On his efforts to realign with the Nigeria literary community

"I am keen to re-align, to be embraced and to be part of the Nigerian literary constituency. But the community has to show me the way and accommodate me. I cannot just come barging in and break down the door and take a seat in the midst of the gathering. I like to also feel that people will show me the way. I am not aloof. In fact, I am like an orphan in a way; a simple person who just wants to do my little bit to improve the quality of life around me without copying anybody.

Creative undertaking

So far, the accommodation is still metamorphosing. "I guess when I spend more time in Nigeria as I plan to, and get involved in more literary and artistic creative undertaking, I will truly become one with the literary family and the community."

On the Nigerian literary environment

Ken Wiwa says the literary environment is not particularly conducive. "Writers generally do not have it easy anywhere in the world, but it is particularly not easy in Nigeria. There are great writers here but the frustration is that environment is not particularly conducive." What he implies of course, may not be far from the suffocating atmosphere, the harsh economic realities and the existential exigencies which clog the space of creative engagement. However, Ken Wiwa is not too enamored by the fact that there is so much poetry around; "I am baffled by the level of poetic production in Nigeria. Why is this so? Why not more short stories or novels?" He, however, gives kudos to the likes of FARAFINA which is creating a publishing environment for writers in Nigeria.

On the influence of the West on our literature

"The West validating our work sets a standard that may not be very healthy for our literature. We have to create our own market," he says. He makes appropriate allusion to Nollywood, which he believes has set the example of establishing a wholly indigenous market for the Nigerian movie industry. This, in his opinion, is what Nigerian literature needs. However, Ken Wiwa is also quick to point to the fact that Nigerian literature is peculiar. "We are all different writers, employing different techniques and styles to get our stories across. But there is a sensibility in most of these writings that makes them accessible to the universal audience, while retaining the indigenous flavor to make them exotic enough to be described as Nigerian books. As a writer, you write to be read. A writer carries a sense of communication to an audience with him and his story is deliberately tainted (to suit the kind of audience he must address and impress).

Even the reference points of a writer's narrative create pressures whether consciously or unconsciously and the writer finds that he/she is constantly employing multiple voices to get the story across." The fact that Nigerian writers and literature are enjoying considerable attention and recognition is a healthy development, says Ken Wiwa. But then he decries the incidences of copycatting amongst emerging Nigerian writers, which has greatly hampered this recognition. According to him: "In order to be accepted as a good Nigerian writer (by the West), you must write a good book. The West is not particularly trying to set standards. The West is smart. They are not looking for poor and ragged representations of Africa (in our writings and literature). They are looking for things they can incorporate into their world view.

Cultures borrow from other cultures and the essential quality of culture is survival. The West is actually attempting to expand our cultures from magical realism to other selective uniqueness. Of course you cannot rule out the existence of cultural imperialism, but again, what the West is doing is also an acknowledgement of our own new cultural realizations and consciousness."

On Nigerian literary prizes

Ken Wiwa says that "Literary prizes all over the world always come down to politics and commercialization." But the seeming difference in Nigeria is that most of them are not promoting literature enough. A situation where there is an absence of a serious cultural agenda greatly reduces the relevance of literary prizes. "We have a rich culture," he says "but enough is not done to promote the value of these things. Government and other important corporate entities like NDDC are more interested in building roads, providing water, etc. We are not creating an environment to encourage writers to concentrate on culture and the environment. The artistic policy in the country is notwriters-friendly and politicians are not getting behind the writers as much as they should." The fallout of all these by implication is that literary prizes in Nigeria, instead of promoting the books or writers, end up promoting the institution endowing the prizes and this then is used as a sort of propaganda tool to highlight other aspects of the institution which are neither literary nor cultural.

On his next plan of action

"I want to create a space to promote writing and creativity," Ken Wiwa says categorically. And then he chuckles, removes his green cap and runs his hand through his hair and instantly you are reminded of "Boy Josco" in the award-winning sitcom, Basi and Co, which thrust his father, the great Ken Saro-Wiwa, to national limelight. "Sometimes it can be quite difficult to pin yourself to a particular futuristic agenda because it can come back and haunt you years later when you fail to accomplish it. But having spent close to ten years in the limelight, I have three books to write but most importantly, I want to play a role in the development of the arts and literature in this country by creating a pathway to enable the arts to reach a wider audience." He says he would love to attract more investment to the Nigerian literary and artistic community through the efforts of SAROS INTERNATIONAL (his father's business concern) and the Ken Saro-Wiwa Foundation in Nigeria.

Also in the pipeline are arrangements to produce Sozaboy for which Akin Omotosho has written a beautiful script. But most importantly, Ken Wiwa plans to open the literary and artistic space, especially for younger talents whose originality is still flowering and needs to be harnessed to produce authentic Nigerian and Niger-DeltaLiterature and Art.

On whether he still reads against the backdrop of his demanding schedule

Ken Wiwa says "I dip in and out of books these days."