in Anambr~. 3tate Ln 1919 and on}y retvrned in

1966 on the eve of the civil war ~l 0"'"1J-:y- ten yesrs )

before Ekwensi' s father's death on November 19, 1976. j

~.o.:t~ ,C. Ekwensi w2:.s already ~ H!f.li'i' before he first n c2.me home"

yov..~~r vt-<'1-!,\

to his village in Nkwelle. As a e~udcn:t., he studied

Forestry and Pharmacy. As a teacher at Igbobi College

near Lagos, in the forties, he taught English, Biology

and Chemistry. At the I..agos Sc:b.ool of :Fharmacy _:L.'1 1949,

A--l·Htc··,, e;, ~ he ha./ he ta1..1ght :Fharmacognosy and Fharm2ceutics. "~ V

professional qua.lifications in Forestry and Fharrnc.cy he I

jo1~e.d ~1'5.t O""M!.r tQ the news media in the fifties, studied

Broadcasting ( ofcf;.ef!: o~~o1"j in England, and has

'"°' wD>'"k of t1......_a1·~ei"' remained w-4-ttr t~ media .itr one form or t-he gther since

~n rcz61 1 960. pe e.ttained the

"' Information ~ i..'1

J

rank of the Federal Director of

which capacity he controlled~ Jf__

Nigerian ~e media including films, r8.dio, television, I .

Crr"

2-nr~ ,-:;;:i~"'~er. Commenting on his multiple interests, a -t-tL

l:1!1-.,'j• - ~ o 11ce~ writer in.LS.fest P.-frican RevieJ:!~~2.:§§t ., said:

.rl_ - ,.~

m, L /I • ~' • .i.nere a!'e vwo '-'yprian .,:;.r.:.wensis. Cyrrian Ekwensi, the Nigerian novelist, broadcaster, short story writer, the man who lives in the world of ink and literature--and Cyprian Ek~·rensi, the :ph2.r m2cist, the man of t:1e white coat, dispensing medicine, sterilisi.~g i.~jections 2nd control:ing drugs.

This is still very much the story of Cyprian ~kwensi

today: h turns 12. teecher, 2, j ournalist, 2 phcrmacist,

a dir-lomat, a businessman, a/om:pany director, a

,.. :Fublic f~lations consultant, I? photographer, s de:zterous

t · t · · L,~ ..!- , ..... f t · ar is , &n Jd:1gen3si;i;.,13 "-z~.b sons, an .1n orma ion

consultant, a writer and a I

J

moJlder of public opinion. \.__...- ' \ t d\vas,ty ,,.-f 1vi,fere$ 4/

In his fiction he reflects this rli @Q g:rili producing

a kind of hodge-podge which has amused many, excited

some and irri ta.ted a few.

19

Ek-wensi had begun writing as e8rly e.s the end

+i'rs t-of the Second World ~far. His Mr7 .; eat stories were

e,_L,{foJr'z,·l/l(J about his father ~ the,r eulogise-d his f"aiiher' a c

I'

unequalled bravery as an adventurous ( elephant) hunter

~ki\l rnd his ,~,:Hern-± ty as a carpenter. Re pubJ.ished his

first collection of short stories, Ikolo the Wrestler

and Other Ibo Tales in 194 7. In 194 7/ 48 he :published 'J

what was probably the first pamphlet i.."l. the Cni tsha

!'iarket literature tradition, When love Whispers. It

~ Jl"1 e<;S rl..f-C...-, was a light-he2.rted romance with hee.vy didact icism::..

~ / I

In 1954 he published Feople of the City, his first

y-~ k.s major novel, which was d'iscri'lood as the first West

I • 1.,J t, t-re.-., I 11 o._

Afrioan English novel ii& modern style • .,,, ~ r-e~+- "~ firs

All aie eight ~tteeeqtte~ major novels with~

~~ Burning Grass, have followed the

tradition of People of the City in their blunt depiction

of the realities of modern urban environments. They

20

o/' read like indictments of /tJh city inhabitants. Ekwensi's

,_, i

subject is people,,and his thematic preloccupation is to

o-·

confront• city dwellers with the re~olting social prt1. cf ices

injustices and outrageous immoral~ that seem to -1.

have become part of their way of life. The picture~

~ ~"_,-~··

d::±£-e: w~h he presents is~ unattractive to the eye

and mind, and it has often been remarked that he has

~ h~ ~ ta& predilection~ focussing h'ia · .. orea:t,~fl~ only on

c. ,'+/es. the ugly and ~ repugnant in new African 1,:i.r'baa aabite-

~~ Ekw~nsi has insisted that the work of the ,:;;;,

novelist is to hold a mirror up to nature and describe . 1 f­~~-truthfully regardless of the e~:, ~ /, o/s

~os Gr' othe:rv,,r;t~e of his public, t=truisb-. He

maintains that much of what he writes is true of his

~ -fWl-~ kfbf.L..-\

life and the lives of others in the peculiar setting~ .I\ .

y e-f h.ts--,r::iwcj rcumQnt. _ In the last forty years he has

c.c,.,,,_t,vi.i<E?J ~.., T1.11. 1·s ve1 1.1 .Ca.P$ie,± tlrts bam121· with varying degrees of success ~

(,I ;t'.., - - Q__ -~ andAequally varying degrees of acceptanc8~-

21

literary critlcs. 9---;..------

V u:1.-.5 !

People of the City g of .; major significance in A

the literary career of Cyprian Ekwensio It b.egaa the

t- I., I • I ~ o 11 , ~ $" 10. r' f e ci 4. S. 1

t.:adi ti CT' ;,. - ... .,,._~,g ' for ·'W!tiCI!" m,-lra s . DE!mr-

·,;rerma-.n:e-~ a "city chronicleb)'. ,~a.a idenL11'1ed. 9

) /

writing at a time when nationalist movements and the

struggle for independence were gaining grou..~d. in Nigeriao

Many people had started to anticipate the golden era

of freedom and emancipation. Many others; however,

~ perceived this freedom and emancipation fromApurely

+ I • .J... $ d..vtd /Ot vi I •

selfish &,,gjs, The society was at a point of transition A.

from the old order to the new. The new order associated )

with the emerging urban cen~s, was col&ul and ~ Y" & ; l)V.,\

vigorous7 /r't was also socially crowded, multi~racial V

and complex. Moral values were in a state of turmoil1

and the social pace was fast and gripping. The

22

J..1 .L. - ...p_ tl.- 1 • e w/-':; 41--"\

"heroes" of the new age were torn apart by ..,s.eJ..t'ish

~ c,d(5 aggrandizement~. Despite a~l pr'81Rf)tiss-,s to share in

V .

the development of their new nation, they remained

e. self-cenyed and wasted themselves in frivolities and

the desire for sensual excitementso Ekwensi was

disenchanted with this euphoria and saw the new urban

environments as bewitched with "terribly corrupting

\' influences ••• a den for Ali Baba and the forty thieves, ~

sensitivity to tr:1,cth, ~sm and tt1e gtn5a ·11fe wn1ch - I '

ht~ (,~+- Y',/)'Ve), ~ ... J. . .., Ekwensi sought to reflect in ~ -&ed. subsequent -::w:, elm wo.r~'-!

which he set in the city. He chose the Nigerian capita~

~ -...C.~'fl-:ert--the-:t~.e--, Lagos, as the social base for J~f(d_:J;.,.,J

new Africa --- Africa on the eve of political independence.

a....5 ~ People of the City did not originate :i.R "Me normM

Q..,,·.,., ,I

novelf~ a../$-D

It did not originate as a single story A.

