The days when well-known Nigerian writers were recognized overseas but received little domestic acclaim have come to an end. Thankfully, things are shifting. The literary arts are finally gaining popularity in Nigeria, and the country is opening up to local writers. Writing that tackles current concerns is becoming more popular, which benefits society as well as gifted authors.
When someone is regarded as an artist, it’s normal to think about someone who paints, makes music, or writes stories. These attractive boxes are the common moulds that define who an artist is in today’s world. However, we’ve witnessed several people who have shown they can embody all these and much more. Contemporary Nigerian writers stand fiercely among them. They continuously show the world they wear the creative hat well and define interdisciplinary artists perfectly.
I have chosen to spotlight two award-winning writers concerning their forays into the art and music spaces. These fantastic individuals have feats that reflect the choice of artists to express themselves and tell stories in whatever creative form they choose. These two contemporary Nigerian writers are elevating the power of storytelling through art and music.
Eloghosa Osunde
You might know this name from her recently published book, Vagabonds, or her array of writing publications in several magazines and literary journals. Eloghosa Osunde is a Nigerian writer with certifications from the Farafina Creative Writing Workshop (2015), the Lambda Literary Workshop (2019), the New York Film Academy (2017), and the Caine Prize Workshop (2018), to mention a few.
Her writing has also appeared in several journals, including the Paris Review, Granta, Gulf Coast, Georgia Review, and Guernica. She was named a MacDowell Colony Fellow in 2020 and the prose judge for Fugue Journal’s annual writing competition in 2021. Her debut novel, Vagabonds, delves into the hidden tales of Nigerian characters who are vagrants, outcasts like the needy, the queer, the homeless, the footloose, and rogue spirits, whose existence is prohibited.
Right from the start, this book was well received. It was nominated for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, the Paris Review’s 2021 Plimpton Prize for Fiction, and also made the 2022 Centre for Fiction’s First Novel Prize shortlist.
However, in spite of all her writing feats, you’ll be surprised to discover that apart from being a world-acclaimed author, Eloghosa Osunde is also a multidisciplinary artist who has left an indelible mark in the art space.
Globally, Osunde is recognized for her exhibitions and art history, which dates back to 2016, as an alumnus of the Rele Young Contemporary program. Her visual art series ‘And Now We Have Entered Broken Earth’ has had exhibitions across four continents. Her artworks have also been featured in Paper Magazine, Vogue, and The New York Times.
For the Victoria’s Secret World Tour kickoff event late last year, Eloghosa composed a poetic monologue, which was recited by Naomi Campbell.
On the 6th of October, 2023, Eloghosa announced the publication of her second book, Necessary Drama, on Instagram. The latest book, according to Publisher’s Marketplace, is about a found family in Lagos who are connected by blood and choice, and it centres on what is discovered about them following a major loss.
Akwaeke Emezi
Second on this list is Akwaeke Emezi. Many attribute the Nigerian-Tamil writer to their thought-provoking, genre-bending, and evocative novels like Freshwater, The Death of Vivek Oji, Pet, and their recently published romance novel, You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty.
Emezi doesn’t stop at writing alone; they also have their feet in filmmaking. Their last writing project secured them the screen rights to the story, setting them up for yet another new role as executive producer for a major studio. With Michael B. Jordan’s production business committed to creating the movie, Amazon won the “highly competitive” bidding war and secured the screen rights to the story. In addition, they have experience painting and have been doing short films since before they gained recognition as a writer.
However, do you know Emezi is also a rapper among all these? After announcing their decision in December 2022 to take a break from book publishing in 2023, the award-winning writer released a rap single titled “Yung Dead Thing” and subtitled “A Missy Elliott Freestyle,” sampling the iconic beat from Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On.” With the studio name AKWAEKE, they also released their new single, “Banye,” which has over 77,000 streams on Spotify.
Akwaeke has released their EP titled Stop Dying, You Were Very Expensive! For a writer of seven award-winning books in multiple genres and an eighth book in the works, an EP rollout is an exciting move from Emezi. However, this action shows that Emezi’s career path is far from conventional. Another thing this EP release reflects is their eclectic creative abilities and willingness to explore other mediums for expression.
