'..."Can't do is like Don't Care." Neither of them have a home.' Translated, that meant there was nothing a person can't do, and should be nothing a human being didn't care about.' // #MayaAngelou's I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. #readingninja #readingninjabookclub #june
Revisiting thoughts on Teju Cole's Everyday is for the Thief
Photo credit: Teju Cole
Following our Session 006 meet up, Ninja Eliza Lawoyin emailed us with her post-session musings, giving us her thoughts on Cole's title.
I honestly feel like it is the most honest depiction I've read of Nigeria, by a Nigerian who has been away for so long. I can't help but feel like I'd feel exactly the same way on my return. It really talks about Nigeria without the western accent/sedcution/obligation to romanticise that is ever present in recent African literature. (No shade, Chimamanda, love you boo!)
The humour is true to Nigeria and Nigerians. Twisted in violence and insult like when his Uncle stands off an area boy by talking smack like "I'll make your wife a widow" or when he compares Amina and her family to the "Holy Family", knowing good and well that she didn't enter that relationship a virgin *side eye*
He completely captures the juxtaposition of Nigeria's religious fanatic ideology to the injustice that seems to govern the country like when the little boy is burned alive and the next thing he sees is a religious sticker; this ever potent presence of God amid their actions that suggest a complete lack of reverence and fear of said God. These things really do happen in Nigeria. Along side the apathy and complacent attitude to corruption.
I don't know that I would recommend this book to a tourist because I would actively be trampling on the already barely existing, put-that-shit-on-life-support "tourist" industry but in regards to museums and history houses, after having visited Tafawa Balewa's house/grave, his descriptions are accurate. His evaluation of Nigeria as a system in chapter 23 was so accurate I would have slept with him or at least let him touch my boobs purely on the basis that our thoughts were in complete synchrony.
Basically, I now like the book and I'd recommend it to someone who cared about the correlation of Nigeria's political/economic state and corruption, not necessarily a tourist. Also, anyone who wanted to know what Nigeria is really like outside the confines of Eko Hotel or Victoria Island. Still not overly keen on his photography though and I still feel like he was forcing the whole 'I-am-so- Nigerian-look-how-much-history-I- know' thing. All in all, he was nostalgic so he wrote a book, threw political shade and cussed Ogoni people a little too.
Sunday 1st June, the Reading Ninja book club turned 6 months(!!!) and the ninjas united for good vibes and better conversation.
Gil Scott-Heron - The Last Holiday
Scott-Heron's final memoir mainly chronicles his life before 1981, when he toured with Stevie Wonder who was, at the time, rallying for Martin Luther King Day to become a national recognised holiday. While gaining insight to Scott-Heron's life, we saw one legend revering another while he spoke ardently about his admiration for Stevie. Of course, Scott-Heron is known for his command of language, and on that front, The Last Holiday didn't disappoint. It's funny, witty and filled to the brim with beautiful metaphors. As the book was produced posthumously from around twenty years of his writing, it lacked some of the cohesiveness you'd expect from a memoir at times. While the editors/publishing agents did a good job in creating order and chronology to the book, there were times when it felt like the stories felt incomplete or lacking a final edit. Overall, it was enjoyed by the ninjas.
Teju Cole - Everyday is for the Thief
Cole's new release, Everyday is for the Thief tells the story of a man returning to Nigeria after 15 years living in America. As he rediscovers his home,
For some of us, the story felt too harsh a depiction of Nigerian life, tickboxing every negative stereotype we've heard about Nigeria. However, post-discussion, Ninja Eliza sent an awesome review as she reconsidered her position on the book. Here is an excerpt:
I honestly feel like it is the most honest depiction I've read of Nigeria, by a Nigerian who has been away for so long. I can't help but feel like I'd feel exactly the same way on my return. It really talks about Nigeria without the western accent/seduction/obligation to romanticise that is ever present in recent African literature. (No shade, Chimamanda, love you boo!)
He completely captures the juxtaposition of Nigeria's religious fanatic ideology to the injustice that seems to govern the country like when the little boy is burned alive and the next thing he sees is a religious sticker; this ever potent presence of God amid their actions that suggest a complete lack of reverence and fear of said God. These things really do happen in Nigeria. Along side the apathy and complacent attitude to corruption.
Basically, I now like the book and I'd recommend it to someone who cared about the correlation of Nigeria's political/economic state and corruption, not necessarily a tourist.
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