·23

~ Q./

written consistently from J beginning to J end.

Instead, it was a stringing together of thirteen

different stories written at different times for

different purposeso The plot was built on a series of

separate episodes which Ekwensi had broadcast in his

V weekly short story program8 on Radio Nigeria in the

1940s. Each story was set in a djfferent city location, a-.-~ h o._d I f i 0W 0. y\\ P.~;,::1-9--~ ~ +yl e_ • '··, ~ ~-

~9~ £,Qi! ii dJ fferert m@e!90ge ~an .... :.:,4t.,

HU+acomO»S style al)Q teCbCJ(ll»> ~~~~~~' r; ~;51 ~ l won a government scholarship for further studies in

Pharmacy at the Chelsea School of Pharmacy, London

011'1 Universityo It was -m the ship that took him from

Nigeria to England that Ekwensi wrote People of the ------·· __ _ ..,_...,...----1

I' . 'r City. ,',)'le did; this by stringing together those short

~ ...... ______ .,..,.-u~,+, ~/ ft.-e.-..

stories that he had broadcast on Radio Nigeria, into '\

one long story entitled Lajide of Lagos. Lajide was

an obnoxious character in a story about extortionist

24

landlords. At the end of the fourteen days in which

he had secluded himself inside his lonely cabin,

Ekwensi had completed his first major literary creation.

In 1954 Andrew Dakers published it as People of the

City. Young Ekwensi may have seen his achievement as

5CJH;fi;1,.....f C{, -.?f a~ literary feat but critics had different opinion$

,,,..._ , A f A

h,~ . This novel brought Gypria~ Ek.weR&i international

.A II' I 1 1"' e6rtt 2d Y)1»1_ f'?..u. d 1 '5:·1> vov

visibility as a novelist . but it also bes~~ his tPaveils

~+-~ literary critics inside and outside Africa.

True to his setting, the people in the novel are .P()ueJ +o cliooSe bet-w~ev'I dpa;m--be:tween cbo0eing the picturesque rural life of

I\

the village which is tradition-bound, and life in the

1 .1 devo 1 'J.

more recently established urban centj~s which is J:a.ped

of personal and familial ties and any continuity of

custom. In such a setting, the characters evolve and

grow. They find themselves thrust into a cold, foreign,

alien atmosphere; alone and rejected, Y!!fl!'l, they sJi&; ="R>

dishonest,

25

y this barren wasteland.f where businessmen are

I

Je~oliticians are corrupt,~

°( hoj/-,!e q--)~

neighbo~s are eaemi~ -a~d . ~~i~nds c-~~~:in~~\].ife a~ _________ _ .__ , .- ~-•• .....,_ , _ 4_,._ ·-· .- _ , • ~--·.i.,.,_r,-· .. --.. ~~ -~•- · ·· - • •.,••••· • , ..,,., •• ••· ~ ·-......_. ._ ... " - • .. ~ . ..,.,_.,.• .-

'----s~lf-fulfilmentl- They meet few people~ whom they ---------- ~·"'" +-rtA..$;-- O r"'

can cemmtn'le eP t: etly !18) th~ love. Instead, they are

~1fr..t ~-~-~9 daily confronted W wretched filth, decadence, hopeless­

"-

The greedy, the ambitious, the

licentious, surroun·d their every movemento They find

fo<;t;,e <;!,ed o -f--the people of the city sac&impmse,d td!ib. a synthetic

,.,,..__ a

self

importance and plastic sense of glory. Despite immediate A

superficial

life in the

-for attractions, their hope~ eif a successful ...,.

; ( f u.1>0 r9 • city remain j a !la l:cg!g_l~ Yet they are not

disillusioned with the city. Instead they pursue their

e,V1er~e:h' ca-U~ 1 search w~1be::i:ckm, believing that the city

.J\ .

must eventually have something positive to offer them.

They remain adamant in this misguided determination

despite the advice and forewarnings of parents and

26

'

~ll.!: elders~ the cityo This element of search

.-J.··f ' I $ , ;.~ e."'"'--e I ~ ~id.ett a unifying f.@e.tG?·~ all Ekwensi 's city

novels . • • .J.. ' t r, Scr,f i ,or.:

People of the City begins with the -war:i-s ~How the -'\

city attracts all types and how the unwary must suffer

from ignorance of its ways. 0 The key word here is

t, attracts., because it implies that people are 41 a c:e?M4:::9--

lured to the city. Sango, the main character, is one

such person. He thinks he knows exactly why he

the city;l 1'Sango had bis own life to lead, his

is in

name

to make as a bandleader and journalist. )) He is there

~e~k_ beu~e to ,... success and Jii. a celebrityo His goals are

/\ (l

~/. <Y ~ tA e~ t, self-oriented1 pis search~ a personal aeaPeh-. He

:>el~_ f!A( .f, 111'-i.evJ-" wants his road toward i:&il!8 to be clear from interference,

A.

and when it is not1 he is greatly disturbed. 'Jhie is

~ ~~ ~· l,iillMl When Aina, a young girl whom~

a.-.short eneettft'tep: had professed to love, goes to jail

27

rfE1

( , · _r ,_., , . c,. a_r;.... :v;y "~C -

:f'or stealing/ Sango almost tells her t:e really does A

not care for her in the least be; cause ,ew:h relation-'"" ,-\

8hips are :fleeting and within a day are already past

and .forgotten.

~unday :e~ ~-e-~-;~~-::Y ~~. ::e:r ;rn and mi~t never .. see--·againo They ·took -~ out ~----· ····" ---~ . ,----··· /

'\, ...

and amused them. Sometimes it l~ to a romance

....,,,,---d and ~hat waS~~~~ted; b/4e often it led

.r - :::::. Every -~i ¼~ ~a_s a gay _,

adven~ of the patt~~ of 1ife in the

"'-. ""-city :J _ ~o- le person who w~.r~e(i ~-ix_ days

a w~r;~t~d ~ny~~ng ~~s~ but ~~~ion

t-r;/4 the-s"e"'·s'trange encounters. J ( . f. (

o.,,--e: n O + e tr.te"l., ec.. The other characters in the story do zm I C:bfrlE out

o..s .f,..._ ((y l MiP aa sic~ as Sango. They are stereotype,figures

~ <l....._~_or '5 and appear to have been created to meet G0Ptaift

preconceived ends.,. ..el :JJJe roll h~~ These ends - the ~..'

