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The Third Generation of Nigeria Writers is an emerging phase of Nigerian literature, in which there is a major shift in both the method of publishing and the themes explored. [1] [2] This set of writers are known for writing post-independence novels and poems. [lower-alpha 1] [3] This generation is believed to be influenced by the western world, [5] politics [6] and the preceding generation of Mbari Club writers, [7] Flora Nwapa and Buchi Emecheta. [8] The emergence of the third generation of Nigerian writers has changed the publishing sector with a resurgence of new publishing firms such as Kachifo Limited, Parrésia Publishers, Cassava Republic Press and Farafina Books. [9] [10] These new writers create new genres and methods that deal with racism, class, abuse and violence. [11] [12]
The word was coined by Nigeria author Professor Pius Adesanmi and Chris Dunton in their publication titled Nigeria's Third Generation Writing: Historiography and Preliminary Theoretical Considerations in 2005. [13] [14]
Since the early 1990s, several novels have been published to mark the advent of the third generation of Nigerian writers. During this time, some Nigerian writers wrote breakaway literature writings, which were quite different from the norm; such writings include: The Famished Road (1991) by Ben Okri, The Icarus Girl (2005) by Helen Oyeyemi, GraceLand (2004) by Chris Abani and Masters of the Board also by Chris Abani amongst other. [15] [16] [17] [14]
The third generation of Nigerian writers have experimented with different genres and styles. [12] The most prominent of the third generation of writers is conceived to be Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who started off with Purple Hibiscus . Another is Okey Ndibe, whose debut novel Arrows of Rain "has been applauded as a faithful representation of social consciousness and political activism that run through the third-generation of Nigerian novelists". Helon Habila, whose Waiting for an Angel has been said to be interwoven with that of Adichie's and Ndibe's. [3] Another of the notable events is the emergence of Africanfuturism, a genre pioneered by Nigerian American writer Nnedi Okorafor. [18] This has led to the introduction of speculative fiction to the Nigerian literary space, with writers such as Suyi Davies Okungbowa, Mazi Nwonwu, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, Chinelo Onwualu, Tade Thompson, A. Igoni Barrett, Dandy Jackson Chukwudi taking on the new genre. [19] [20] [21] [22] [18] Mazi Nwonwu, writing for Strange Horizons , described the new set of stories as being part of a "tradition of spinning tales." [23] In Comics, third generation comics exist: Comic Republic Global Network, a Lagos-based publisher, is prominent in creating Africanfuturist superheroes like Guardian Prime . [24] [25] Laguardia , a comic book by Nnedi Okorafor, is also associated with Africanfuturism. [26]
The third generation of Nigerian writers has used new media technology as a medium to showcase their stories and poetry to a worldwide audience. [27] [28] This new medium has introduced the use of literary magazines such as Omenana , [29] Saraba , and Jalada, as a means of publishing and distributihg independently. [9] This has been criticised by such Nigerian critics as Sinatu Ojikutu, Charles Nnolim, Ikhide Ikheloa, Niyi Osundare and Olu Obafemi. [27] [30] [31] [32] [33]
Nigerian literature may be roughly defined as the literary writing by citizens of the nation of Nigeria for Nigerian readers, addressing Nigerian issues. This encompasses writers in a number of languages, including not only English but Igbo, Urhobo, Yoruba, and in the northern part of the county Hausa and Nupe. More broadly, it includes British Nigerians, Nigerian Americans and other members of the African diaspora.
Nnedimma Nkemdili "Nnedi" Okorafor is a Nigerian American writer of science fiction and fantasy for both children and adults. She is best known for her Binti Series and her novels Who Fears Death, Zahrah the Windseeker, Akata Witch, Akata Warrior, Lagoon and Remote Control. She has also written for comics and film.
Tanure Ojaide is a Nigerian poet and academic. As a writer, he is noted for his unique stylistic vision and for his intense criticism of imperialism, religion, and other issues. He is regarded as a socio-political and an ecocentric poet. He won the 2018 Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa with his collection Songs of Myself: A Quartet (2017).
Black science fiction or black speculative fiction is an umbrella term that covers a variety of activities within the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres where people of the African diaspora take part or are depicted. Some of its defining characteristics include a critique of the social structures leading to black oppression paired with an investment in social change. Black science fiction is "fed by technology but not led by it." This means that black science fiction often explores with human engagement with technology instead of technology as an innate good.
Kachifo Limited is an independent publishing house based in Lagos, Nigeria. It was founded in 2004 by Muhtar Bakare. Its imprints include Farafina Books, Farafina Educational, and Prestige Books. From 2004 to 2009, it published the influential Farafina Magazine.
Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa is a pan-African writing prize awarded biennially to the best literary work produced by an African. It was established by the Lumina Foundation in 2005 in honour of Africa's first Nobel Laureate in Literature, Wole Soyinka, who presents the prize, which is chosen by an international jury of literary figures. Administered by the Lumina Foundation, the prize has been described as "the African equivalent of the Nobel Prize".
Who Fears Death is a science fantasy novel by Nigerian-American writer Nnedi Okorafor, published in 2010 by DAW, then an imprint of Penguin Books. It was awarded the 2011 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, as well as the 2010 Carl Brandon Kindred Award "for an outstanding work of speculative fiction dealing with race and ethnicity." Okorafor wrote a prequel, the novel The Book of Phoenix, published by DAW in 2015.
Akata Witch is a 2011 fantasy novel written by Nigerian-American author Nnedi Okorafor. It was nominated for the Andre Norton Award and it is the first novel in the Nsibidi Scripts Series, where it is followed by two sequels Akata Warrior and Akata Woman published in 2017 and 2022 respectively.
Dul Johnson is a Nigerian filmmaker and author. He began his career as a drama director with the Nigerian Television Authority, Jos, and worked for many years before retiring into independent filmmaking and teaching. His best-known films include There is Nothing Wrong with my Uncle, The Widow’s Might, Against the Grain, Wasting for the West, and Basket of Water.
Ifeoma Mokwugo Okoyeborn on 21st December is a Nigerian novelist. She has been referred to by fans as "the most important female novelist from Nigeria after Flora Nwapa and Buchi Emecheta," according to Oyekan Owomoyela. She was born in Anambra State in Eastern Region, Nigeria. She went to school at St. Monica's College in Ogbunike to receive a teaching certificate in 1959. She then graduated from the University of Nigeria in Nsukka to earn a Bachelor of Arts honours degree in English in 1977. She wrote novels including Behind the Clouds, children's novels and short stories, such as The Village Boy and Eme Goes to School.
The Nommo Awards are literary awards presented by The African Speculative Fiction Society. The awards recognize works of speculative fiction by Africans, defined as "science fiction, fantasy, stories of magic and traditional belief, alternative histories, horror and strange stuff that might not fit in anywhere else."
Africanfuturism is a cultural aesthetic and philosophy of science that centers on the fusion of African culture, history, mythology, point of view, with technology based in Africa and not limiting to the diaspora. It was coined by Nigerian American writer Nnedi Okorafor in 2019 in a blog post as a single word. Nnedi Okorafor defines Africanfuturism as a sub-category of science fiction that is "directly rooted in African culture, history, mythology and point-of-view..and...does not privilege or center the West," is centered with optimistic "visions in the future," and is written by "people of African descent" while rooted in the African continent. As such its center is African, often does extend upon the continent of Africa, and includes the Black diaspora, including fantasy that is set in the future, making a narrative "more science fiction than fantasy" and typically has mystical elements. It is different from Afrofuturism, which focuses mainly on the African diaspora, particularly the United States. Works of Africanfuturism include science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, horror and magic realism.
Remote Control is a 2021 science fiction novella by Nigerian American Nnedi Okorafor. It is Okorafor's first novella after the Binti Trilogy and is set in the same universe as Okorafor's Who Fears Death and The Book of Phoenix.
Omenana Magazine is a speculative fiction online magazine that publishes stories by writers from Africa and the African diaspora. It is edited and published by Fred Chiagozie Nwonwu. It was founded in 2014 by Fred Chiagozie Nwonwu and Chinelo Onwualu.
Chiagozie Fred Nwonwu who writes under the pen name Mazi Nwonwu is a Nigerian writer, curator and editor. He is the co-founder and managing editor of Omenana Magazine. In 2017, he was listed as one of the most powerful persons in the media space alongside Stephanie Busari and Fisayo Soyombo by YNaija.
Chinelo Onwualu is a Nigerian editor and a speculative fiction writer. She is the co-founder and previous editor-in-chief of Omenana Magazine. She is also co-editor at Anathema Magazine.
Africanfuturism: An Anthology is an Africanfuturism anthology edited by Nigerian author Wole Talabi. It contains eight works of short fiction, plus an introduction written by Talabi. It was published by Brittle Paper in October 2020.
Noor is a 2021 Africanfuturist science fiction novel by Nigerian American author Nnedi Okorafor. The novel was published on November 9, 2021, by DAW Books and is the fourth adult novel written by Okorafor. It is a finalist for the Locus Award for best science fiction novel.
Kabu Kabu is a speculative fiction short story collection written by Nigerian American writer Nnedi Okorafor with stories in both Africanfuturism and Africanjujuism styles and themes. The collection was first published in 2013 by Prime Books.
Billed as a venue open to "speculative fiction writers from across Africa and the African diaspora"...