I don’t think prizes define the strength of Nigerian literature. And not winning any of the prizes on offer at last year’s Caine Prize and Commonwealth competitions does not diminish the richness of Nigerian writing. The important thing to note is that there is a strong tide of young Nigerian writers embracing writing, becoming much more keen and expressive... - Uche Peter Umez

Writing is very very hard, you know. But I think, as a teacher, one understands that what one is looking for, like I said, is promise, and one understands how hard it is for young people here, either because they are not exposed, either because they have not read a lot of writers, either because they have not had the chance, or even some because maybe they did not have a degree in Literature or English... - Helon Habila

Writing in one’s indigenous language is a question that keeps popping up in many literary forums. Unfortunately, Ugandan society is a multi-ethnic, a multilingual one, with English as the only unifying language. So, no matter how much one might wish to write in one’s language, it is not very practical... - Violet Barungi

There is no doubt that many people are not writing well. And they are not writing well because they are impatient. You see, writing is not all about producing a manuscript and rushing to the publisher or the printing press to print it out. There is a kind of programme that any work must pass through for it to come out well... - Prof. Akachi Ezeigbo

Beyond his biological children, Soyinka is a father-figure and mentor to multitudes. While attending the 2008 Caine Prize for African Writing in England I laughed when one of my fellow nominated authors was being touted as a student of South African Nobel Laureate JM Coetzee. The house came down when eventually it was revealed that I was a student of Soyinka as opposed to some “eaglet” Nobel prize-winner!

Achebe is not altogether immune to the accolades he receives all over the world. He lives in a comfortable bungalow which was built for him by the college and which sustains his infirmity.  Even though Bard College is not one of the most pleasant tourists’ sites in New York, he still receives the attention of the world media right there...

This interview was conducted in 1998 in London, but I think it is still relevant because the interviewee is credited as the first woman to publish a novel in the Hausa language. She still writes…

"Ethnic stereotypes are absurd to me because I was raised in a part of Lagos that was unusual in the sense that almost all my friends and family had parents who were from different ethnic backgrounds..." - Sefi Atta

In 2002, Chinedu Ogoke, a Nigerian writer resident in Germany published his first novel, Under Fire. His second novel is being awaited. In this interview with Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye, Mr. Ogoke speaks on his work and the state of African Literature in relation to the still thorny issue of audience definition...

Okigbo will always be interesting to other writers. There’s always something romantic about a writer dying young. Where does all the talent go to, what would have become of all that passion, that zeal? - Helon Habila

Uzodinma chooses to be focused, while proving that he is relevant to the modern Nigerian literature. In fact, he is one of the new and young Nigerian writers that have helped generate positive interest in Nigerian literature on the global scene...

As a child growing up, Helon Habila’s father wanted him to be an engineer, but he preferred to read Literature. He had his way eventually. Today you can’t discuss contemporary Nigerian literature without mentioning his name...

"A writer who has never choked down a rejection slip will not get far, really. Rejections are part of the trade. In fact it is an honour to have been rejected. At least one had something written that could have been rejected in the first place. If you cannot write at all, you cannot get rejected at all..." - Amatoritsero Ede

Born to one of the most influential, enigmatic and symbolist African Poets of all time Christopher Okigbo, Obiageli Ibrahimat Okigbo, Architect and Artist, his soul heiress, is bestowed with the most emotional task of keeping his luminescent memory alive…

"There is a lot of what I would call willful American ignorance. American nationalism cannot exist if at some point the American citizen did not consciously decide not to look at the rest of the world. The belief in being the most civilized, most democratic and consequently most able to civilize the world cannot exist if the American citizen sees the full humanity of the African..." - Mukoma wa Ngugi

"Working as a publisher, writer, consultant, and a senior member of the Association of Nigerian Authors has not been easy for me..." - Hyacinth Obunseh