28

moral purpose of the book - help to throw more light

pe1·.1et~r::., ~ on Ekwensi's attitude towards the A values of his

society.

I is portrayed as tmr"me.st sensual and ,. ,/'

/ one sophistic ted woman

11&--~-W!.l::aw :Shea.d,e_ .. the A. most

_/ ·'

tempting to Sango and also the most vulnerable to the /'

/

corrosive infl ences of the cityo · she represents the ,,\ r

I

/

'

to the city by its superficial

and who cannot see beyond / /

r I

While X 'the city they

and abanp.o themselves

/ yi,eld to money

I the fast ebbing

.< I

tides of city life o /

Beatrice hi disclosed

II from th/ Eastern Gree

She m/4e no secret f

I I

city: high life~

t she came to the city

the city of coal.

to the

high-class

foods, decent clothes, luxurious living. Since

o( 2_9

i

she c~_ui~ not ear_~<the high J;ife he~s~lf, s~,e' must ~ I : /! . / . \ I ~ ,,.

I , · / ' \ ' t / ~· : / \ / / [ •

oQj;ain i \~-itachmen_t--,--t'o some-one who'--~~ould.

Ekwensi knows his city very well . He also knows

e.----

1;9 :tL,- mc·!Q--P,.u:e-e::d~.id: the idiosyncracies of tfle.- h(~

characters~~ who are symptomatic of the ,

moral depravities of the city o -Sang0= i~41-yrohol icakly,,

a -p-oi:rrt-_,,Q.!~. j.:n±er--se~- '• _,_ :,~ch_pe smle_ anc;L.;th~ir, ..... ~ .... -=-- •. :. ~::- -··

through t~~y. The strongest quali t y of t he novel . ..,_,.--........ -· .

J1! i;::kw~ ; realities e Africt,;~elPEEl5~1'S~i!~$l06 eftYiFeRme.zt$.-!" 'fher --- ---- ------____ ,..---,

C ~!ant' ponders why things happen the way t hey do and

yet no one seems to care, or care ~ enough. ~

I

\ \ \

\ l

l ! ;

' / I man will pick thE;.rit .µp and make them into

; .. /

.l ,.// . ,,

something. _/ / /

• . ? \

30

AI1£i~ear_ lie~ in'···the nove,l th/{ ha~, b~eri ~;3other "" , / ··.,, .._;? .....

"' , / / . • -<. ,,·'

authorial 1tl~pection: ·. · .,., /, '· ...

' / ·'-The question I ~ust ;sk _the people of the city

. "' . '\_ _/

. T __ ,n... ~ is this: mi1 • ;// '' \.

./ \ ~

,-, ,

, ' '""' ""' ·, .'-. _..-- \

Why was the y01.u1g"woma-n killed in this /. __; .. ----···.., ~ . , ... · ' .

~-/

--:-- heartl.e.s~And-·wny-the· ·-child ·-too?

ref! ;s f-e,,s

~ Ekwensi's sensitive voice ctople~ his sinceritY,:~ --~ He is attempting to confront his society

with its evils. The picture is one of squalor, bribery,

corruption and mercenary values presented by one who

has an inside knm"iledge of the situation. Feeple,

ollll 7 :, :r.f'!"lf ~"""""'"-l._..,~....,.~""'~ ~ ~~ ~,.£.ep sei:~er than love and playea.wT Yl1:ne •,

