AN ILLUMINATING WORKSHOP

By Omoseye Bolaji

This weekend I was one of the facilitators at a workshop on “Novels, short-story writing” et al” in South Africa, orchestrated by Arts Amuse, which has the redoubtable lady, Rita Chihawa (below) as supremo.

It was an interesting occasion that brought together a number of intriguing wordsmiths, poets and literary protagonists. They included Charmaine Kolwane, a sterling facilitator herself; the ebullient Flaxman Qoopane who was in his element at the event; Ntate P Moiloa, scion of the legendary author J.J Moiloa who is also father of female poet, Pulane; and the incredibly prolific author, Kgang Abel Motheane. 

Also present were published authors like Matshidiso Taleng, Hector Kunene; and the ever-bubbly “Dr Kool”.

We were able to introduce the world of imaginative fiction – novels, novellas, short stories etc – to participants, established, burgeoning, or budding. As the event unfolded, we were able to latch onto the life and times, works, legacy of a myriad of authors, Eurocentric and African.

For me the most impressive and revelatory aspect was the “practical class” wherefore most of the participants had to concoct and write an imaginative piece – each. A few of such impromptu submissions were outstanding. I actually urged the organisers, especially Mme Rita herself, to ensure that these submissions were sooner, rather than later published in book form. After all, the history of creative writing even in Africa, has shown how such gems were discovered at such workshops (eg the Great NGUGI from the early literary conference on African writing orchestrated in the early 60s)

Charmaine and I also prepared a short Introduction to the genre of novels...excerpts here:

Fiction has always been a popular genre of literature all over the world, the most famous novelists naturally come from the Western, Eurocentric world where this form of writing started less than  300 years ago (one of the earliest novelists being Daniel Defoe). The most famous novelist over the century is probably Englishman Charles Dickens who lived in the first part of the 19^th century. Other very famous novelists from England in those days include Thomas Hardy, George Orwell and George Elliot; and the Bronte Sisters i.e Emily Bronte and Charlotte Bronte. Around the same time when America was finding its feet as a new country, it began to produce its own writers; great novelists too like Herman Melville, Mark Twain, John Updike. Other famous novelists from the Western World who are not from England or America include Emily Zola from France, Chekov from Old Russia and Thomas Mann from German.

The Novel came to Africa mainly in the beginning of the second part of the 20^thcentury; but before then there were a few great African novelists, for example Thomas Mofolo who wrote the famous Chaka  about a 100 years ago, Sol Plaatjie’s Mhudi  came out in the 1930s and Peter Abrahams who published his first English  novels in early 1940s.

It was in the 50s that the world began to really celebrate African fiction mainly because of Chinua Achebe‘s Things fall apart 1958. The book is by far the most best-selling ever written by an African. But around the same time Camara Laye From Guinea also stunned the world with his fantastic novels written in French language; by the time these novels were translated into English (eg The radiance of the king) the literary world became aware of the awesome, fantastic talent coming from African Black Novelists. 

Other great African novelists who were to emerge over the decades  include Es’kia Mphahlele from South Africa, Cyprian Ekwensi, Chukuemeka Ike from Nigeria, Ayi Kwei Armah from Ghana, and world class Ngugi wa Thiong’o from Kenya . In recent times other great novelists have emerged in Africa like Ben Okri, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Zakes Mda, Yvonne Vera, Njabulo Ndebele, Naguib Mahfouz from Egypt.

Focusing specifically on South Africa over the decades it is clear that the country has contributed prodigiously to fiction writing in Africa, the women in particular have been outstanding. Mama Mirriam Tladi was the first black woman to publish an English novel, soon followed by Lauretta Ngcobo. And highly talented Sindiwe Magona. In recent times young female novelists like Angela Makholwa and Futhi Ntshingila continue to hoist the flag  of fiction writing among the younger generation.

This workshop will go into more details of the niceties between the novel and the short story writing in general. But let us state briefly here that many fine writers of longer fiction (novels) are also good writers of short stories. This is obvious when we examine novelists like Achebe, Ngugi, and Armah...

Again, for examples, Mme Sindiwe Magona, Gomolemo Mokae, Mr Bolaji from Nigeria have excelled both in novel writing and short story writing.

On the surface one might believe it is easier to write shorter fiction, but over the decades the literary experts and pundits have pointed out that in actual fact the short story is the most difficult to write, and needs special technique, format and discipline...