The Arts-Muse Fair

I am not your plural I’m not this unit Of a memory that grows from nowhere I’m not the geometry of your brush This monochrome is only the shade of your eyes For I’m not black, I’m not white I’m the artwork of a thousand ancestors You know me, don’t you? I’m not your noun I may be the conspiracy of an unlit bedroom A mistake made in a whisper But I’m not the negative of this camera I’m the adjective Of a secret that never was I’m a reality Only seen by stained binoculars I’m not this verb These things I do are mere prophecy Of my bank I’m a prisoner of my history I’m not this pronoun So if you don’t know the gender of my shadows Remember the lamps that banish them I’m not the photograph of your imagination Your accent calls to me But I’m not the tenses of your broken English Nor the slang of your city For you cannot count the alphabets of my story I’m not the identity card of my kind I’m my biology A reservoir of infinite memory I’m my diseases,

Adamu Idris Manarakis is a budding indigenous Nupe writer. Fondly called the “Philosopher of Nupe Mathematics”, he is the founder of Eduko Nupe Language Foundation, Minna. In this interview with Abubakar Akote for The Arts-Muse Fair, Manarakis believes that books in indigenous languages are easier to comprehend by readers than those written in foreign languages like English. He also challenged ANA to pay more attention to works in indigenous languages as a way to promote our arts and cultures. TAMF: When and how did you start writing? MANARAKIS: I started writing in 2008 although my major area of interest is Mathematics because I am a Building Technology Professional. When I finished from Secondary School, I developed interest in writing Mathematics textbooks, which today have been written but still unpublished. Before I ventured into writing, I had read a book, written by Paul Diner on how to be a successful Writer. I picked up my writing career after reading that b

The Iceland Writers Retreat currently accepts applications from talented writers in need of financial support across the globe to attend the Iceland Writers Retreat in Reykjavík, Iceland in April, 2018. Held for the first time in April 2014, the Iceland Writers Retreat is an event which comprised of a series of small-group writing workshops and cultural tours designed to introduce participants to Iceland’s rich literary heritage. The Iceland Writers Retreat was named one of the world’s best writers’ retreats by the Sydney Morning Herald, and one of the top 10 “Events to travel for in 2014” by Four Seasons Magazine. Who can apply? Eligible applicants should be 18 years old and above on April 11, 2018. The winning candidate(s) must demonstrate that he or she does not have the financial means to attend the conference without this award. However, candidates do not need to be professional writers, but should be serious about the craft and interested in developing their skil

The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has named Professor Saleh Abdu Kwami of the Gombe State University, Gombe as the keynote speaker of the forthcoming 2017 Annual International Convention of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) scheduled to hold from Thursday 26th - Saturday 28th October, 2017 in Makurdi, Benue state. His keynote speech will dwell on the theme “Canons, Prizes and Boundaries: African Writers and Writings in World Literature” Born in 1957 in Kwami, a Bolewa town in the north-west of Gombe, Gombe State in the north-eastern part of Nigeria, Professor Saleh Abdu is currently the founding Dean, Faculty of Humanities, Management & Social Science, Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State. Prof Abdu was formerly the Head in the Department of English and Literary Studies, Bayero University, Kano (BUK). While at BUK, Prof Abdu was the editor of three peer review journals, founder and co-founder of Creative Writers Forum in the University (1986)

A man squats by the edge of the house, hands working as fast as they can. Hands working iron against concrete slab. He is etching the words as fast as he can, etching them as deep as his will: here lies a man w - just then, a scream is heard from inside the house. He dashes into the house. … 1. He began to board public buses, ditching his neatly tailored suits for khaki trousers and large formless shirts. He grew out his beard and began to dye his graying hair black. He knew the Federal Agency for Idea Dispersion and Control would be tracking him. He was trying to hide from them. They had emailed him on the first day of the year to remind him that it was his speculated year of death. They had ended the email with: thanks for your prospective cooperation . He had seen what happened to people who tried to die with their ideas. That Saturday evening in his Enugu home as he and his wife watched the news; reporters from all the news networks in the country sticking microphon

Sterling Bank Nigeria in partnership with the British Council, Da’ar Communications Plc and Mega Lectrics Limited is calling for entries for Recyclart competition, 2017. The purpose of the competition is to encourage Nigerians to explore positive ways to change their relationship with the environment, while expressing creativity and artistic talents using recyclable materials. It also serves as a means to preserve culture by empowering young artists and emerging talents nationwide to participate, create an original piece of art made from recycled and repurposed materials to be exhibited at a public space. Prizes 4 Grand Winners with repurposed structures representing one of the four (4) locations – Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, and Abuja will be rewarded in the competition. All four (4) Grand Prize Winners will receive a million naira (N1,000,000) each and a chance for a solo exhibition in one Sterling Bank public community park, roundabout or space in one of the four Sterlin

The President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Mr. Denja Abdullahi, has called on the governments at all levels and Stakeholders in environmental management to begin to explore innovative and creative dynamics to fight recurring natural disasters in the country. Reacting to the recent flood disaster in Makurdi, Benue state that claimed lives and destroyed properties and farmlands, the ANA President in a Press Statement called on the government and stakeholders to pay serious attention to climate change in the country and work beyond the usual policy document. According to him, “It is also the position of the Association that serious attention should be given to climate change issues in our society beyond the usual policy document”. The ANA President charged Nigerian creative writers to engage their skills, books and other creative works to articulate issues of the environment and climate change in order to aid the public awareness effort of the government, whi