. 31

/ In the end it is t.½e city that emerges as the villain

of the novel. "Tne city eats many an innocent life

every year • • • It is a waste of our youth ••• n

Perhaps it is the author's close proximity to his

~~~~ setting and his G...,.,&eflott±-R reactions to its problems

that have produced some of the major weaknesses - r,.tf,: ;

i[Z by critics of the novel. The author's didacticism

and sense of retribution are very much in evidence in

every action in the novelo Often he oversteps his role

of mirroring society to that of standing in judgment

of ff/ ~ it. He is both the plaintiff and - jur~ am."""'

the~¥ cJ 2\iBe z::i:fl ef.? l42g,•e Cltat bcP is ~'the wages o:f

~J he. Sono.e.f,~es s iim:·:4. fil aa-iffl.'l • 'PftM3C> :2 r:e two ~ resolves ,.. . A .

~ conflicts in the novel ,• l:iy lea7v"ing ett=e the iB-Sue se__ ---·-------._./

er,d:i:PGly,

J'kills C ~ de;;(o';J,~ · J.

or ey the depln}mlen;t,....,e,£ a deus-ex-machina~ ~~

off the characters he has no more use for.

32

("""'~ ;> ~ ~anr-rnth~-t-11r:.e .c:t...~ooo~~ leads

~Q_ to contrived endings that are melodramatic a-t ~est,=b.trt'

~~ unconvincing. The looseness at the end of each

sub-plot makes the novel read like day-to-day records

of events in the lives of people, sometimes intercon-

but more often than not just events thrown together1

~

'- ho__t1 ¾~.""2.~i·;(.J. . .. . ___ ,,,

smaJ..J..e:x:.;;;A:J,O·:r, Ci 42utITJctterl "by-'1--~a-et~-s~~

c;bar-aeters-a-t:.e.. . ..the,--s-am&\

;J~/ Whe-n all fa\.lilt.s l:l.aire l;;ieea eE>n.sidcrea--, People of

tit., ~ ~ tl'.S J nto J el'V"I >1 b v ~ t.11.e City. the--pi.eu~ West African fie=Gi&n in

I\

English, remains a work of major importanceQ It is

the picture of Lagos in all its ~m±fie&lluas ~

squalor,.-the infectious corruption, the grab-and-keep

mania-JIIP"what Peter Abrahams has called the "social

meaningfulness" of the novel, that confers on People

of the City its lasting value as a work of fiction.

Ekwensi's second major city novel, Jagua Nana,

published in 1961, is remarkable in many ways and bas

+ . + \ drawn ~!!i1

~ conflicting ;:e:!a0-1::5it: 0

~ 8~~~ ·- ~-·--c--· ~ ----.

~,wo:iik--0£ 8:f".t. <.::, To many it is a masterpiece and may

well be Cyprian Ekwensi's most lasting contribution

A-f-,-/~ Ce,.+a 1~ f.:t ; + 1 s h I s to the art of the,,1noveign 20th oen@..wy Af_!:!_t;ii:,,4:t; ~

----·····----novel among

l:>o~ Feaders inside and outside Nigeriao To some1 however,

; \ , '

p.,,.o..;>e it- h ~s "-f-+r~ c-t-e c! 1.s all the attF:i..aut~ acc11::d:wd ~ misplaced and

t!>t'-£ misdirected1 ;ts value as a work of art is questionable. ,

"- ~ JCJ.h I+-. ~~-/~b/,r ~erJ,, ~~:,-iS"CI(::-tr,:n~~~ Right from 4.t:s p1.tl·ll!:a Ii M, a year

'\.

after Nigerian independence, some church organi{ations

and Xo~en's unions attacked the novel and demanded

that it be banned from circulation among the youth.u 0 ~7.

0 F!v e..vi r, s ~

'ra~4'J&wtg Nigeria.a Parliament ~ was not _./

detached from the controversyo It debated several

-- ------- \

times a fproposed ·:·filming lof the novel by an Italian L------- .

~e.f-ar~ company Jdi. ea finally

/'\

34

the whole controversy was Jagua, the heroine of the

novel, whose uninhibited sexual life was said to have

turned the novel into a mere exercise in pornography(!)

~:-,,,.~'=··~ -'<--..

But those who admire the novel ~a-.;~t;, :,~~

~ie5 ~ -- si.Jn 0£:=tlm:~nt-ic have described t..- ..{\,\..1 1~

J -J z: d Jagua as Q)p1 itl!i!'il Ekwensi' s most/\ reali~ed character..._, a. "1

wP:U-rrnrn<led ana peyehO'l05lCSlJ:1"aeliiiea'"'fe~a _.,,

h el"t>; n e.s ta ~hes &ii'&:e:; one of the most memorable c'J.apoe1;efls in

• , .• ;r - "' •

Radio· Timesl 25 June, 1961, descri"sf .9- ~-th =~_ ovel as "a - C ,..,w·-~""''°"'.,,.,. --··- _,.., ---- -- ---· -~

simple down-to-earth stor¥~- in-~ way few people , .. , . .-- . /""'

~:~·-· / ~ can • • • • Y.ou read fte firs;t fe~!!-~Rag_e..s..~oi. .. Jagua Nana (_-~.;--/ ---·-·· -~ -~r---- ---~..,) you find th~·t;' you cannot sfop but . go .. on •• .• ~ ...,.Cyp~ian / ' ,,,_,,.,. .,_,.,.:: ·· ··,~,--•' . - ., · - ·-.

Ekw~i h~ Fwri--ften Ja u Nana in a digestible language, _/ .,• • ,,,~~-,.<'' r ,, ••" • - · ,,-, . , , --• ~ •• . ...,,.,.. .. , ;., ,....__.,. __ ..,~•~:::,

etchflrg· oti~-7 vi vi: ~~~~e .the· picture of a

;/' / '".,_ ,/ / ';

( / ) ___ / I

J-

35

./ Nigerian full of-warmth, charm, colour, anq vitality

1 ... .; ~

, .,t'f . r, .-· • .:J:"".,,.

Another Nigerian critic Mabel Aig~Imoukhuede upheld

Jazya Nana, like People of the City is set in - I

Lagos; but unlike the

independence novelo

·,t-latter, ~=tkt!lh is a post-

l1+es_~v/e o.c _~ ---The people in the novel reflect~

,;{

tt 0 0 0

this newly won freedOID,;,liQ: =+tt: ~ way-; ef:::i_j;~ Q <.:) '--- ~ ' '

. . /1./11eri~ ~ other aosioJ.-id iasy:c'*eatee. ~ confidently

speak pidgin English without feeling the need to

cy" exfo. t,1\+es~ apologize to....- British eelenial Batieaal stil~ &Pe~

They compete boldly with white men for sexual favo~ o....../

from the best of the glamorous women found at the

foyers of prestigious hotels and elsewhere. The

heroine of the novel takes her name from the famous

36

British car, c,/ r

~A~UAR, to emphasize the elegance and

magnificence of her physical appearanc~ ~ -'~ ) . --·· - ------~-- ~ ~--_./

~~.--~-f~-~:~~~i.; ~j~-;t;itll~mbodies

in her own passionate, colo~ul and inconsistent '-../

personality the very life of the modern city, reflec-

Q ting its variety and movementt.4,A the changing objects

'.._!

., ,

or _;91li. ptor. 'When S~:_~J~~~down.~...a.s...tJ:-eet,

( .,....,,.,.,----~~--~-~ -"'__.... . . '

male eyes followed the wi~g,J.,e..-.-orner hips _,-

which came_. :with studied unconsciousness • • •

37

Everything in the novel-the Tropicana night club,

Lagos politics, British Council lectures,~ electric

lights, the hustle and bustle of the city..,-is portrayed

