Business Day (Nigeria)

Rivers new ANA chairman wants English Literature made compulsory in schools

…Adi Wali says ethical re-orientatio­n is overdue …Calls for control of social media use to save young persons

- IGNATIUS CHUKWU

Anew state chairman has emerged in Rivers State to head the Associatio­n of Nigerian Authors (ANA), and he has come smoking, carpeting social media and demanding for English Literature (Litt) to be made a compulsory subject in Nigerian schools.

Adi Wali, a chief in Aluu, host community to University of Port Harcourt, who is known as Elechi Amadi’s kinsman, wants the government to set up a directorat­e as an independen­t commission to promote reading and writing.

In an exclusive interview with Businessda­y in Port Harcourt, Wali, an editor in Press Unit of the Rivers State Government House who was the founding editor of the Government House monthly publicatio­n, (Rivers Informant), admitted that government cannot do it alone. “So, there should be endowments by rich individual­s and corporate bodies to encourage reading culture. There should be a directorat­e as an independen­t commission to promote writing. Handwritin­g is an important subject. Most young men do not know how to write these days.”

He said reading should be encouraged by setting up an award on it saying, if you don’t read, you won’t learn. Turning to individual, the literary expert and author of over six books said; “Keep an eye on your children. You must mind what they do, who they follow; even what they wear is a message. There is need for proper orientatio­n. Do not say it does not concern you. It does because when your neighbour’s child carries gun, it will concern you. Let institutio­ns come together to get things done in area of cultural revival and ethical reorientat­ion.’

He said his reason for calling for study of English Literature compulsory is because it would boost capacity of literary students. “I advocate for making it compulsory in colleges as alternativ­e English. This is because if you want to go for English or Law, Literature is made compulsory. It is to make you read because you do not read in English Language, which is a specified subject. It is about grammatica­l codes but in Literature, you have to read books and review them. That is where the study is. I will beg educators to see how they can make English Literature compulsory just like English Language.

“I have found that Literature is the key. In English Language you talk about rules of grammar and codes. Literature will bring people to read. You will have books to read, no time to play the moment Literature is made compulsory. Children will begin to read and reading culture would return.

“Our ministries of education would have to ensure that Literature is deepened. That is my mission. I

will also push for teenage writers series. There is Africa Writers Tribe as a platform to promote writing. We will ensure that people are busy with cultural intellectu­alism that is educative.”

He put an appeal to the media to help out because authors alone cannot do this. “Each media organisati­on should help to create literary pages and sections to promote writing and reviews can take place, across board.’

Oral literature is almost extinct, he lamented. “So, schools should return to it; folklore, storytelli­ng. The stories about tortoise, lion, etc, made our children to develop native intelligen­ce and be prepared them for any challenge. Most of the chorusing in African folklores is musical. There is always a big message; disobedien­ce, honesty, value, respect, consequenc­es of rebellion, humility, leadership responsibi­lity, etc.”

Failed state or failed leaders?

His latest book is ‘Kolou My Country’, is political commentary, a fiction-message. He said it’s like ‘There was a Country’. It discussed the civil war. It is like a failed state. “We do not have failed states but failed leaders. When a state is failing, hunger begins to bite, amenities begin to collapse, government becomes unrecognis­ed because people begin to do what they like. You may still parade as a sovereign but you lose the four things that make you a state; specified population, territory, government and capacity to provide for the people. Kolou My Country is a country that was vibrant after colonialis­m but the leaders who took over began to plunder the country.”

He wondered how persons who studied in dilapidate­d schools with you would get to power and forget all of you and the past and begin to abandon the same institutio­ns that brought all of you up. “Even the clinic where most of them were born, they abandoned. At elections, they come back with beastly cars and bags of rice to bribe the people. So, who failed?”

He said the only hope could be the people in the Diaspora who could contribute to rescue the country, because no matter where you go, home is home.

Wali described his elevation as the peak of one’s writing career, the biggest thing that has ever happened to him as a writer.

The challenge to true education: Reading is the key to education and success

The new ANA boss in the state stated that Nigerians do not read, and that is the biggest challenge. “That is why we need the media to critically address this issue. The media must be firm, but the media must be properly remunerate­d. It is a thankless job; no holiday, no rest, nothing.”

This era of super-tech seems to have dissuaded the new generation from reading. He said; “Reading is the key to success. ICT is not a bad thing but when children stay late on phones, a parent should know what they are doing, especially the underaged ones. Kids on facebook and whatsapp may be good but its often abused.”

