British prize for writing goes to Nigerian clerk

LONDON – At a time when the world is focusing on what’s wrong with Africa, Nigerian writer S A Afolabi offers a glimpse of the resiliency of Africans.

“I don’t like writing tragedies,” Afolabi said in an interview yesterday, a day after being named the 2005 winner of the US$15 000 (about N$105 000) Caine Prize, sometimes dubbed the ‘African Booker’ because of its link to the late Man Booker Prize chairman Sir Michael Caine. “There’s always hope.Things can get better.”Not that Afolabi (39) evades the bleak truths of Africa.The characters in his winning story, ‘Monday Morning’, have fled a brutal, unnamed regime.The mother has lost a hand in what he refers to only as “the conflict”.The father’s sleep is troubled by dreams of “rebels and rape and cutlasses arcing through the air”.But the father also dreams of making a new life for his wife and sons in London, and thinks less often of his own trauma than the need to make money to send home to others who depend on him.The mother has lost her hand, but not the ability to comfort her husband when the nightmares come, stroking him “with her club, her smooth paw” until he settles back to sleep.Afolabi, the son of a diplomat, recalled the poverty and chaos of home when the family visited Nigeria from his father’s postings in Congo, Canada, Indonesia and elsewhere.He remembers being shocked that in an oil-rich country, drivers had to spend hours in line waiting for scarce gas rations.But he also remembers that whole families shared in the waiting, and there was no shortage of laughter or kindness.”The thing that came through was the hope in people,” he said.”People were very resilient.”Afolabi said he writes of the effects of politics on people’s lives, but not directly about politics.Nonetheless, it’s obvious he’s closely following this week’s Group of Eight summit hosted by Britain, where he has lived for a decade.British Prime Minister Tony Blair is pressing the other G-8 leaders to increase aid and trade opportunities for Africa and relieve its foreign debt burden.Afolabi said he was most encouraged that the conversation sparked by Blair’s G-8 campaign was not just about aid and trade and debt, but about Africans taking responsibility for improving their governments and wiping out corruption.”I only hope that this isn’t a short-lived thing, that people only talk about Africa for a short period and then move on to the next subject,” he said.- Nampa-AP”There’s always hope.Things can get better.”Not that Afolabi (39) evades the bleak truths of Africa.The characters in his winning story, ‘Monday Morning’, have fled a brutal, unnamed regime.The mother has lost a hand in what he refers to only as “the conflict”.The father’s sleep is troubled by dreams of “rebels and rape and cutlasses arcing through the air”.But the father also dreams of making a new life for his wife and sons in London, and thinks less often of his own trauma than the need to make money to send home to others who depend on him.The mother has lost her hand, but not the ability to comfort her husband when the nightmares come, stroking him “with her club, her smooth paw” until he settles back to sleep.Afolabi, the son of a diplomat, recalled the poverty and chaos of home when the family visited Nigeria from his father’s postings in Congo, Canada, Indonesia and elsewhere.He remembers being shocked that in an oil-rich country, drivers had to spend hours in line waiting for scarce gas rations.But he also remembers that whole families shared in the waiting, and there was no shortage of laughter or kindness.”The thing that came through was the hope in people,” he said.”People were very resilient.”Afolabi said he writes of the effects of politics on people’s lives, but not directly about politics.Nonetheless, it’s obvious he’s closely following this week’s Group of Eight summit hosted by Britain, where he has lived for a decade.British Prime Minister Tony Blair is pressing the other G-8 leaders to increase aid and trade opportunities for Africa and relieve its foreign debt burden.Afolabi said he was most encouraged that the conversation sparked by Blair’s G-8 campaign was not just about aid and trade and debt, but about Africans taking responsibility for improving their governments and wiping out corruption.”I only hope that this isn’t a short-lived thing, that people only talk about Africa for a short period and then move on to the next subject,” he said.- Nampa-AP