in relation to the life of Jagua. They become important

only to the extent that they help the reader to unders­

--Ht t ~ C, ;+ !j ..) 0 v,.\ 10\ •

tand JagQ1, Jagua's physical presence is conveyed with A.

remarkable intensity and eventually she becomes a • t < I ' ,,

/,'\ t7,,,r-1 11 e.

familiar feature of Lagos~£~ ane. landscapeo With

her as the cenJiY~ of the novel, the author has scope

to explore all the facets of life in modern Nigeria,

because by virtue of her chosen profession she~

Y., &cttrq -;z.. becomes involved in the affairs of a series of

v c/ partners. Shel therefore,; automatically supplies the

cohesion lacking in Ekwensi's earlier novel, Peoule

of the City . It would seem that in choosing Jagua as

ii: s tBe major character, Ekwensi intended to emphasize

the influence which women wield in Nigeria, and in

. this light, Jagua can be seen a s the symbol of

38

women's power and versatility. sense , I

Ci, v_ ! c ~

~ it eaT1 be said that the novel Jgz,pn•'-:NaAe is

written from a woman's point of viewo It tells 1mS' ~ <:,..~~-

story of }J:1t agony and ecstasy, of hope and despair,

of dream and reali tv • of inner innocence and ~/

outward sinfulness .. ~ a :Wige1±a11 "fell~i." womarr.JJ "-

_. ,,., ""'\ ·~ .~

_..U~~E( People of the __ Ci t;~·~.!'.e., e..v:~_n:-::the..: . .-mdst~.:d.a'fl.eloped ~ ~ ~ . ,. , ,,r · .. --... ,., ~

/ Characper, Amusa Sango, still remains· a shadowy figure, \ /~, {v lfv' f<>rTv~ ·;, < -.~'. ·· .·· .

~{ua is very ,w~'i d-cceebO'l."Jed and · the \gr.eatd:fN.e.t:ence J ' . . .. 4'/ . ......... •

i I I

in _characterization between the two novels is evidence I ,

J _.~·

! . He gives·

·; of Ekwensi's growing, mastery of the ~9velo

/

as he draws together

of Nigerian life in the_per.~

Jagua is a character with many contradictions, 4_ ~ e .,--

Ekwensi makes ~1~cbr complex yet consistent.

~~.;L-~E13...!L.~~-~-~1?-~e.!.L .. ~~..:.§~l!tir;g-1.Y.:EI~~.!!!Jler~

s!.i_t-~~~s1des. At times ..J~ appears as a heartless

bitch and Ji!:<, at other times she seems a very tender I

~

aLd softhearted woman. She~ be cruel and selfish

no matter how altruistic some of her motives 1M O."(}

:!!CCfil :to

be on the surface) yet she is never entirely devoid of

feeling, love and generosity. Sh2 is the anti 1.,hesi"'s

She does

bV--"f" many things for her own good~ she helps others too.

i.,J £.iol'e Jagua is both the proud city ~ and the humble

village giz Jai.,,a •• a character can be ana]ysed­~c--g -,ragba 'The wliOi e' , ana~-""elm"

~l.,. The former is a character controlled by raw

emotions - lust, greed, power and hatredo When these

feelings are in control, Jagua is like a wild animal:

~ unpredictable, cunning and dangerous. Thenr

s,de.. ;i_,; there is the other ~ of Jagua, ~Qj,iiiiligli& the

(A

woman with motherly dispositiono In t his role she is A

a.·ff-e r nothing like her~ ego. By turns she plays the

40

part of the ageing, almost maternal lover of youth;

the woman who loves children and has feeling for others.

She wants what any other woman wants: Si;a, ~ to

look beautiful, -,,·,.~ to get married1 ~o i- be..r

-l-o he-..v e. children &t·,J t ' - --w;- ni!-s a home of her owno In this role;

I CT"->

too, she is a tender , soft, understanding and wise

woman who can ~ make peace between two warring

camps and settle long-standing feuds between familieso

This is the Jagua who visits Krinameh and offers to

sacrifice herself in order to prevent the death of

many men. Jagua the whore and Jagua the mother are

i::.-01'1.~J;,v w·,17, Ot-1e q_noft'..~

constantly fy.;~·iJ<aerrto ga,.in certl'lit throughout the novelo /'

In the end Jagua the mother emerges the victor, and ~his

can be seen as the triumph of g£1Qd over evilG Yet t:lill ----------· . -- . -·---·--·-··-- --- ----.....-~i :li..i&¢:3:J. itf-•?:tlf8!!:!Ut'fey:;mt=.Jagiia]IJa~.d Ekwe ns i t s

,' t#t +o S 4 at.:>

real ~sm! ond purposed the novel is the corruption -\_

in .:--:1igerian political, socia l and economic life,

41

masked by the veneer of glamorous sexo

/ --'t--;:;:::P5JJtlc~~anre . f-op-~~g •

. ,· . ·- .

e,.,- , •;

.- ___ .. ... ---- _ ... ,- __ .._ _ .._ .,,.,.~ ...

...:.._~-- .. -And--1:n '"dT .S::1~agos . .. ...1.s- a:l!-OUg~:_gam~~ " ·" ·· : . -· · .. ·;:·~;. ___ ,_ . -- • - · . : . . -- , .- •.• ·-<- . .- ")_../::;;;2, ____ ,,

. De roug~!ig§tile.-in.:de. who.le_ ~ox:-~. '-.., · -~~~.,..... . .... • • • • • j" - ~

The political story in Jagua Nana is one of exploitation

of the people, fraudulent abuse of power, reckless

embezzlement of public money1

and the ultimate forfeiture

~ o~ public trusto The electoral process is full of cc/''rv<../ I

d I t; +o rf ;0 y1 $: bDEZ®li anom@½iee, Jiections are rigged, opponents are

mu..-.-.a.ered, election campaigns are violently disru:pted,

ouinions are muzzled and the masses suffer in silence.~ • I

~h:r~is a oo~--~~i&:;;a;;;;_.~~teiS=:"'!F!½sr - ~­~ k,~j 1 ,~ ~~--- ... -· ---- ---~ "'· -pac}ce,nA that the average Nigerian would find irresiS"-"

table to pick up and read.

Jagua Nana is Ekwensi's most successful novel to

?

-R-w:.ti!~n". Subsequent artistic creations by Ekwensi

are judged, accepted or rejected according to the

standards of Jagua Nana. Nothing before it brought

h r'~ 5 0 51) <.,t. tt. ye_( y l l"l+u ~ /

~ 111on&i;:;,tg, .a:aelr m~e..:..of literary limelight/ /(nd

J .c;\e... nothing after it has~ so much in establishing

' r-efl.,(_-j-t».. f" IO ~ a_ $ .1A_ ~ei/"(() u_ S

Ekwensi's ma;tmie mani~ttla~~on ·~~~::ft0:lil:9*-S;g_,a.ia.-ci,F4;,..-------. . ---~~ S)-~---~· r • -----;: e.,._ + 0 J "'(J h i's

,.4'orm in Africa. It remains se far, Cypx ±an Ek .. el"l:ai 1 5 ~

greatest contribution to the growth and development

of the novel in Africa.

Ekwensi's third major novel, published in 1962,

came as a result of his personal experiences wi th a

special cultural group in Northern Nigeria in the