He denounced what he called mass attention on social media, saying it is not increasing writing and reading culture. “The grammar on social media is horrible. English Language is being murdered on social media. It is embarrassi­ng. I wonder if people take time to read their posts.

“Often on social media, people delve into what they do not know. They use symbols they do not understand and seem to create a language that is arbitrary. There has to be proper monitoring. If there can be a technology to detect what the youths do on phone, better.

“It brings us to the issue of whether or not a social media practition­er is a journalist. What is happening is not the best; except if the social media space is taken over by trained media practition­ers. The rural areas where the bulk of our people dwell do not have phones. So, this is an elitist facility because the ordinary man is struggling to buy ‘stomach data’, not phone data.

“Many students in the university now cannot write simple message. So, who form their audience because every message has audience? Have they defined what social media is, so who do they socialize? Do people investigat­e what they post? This is what people should think about.

“Countries get what they want. You and I know that even Europe and America are not the best because there is apartheid or racism in the US and UK, but they do not amplify this in their media. But, we know about the ‘Hooligans’ and beggars in Europe. The essence of any media is to focus; heritage, duty, the people, governance, etc. The people driving the social media seem to be the wrong persons. It should be properly monitored so that people can properly get their stories and bring it down to the people.”

He said social media is not deepening or improving the standard of education. “It has been thrown to the dogs. There should be a system such as digital teaching even though not many persons can benefit from online learning due to very poor electricit­y in the country. Many do not have computers to learn with. Ordinary electoral process with card readers did not work because the batteries broke down.

He said people using social media to criticise should focus on policies not on individual­s. “It’s not only about criticisin­g, what do you suggest, what do you bring to the table, the alternativ­e? Is your job only to criticise? That is how we see a lot of people who criticised government­s years back but when they were brought in, they failed. If you take time to review social media, you would reaslise it should be classified, the gatekeeper system should be introduced. There is need for censorship. For now, you can wake up one morning and abuse anybody and this abuse will be in the public domain. Even pornograph­y is out there in the public platform. Has anybody asked why rape is on the increase? Can you see what people post these days? Children have access to these things. Check out the musicals these days. So, we have to start somewhere.”

Adi Wali’s style

Wali, who celebrated his birthday September 24, 2020 with bookreadin­g and poems has six books to his rack. His core area is African folklore. “I am a core African. Apart from some biographic­al works I have done, my core area is deepening African folklores which are almost extinct; the works of Chinua Achebe, Elechi Amadi, Cyprian Ekwnsi. These writers are gone. These are writers that protected and promoted African culture and heritage. We are like in a new writers’ age, writing about street fighting, gun running, etc. Militancy is the in-thing now.”

He admitted that there is no country without crisis, but that there are certain genre that should be amplified. “I am trying to see how I can drink from African literature, our culture and tradition to better and reshape the economy and society; to reshape the country and educate people.

He declared; “Africa is the cradle of civilisati­on. We have a duty to reinvent African mechanism to deepen our socio-cultural and economic standing. A typical African man does not like to steal because he has a name to protect. Its not about law but culture is what used to stop a man from stealing. Now, its about the law. These days, people steal and throw the money around and get praised. We must rather begin to celebrate credibilit­y.”

Mission in ANA

He declared; “What I will do as the chairman of ANA in Rivers State is to deepen discipline and encourage literature as a normal way of life. I will encourage people to write. Idleness is one of the problems. When people are idle, they look for alternativ­e economy. I will encourage the reading culture. I will get across segments of the society, all profession­s, all careers, inter-disciplina­ry and multi-disciplina­ry associatio­ns, academia, etc.

“Writing is important, even when you are singing, drawing, scribbling normal writing, they are all writing and authoring. This includes drama, prose-drama, etc. We will reach out. I know that literature is our alternativ­e English. If you read, you write better. My duty this time is to interface, partner and synergise with various agencies, individual­s and groups to deepen literature in Rivers State.

“We must ensure that every culture is respected. We will ensure that people publish and we will advocate for indigenous writers and ensure that indigenous books are read.

“We will also look into what is churned out to the public. We will watch what you write before we allow it go to the public. We will go to the publishers and printers as well as to the educationa­l institutio­ns.”

If half of what Wali proposed can be met, the literary world would spring back to life.

 ??  ?? Adi Wali, State chairman, Associatio­n of Nigerian Authors, Rivers State branch
Adi Wali, State chairman, Associatio­n of Nigerian Authors, Rivers State branch

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