1940s. While Ekwensi was training as a forestry officer ./

4-n:::Ll1e fmti@, he lived with a Fulani family for three

,.-, weeks as part of his field work. It wa s at this time

\...,

4 3

that he became particularly interested in the Fulani

culture and learned about their ways of life. In an

article entitled "Three Weeks Among the Fulani¾ p.,_b 1,;hJl

kwensi ~ i l i. 1~ reca. lled

October)1960, with nostalgia

in Nigeria Magazine fr~ his interactions with

the Fulani in that brief period. He was so fascinated

by those experiences that he was inspired to recreate

them imaginatively in a novel entitled Burning Grass.

s+or~ ~l(s of The m:n, ... l depicts the cultural pecularities and life-

ways of the Fulani nomadic herdsmen. This was the

first novel by a Nigerian to deal with the Cow Fulani

group of .Northern Nigeria.

The hero 9ifx--:f:b~ is Mai Sunsaye, the popular

chief of the village of Dokan Toro1 which provides the

~ =-fr0111 irn1Jislcla1 pe3:isb" , Hoist Gli~nt fll'em other - 11 .

f YD I a.. J I) vt ; .J f s t >'\ -L ' ~ wt:s ~aractoFo ~ Ekwensi's novels; is not a

44

modern man of the city with gilded hopes and unreaso-

nable expectations. As a cattle rearer he moves from

place to place with the seasonJto keep himself and his

cattle alive. He,.....hs--s f¼G ~ie:as h~es. ~ He is free

~~ from the brutish, bestial city, but he knows its evil50

A.

0 Ji!BJ;PtcdL.:tba:1Jc::.;ii-t:tl;l:yy~f:ee~e.cT1'!snl~~t:-. ;;:,, ___ __

The theme of the novel is the quest for a lost

identity. Tne plot traces the wanderings and attendant

ordeals of the Mai Sunsaye family from the moment a slave

girl Fatimeh enters the family and, by her presence,

upsets the relationship be~#een Hodio and Rikku, Sunsaye's

t wo younger sons. Ek'.vensi exploits the natural charac-

teristics of the Cattle Fulani in the development of

f v..t:-~ fJ e.v p I e,, the story. 'l'.Ail C's t bl- Nl ni are always on the move

in seerch of green pasture for their catt.=.:..:.~

J'n course of th-e novel~truck \vi th the much-dreaded

disease, "sokug'}'' whicl: makes its victi:n wander cease-

lessly and aimlessly. Ekwensi ma~ipulates the events

\...

43

in Sunsaye's "lost" life and turns his wandering and ~

that of his family \;8:£.tCl~ into an allegorical

search in which every action has a symbolic significance.

In this way, .Burning Grass is linked to Ekwensi's

+o C.,l.(_ s. earlier major novels wnich have e. s their m·:a;er :tksine:!3

the search for we real meaning of human existence.

Burning Grass reveal~d a new dimension of Ekwensi's

artistic skills. Love is .; dominant theme in the story1

but it is a different kir..d of love from that in Jagua

Nana or People of the Ci ll • It l<:<:cks Ekwt:ills±-4;_,

bctre

scenes, The Cattle Fulani~& are known

sjmpali,'!T for ~~eir magic and superstition1

and. all

emotions are kept und~r rational control. Ekwensi's

style in the book is a faithful reflection of the

~ be~ttv;o.,. ~ strict discipline which characterizes the nomadic

A

/\ Fulani in his every day existence. A Nigerian critic

V

46

SUD'.med ~ in ~ review of tbe novel in the L7os

Qaily J-'!me~ of 25 M.::lyt 1963~~

Mr Ekwensi has written this book

inc spar~, austere language which

suits the landscape of the savannahs

and the comfortless life of the nomad.

Anrl the diction of his p,'3storalif;ts

seems just right; a trifle archaic,

formal and full of that reverent courtesy

of greeting which is the best of Islam.

No Nigerian has a wider knowledge of the

country than Cyprian Ekwensi who has lived

and worked in so mnny perts of it. With

,E_~rass he has found a medium through

which he can express his genuine relish of

Nigeri:3 's human veri ety~ .an,], 0 b -~

t Irl;Splte of the success of this pastoral novel,

i

Ek,,-.rensi has never tried anything again of that nature

47

in his adult fiction. His subsequent major novels-

narnelyj .3e~uti;f.'ul feathers (1Sib3J, Iska {1966), Survive

the Pe.::.c2 , 15:i'/t;J, :Civided we Stand ~ 19b0), For a Roll

of Farchfil2nt \ 19b6;, <=~ncl Jaguc.1. ~~r .. a' s Deughter { 1986; -

all t.--ike the re&der back to Ek,ten.si 's f::.miliar canvas/

-tht": c .i ty wi tl1 its upheav2.ls,

..J_

I ' 5 its ~&dneBs an! orderly

I

disorder. Beautiful Feath~rs, ~~, survive thf._l'.s!~

t,.---· v-> ete.. / and Divided We Stand J\il!9!!!!'i!!JP!li§~:a!i· '!!!!· -••u11111£J~-~s daring attempts

;., (,~+;oVJ., to distil committed politicel mess&gEsA Beautif~l.

Feathers e;,_· ! ,t= tfJ satir-i;es the noble dreams of 1-'an­

uJ h, cli ttt'e s- 1.,1.J_, ve r+-e. J h :1 African unity ween ;nd:'i·v-i:riner •a: Uozw w ,~Wi? m

I\

t . 1 1 . ~ . ~ . th i:; sec .iona ism e.rn ~- ri c:1.crimony. ~urvi ve e ~ eace,

~ and Divided we Stand . ar:J •:3. ll t~ scd on the oi vil

disorcer which en~ulfed Nigeria from 1966 to 1970.

ekv>ev.s;s e+-+o/fs l of +1 Desp1 te ~-10:ity u·t;ten~·.r-; at 1r,aki11g ~ political

statements, wh~t COi!leS ac.r·os.s most vividly in each of '

rt'$ these novelB is still '81'iJ~ r~ve[Tt:t;i. romance with the city,

f ,,.,-+, {" ( u) ..,,'-t~ the single girl, t:ie waJ, r,1 sed uc tre:; j and the

~ - •'>

4-8

indiscrete young man who never thinks before he leaps.

Recently, Ekwensi came out with two other major

novels(~mely For a Roll of Parchment and Jagua Nana's I

<V' 'i,IY\ IL. '1 Daughte9 whose publication,' in 1986 ,r;= 'flflOV 1 :he have

c/ been designed to co~incide with their author's 65th

\./

~ C. For a Holl of Parchment was published thirty years

after it was written. Set largely in England, it is

the story of an elderly Nigerian, Kola Aliz who forsakes I

i'l-1. ud.(!.r fo (Jv. 't'~ve

a promising heritage i,;Q p~u11 w an elusive "Golden ~

Fleece\!!,f; the symbolic "roll of parchment" la Law degree)

in England. It tells o! mental torture, ~~ycholegiee:l 9--­

disorientation, unrequited love, and the degradationr+-0

r which the hero is subjected ta:li' in the British social

and political environment because of his skin coloJr. V

It is a revealing imaginative documentary of r a ce

c/ relations and colo}J prejudice in England of the 1950's.

'I'+ ;~ c:.,J)o f!Q;C a k3+ pf:$>: :~..i.6 <In evocative tale filled

with pathos and narrated ~ith its acrimonious

undertones notwithstanding.

Jagua Nana's Daughter is more spectacular in its

e ..Pf e.c.1-s .­a r tis tic~- It was conceived in 19e~ twenty

years after the publication of Jagua Nana and took 7

Ekwensi five years to write. tr,.& s+-o"t ,~

the controversir-,.l Jagua Nana, Jagua Nana's Daughter is I)

F -· .i~~s.ti..~ .. m·isegfF.i: e f :. ·~,t.s both J-- /' '

-t<> co n 1 ~ a o. • !J o :- / a prelude and a ~,frlnpeai,tie!P'45e its precursor, ~ ea. Vr/

lc:is + /vt e>I._

J eft:Ue's the reader \•,. l,lF w,,, 11 11 n :t:o at a Ir e jig-saw

puzzl~o-rr.a.tod. tkla F.kweasi .oay, 1 esblvEO: the Ekwe.trs~

71 re!!d.n±seem:- &f Eib,eft&J,.' & l.U<>rat:¥, m,<S,:l:l qus.--,.Q__

Jagua Nana ends on a note of resignation for the

ageing heroine whose desperat~ aspirations for

motherhood yield no fruits. Childlessness 'Iii$ for,_

.-!:;1~~~ nagginr; ;,~(ffl:t. .t.tte=,_l!'!l."l

..--,------,--~--··-- ·-----.. --·---·----·. -·------- ~

C By its titlj therefore, Jagua Nana's Daughter~

50

' ' t!.vt es,1. r; 'M.q_) J 1T"-

~e~t an arti:!!!tie :fallacy agai1'½si= U1±s oackg1 aund:;-A---

~ is the resolution of this mystery that provides the ' r \ I'

• .1....,+-··· 'l-··c·1 . L-J\A.s ,. r ~.a_ , , , .,,!__ ..._ .Ka:se for the story. Jagua~: iincet:hl:4. was born in Jos -f--o

_ft- ~r.;;"~ux3'~;~MWtir. o:.& hA1 God-fearing parento/ bv

~ I '$l, e heF parents,~ had ,~, _ ~-t12i!ir,-;;;;,;~ ~nknown to

----~

at1*ailt early age. a.Ild----in~pi.te- oi th€-e-~ · watchf~

I p&PQQ~&-, come under the influence of a lascivious

and loose-living neighbot, Auntie Kate who manipulated V /

a.._ -f-F~ I ;,-

her into a complex love tr;;;z,=:s:c-e with a Greek tin-miner(.!)

N4ck l?apae.opettlos, ana a i',@_sul tant ;pregnancy at--ru-:xteeo,

Lizza tsgua Nana's /JaughterKas the product of that I /

ft(ltSOVI w _;µ..f~ ¥er existence was concealed from her grand­

,,.._

parents. Jagua leaves Jos in the wake of the Nigerian

,,. ... ------------........ Civil War and when /years later)she comes back for her

) ~ -... -·----~ ----da ughterf-;he is led to believe that Lizza ha~ since

·-- ------ ""I died. ,: Event~\ later'V'reveal that Lizza is alive and

',/ / ....... _ .. . -·· ----

prosperous.

51

Jagua Nana's Daughter begins as the story of a

- . . .. /

search~Baughter for Mother, and Mother for ,Uaughter.--,, ( I

and later develops into a moving account of international

,---border clashes and migrant labo}:1I'. Adult Lizza, true

v ' u\M<>S\ r"

to type is sexy to the point of being~ promiscuous, I "

but as a trained /Uegal l 'racti tioner she is tied down

by ethics and does not really go the distance as her I

love / .

mother did. .,$ ~he has to have ~ as a basis of

relationships with men. Jagua Nana's Daughter is an

action-packed., £n at ,,t;;;;:i nov;;--~ich ;i t~i vely

dialogue~ flt'1 I~ $Al !lling suspense. It ~ ~°'s J1- ft.

£¥SR bet tEI endowed 1w!: th lil:l:c c ingr{dients of a j • - --••• • .....,,••• •--"•M~- --- --•-

31

Cyprian Ekwensi has earned :.. . .. ~ -- -·-·-·~.::: the

reputation of being a sen~na~ a.. pe\'eH,e<'

i,,i.;Q:Q....~t~0!'~1~· ee,a~lf'!.l:l_ill',t~)~O:iifl.di<:l" .. 8-IlOV; ii St perpetually pr eOCCUp ied

with the city and its disastrous impact on female

o..;; morality. He has not been generally acclaimedAan

artistically disciplined writer. Attention is often

h/s l.,J rftt t~? ~ -drawn to-1\haphazard plo~ contrived and l:le..:ot9 .~

~ ev,,J;111.~s. ~ unconvincing a:enoJt:men~ i,@B:!!e.tiune:li.sm and the

~~csta sy ~ His moral crusades are said o1 ocn to overwhelm

h~5 &-~l:ate::tne artistic vision a-Ha pU1"pose in the s to1 ie.o-

~ /

The

0 I'\ tl't ()V I Y'l.9 result is attention & characters as, tih9¥,.

0... ~s ted plots- ~ technique ~wz : a~ submerges

A "'\

any serious concerns of the novel .

~IA.

However, Ekwensi is a winner.:= other d.Ji.pee='ei-.s..

His success with young and teenage readers is incon-

~ trovertible1 ;His skill as a short story writer is widely

-rll'- ._JJ',+1t1111 / S"o~e of acknowledged. ..His most recent writings show evidence

A b-- co 1'1-f f e.x

of" more mature handling 01~ plotsifl'J e1111111J At SI I lir

. ....___.

....J,.... I ~!

53

Ekwensi's greatest contribution to Nigerian

V a_s a...

Literature is/ undoubtedly his s'l..lccess ~ta,Q 4i..rp±c uc,.n9----' / ' o-..

·"-

'

j.,..,.._(j. t:.:,,.,.1r1 e,,A~+tJ r i -~1 C.u ,r;- e..,~.T e t'l!'v<--¾ ~ of social realislJT' a-s e¥iden'b i.a oefflc of '.Aio ff!aje;: Dam~le , 4-

Jagua Nan~ was one of the first novels to expose t he

corruption within the Nigerian political system.

(\_ ,N~r-!J Beautiful Feathers was~ the first :Rfi ;t;,.; to

/\

address itself to the subterfuge in pan-Africanism. _.

I ska ip.J-a o ors af fir a e:r2,t12ou0ls • forecast civil war

a:_ po-z-t~ .. -i.t,. ...... -e.~ ) in _N~geria. Sur~~-~=-:~-~--~~~=- ~RB o: tft~i!~ >2-

(,__ d r e'-'-' +-,·~-~ ( ~---p.Q$t- wap :neveJs t~ attention to_the enormity of

~(>~ . ·- . . ~ . . refugee problems. Ath:? fragility . of p~

(~trag_i_c_ X:t". of _"_c~-t~~~~d _ ~~miliesJni vided : : · ~~and

was one of the first fictional documentaries on the

ct_ ++ev~ a. th , war and its a£,!., ma•~ ThePe is an effm O ~w

~~eaJ:i;~e st -ggTe!orT:t'hel"'a'tion- ~

~J~ )

, _ ---~--. ··-

~ 54

/ ,.l·

I . autonomy through the characters and their

first a __ , ____ ...,,, _..,. !- ~- - ·

. then>a member of a race or et_,b.nic" group. / , __ ,,_. ,.

-more--than-·-anywhere···-el &e·, --Ekw~ns i 1 s

~~Fera Roll of /

Parchment was at the time of its conception in tile C

~A air't?erFtd!e:f:fi._Ce:.:tru~ one of the earliest

e.. ~po~es ~ of the indignities meted to African foreign

y-e.v e(t_( ed students in Englando And Jagua Nana's Daughter @:ap.ese:.

;~~~~~~:e:..::::=:~ ~4 ... -1. , ....... ... _ ... _. --···------· .. ·- - --- ' ( ··· h4..v,,._, -~

w.i:ta the~ /order clashes ht!!\C & •la . ~

CL-. , ... c...rl!:,._s:'171,;t C..OIN1 il4-f 0"1 ,~ rece-..:t ::I e:tl'~. eia}1i;ii.eG'ijii:b@c.eme e fr':i.:gn:tcniftg phenomeno~. ~ S-8.t; ausn

6'0.. W~!,, ,' ':; c..ti.ot(:Q_ j l' +Df<~ s ...... bJ ee..Ts «Jru. TI ~ t1 ··! ll~ri'viJ.e, contended with in NigePia.1 ±nt erHat.i-eaal a.:!:ploma&P:Jl , for .... la.rr,f-!;/ · ,·" 11.fr7 ert-di.... .

Cyprian Ekwensi is an important Mri.ean writer (}f the ., ~ - ,· . . •' ... -- --- ../

t,.)~o

twentietl:l -0enturyo Ire has contributed immensely to

/ the development of Nigerian.X.iterature in the past

four decades. As he P-/; i o a. (. c..__c...,

Iii.re he-w;:..::cfonti:cl e ~ hi s

~ 70th

55

birthday, El<~;';;:;_ remains as~~Hd prolific

htLr as ever1 Jhere is d.e'.te, 111rna l::fou =are increasing confi-

-Foh .. ,. dence in his mastery of the novel~ I~ula e~ that

fo,fter nearly half a century of trial and error,

Cyprian Ekwensi ~~~ way be, B£ e aicconQ.:'icl _J...___ _ __ /

I ~FERENCE~/-. l I . ·

f Emenyonu, rne t,

l . I

I 1

u

Cyprian EkWen'si tLondon: ,: 1

0/P).

EKWENSI

Interviews

Dennis Duerden and Cosmo Pieterse, eds., African Writers Talking:

A Collection of Radio Interviews (London: Heinemann Educational

Books; New York: Africana, 1972) : 77-83 7 Raoul Granqvist, "Cyprian Ekwensi : Interview," Kunapipi, 4, 1

(1982): 124-29;

Bernth Lindfors, "Interview with Cyprian Ekwensi," World Literature

Written in English, 13 (1974) : 141-154;

B. Ngan<ga, ''An Interview with Cyprian Ekwensi, Enugu, March 15,

1980, 11 Studia Anglica Posnaniensia, 1 7 (1984): 279-284;

Lee Nichols, ed., Conversations with African Writers: Interviews

with Twenty-Six African Authors (Washington, DC: Voice of

America, 1981): 36-47.

Ekwensi

References

Rosemary Colmer, "Cyprian Ekwensi," in Essays on Contemporary

Post-Colonial Fiction, ed. Hedwig Bock and Albert Wertheim

(Munich: Hueber, 1986) : 47-66;

Donald Cosentino , "Jagua Nana: Culture Heroine," Ba Shiru,

8, 1 (1977) : 11-17;

Michael J.C. Echeruo, "The Fiction of Cyprian Ekwensi,tt Nigeria

Magazine, 75 (1962): 63-66;

Ernest Emenyonu, Cyprian Ekwensi (London: Evans, 1974);

Emenyonu, The Rise of the Igbo Novel (Ibadan: Oxford University

Press, 1978);

Emenyonu, ed. The Essential Ekwensi (Ibadan: Heinemann Educational

Books, 1987);

Albert Gerard, "Cyprian Ekwensi: Romancier de la ville africain,"

/ / Revue Generale Belge, 99 (October 1963): 91-105;

Susan M. Greenstein, "Cyprian Ekwensi and Onitsha Market Literature,"

In Essays on African Literature, ed. W.L. Ballard (Atlanta :

Georgia State University, School of Arts and Sciences, 1973):

175-191;

Loretta A. Hawkins , "The Free Spirit of Ekwensi' s Jagua Nana,"

""African Literature Today, 10 (1979): 202-206;

Paulo . I heakaram, "The City as Metaphor: The Short Stories of

Cyprian Ekwensi," International Fiction Review, 6 (l:-~79): 71-72;

Bernth Lindfors, "Cyprian Ekwensi: An African Popular Novelist,"

African Literature Today, 3 (1969): 2-14;

Lindfors, .uc.o.D. Ekwensi's First Stories," in his Early Nigerian

Literature (New York and London: Africana, 1982): 35-66;

Russell J. Linnemann, "Structural Weakness in Ekwensi's Jagua Nana,"

English in Africa, 4, 1 (1977): 32-39;

Ekwensi

Peter Nazareth, "Survive the Peace: Cyprian Ekwensi as a Pol itical

Novelist," in Marxism and African Literature, ed. Georg M.

Gugelberger (London: James Currey; Trenton, NJ: Africa World

Press, 1986): 165-177;

Emmanuel N. Obiechina, "Ekwensi as Novelist," Presence Africaine,

86 (1973): 152-164 ;

,1nl iBI!: I. Okonkwo, "Ekwensi and the 'Something New a nd Unstable'

in Modern Nigerian Culture," in Literature and Modern West a__,,,

African Culture,~ ed. Donatus Nwoga (Benin City: Ethiope

Publishing Corp., 1978) : 130-143;

Juliet I. Okonkwo, "Ekwensi and Modern Nigerian Culture," Afiel,

7, 2 (1976): 32-45;

Okonkwo, "Popular Urban Fiction and Cyprian Ekwensi," In

European-Language Writing in Sub-Saharan Africa, ed. Albert

Gtrard (Budapest: Akademiai Kiado, 1986): Vdi. 2,650-658;

Femi Osofisan, "Domestication of an Opiate: Western Paraesthetics

and the Growth of the Ekwensi Tradition," Positive Review,

1, 4 (1981): 1-12;

Eustace Palmer, "Cyprian Ekwensi," in his The Growth of the African

Novel (London: Heinemann Educational Books, 1979): 36-62;

Dennis R. Passmore, "Camp Style in the Novels of Cyprian O.D.

Ekwensi," Journal of Popular Culture, 4 (1971): 705-716;

John F. Povey, "Cyprian Ekwensi: The Novelist and the Pressure of

the City," in The Critical Evaluation of African LiteratureJ

ed. Edgar Wright (London: Heinemann, 1973): 73-94;

Austin J. Shelton, "'Rebushing' or Ontological Recession to

Xricanism: Jagua's Return to the Village," Presence Africaine,

4 6 (19 6 3 1 : 4 9-6 O ;

Neil Skinner, '~From Hausa to English: A Study in Paraphrase,"

Ekwensi

Research in African Literatures, 4 (1973): 154-164;

Joseph Ukoyen, "Emile Zola's Nana and Cyprian Ekwensi's Jagua Nan~y

in Comparative Approaches to Modern African Literature, ed.

s.o: Asein (Ibadan: Department of English, University of

Ibadan, n.d.): 65-76.

Add to entry on CYPRIAN O.D. EKWENSI :

REFERENCES:

Umar Abdurrahman, "Cyprian Ekwensi's Burning Grass: A Critical

Assessment," Ufahamu, 16, 1 (1987-1988) : 78-100;

Eckhard Breitinger, "Literature for Younger Readers and Education in

Multicultural Contexts," in Language and Literature in Multicu ltural

Contexts, ed. Satendra Nandan (Suva, Fiji: University of the South

Pacific, 1983): 79-88;

J. de Grandsaigne, "A Narrative Grammar of Cyprian Ekwensi's Short

Stories," Research in African Literatures. 16 (1985) : 541-555;

Jamile Morsiani, "Cyprian Ekwensi : Una narrativa 'scritta,"' Spici legio

Moderno, 11 (1979) : 123-155.