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Onyeka Nwelue
Interviews Jude Dibia
Author of
Walking with Shadows
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At his Ajah Estate home in suburban Lagos,
the job-schedule not withstanding, writer
Jude Dibia is working double-time to
complete his second novel, Unbridled,
to be released this year. His first novel,
Walking with Shadows may in
full-swing hit the theatres in the few
months. The Nigerian and overseas audiences
can't wait for Jude to unravel his magic,
and quite obviously it is going to be boom
time for Nigerian literary scene. Jude's
second book is easily going to be the most
awaited novel this season. What's more, the
writer has moved away from what he is
accused of all the while—gay writing—and
picked up the issue of migration and abuse.
Set in the political climate of Nigeria and
snow-flowered England, Jude's novel is
Nigeria's take on sexism and
family-constructed child abuse. It has all
the necessary requisites integral to a good
novel about the sexes—love, passion, greed,
jealousy and crime.
In this chat with me, the once-controversial
author hits out some nails. |
ON: I guess
you have been a fan of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie? Today
people await a second Jude Dibia novel with the same
eagerness. How does it feel?
JD: Chimamanda is a gifted writer. Her second
novel was so mature and thematic; I enjoyed it very much
and did catch up with her during one of her readings in
Lagos recently. I think more than everybody, I am
looking forward to the next Jude Dibia novel. It feels
great to finally finish writing it.
ON: So what makes a Jude Dibia novel?
JD: I don’t know. There is no recipe or formula
for my books. I am very interested in simple things and
how we are the product of our past and experiences. I
believe this is a recurrent theme in most of my
writing—we are who we are today because of yesterday!
ON: You are afraid of being stereotyped as a gay
writer, which is why themes like migration and abuse
come into your second book?
JD: I wasn’t aware of being stereotyped as
anything. The themes I explored in my new book
‘Unbridled’ was equally as interesting to me as when I
was writing
Walking With Shadows.
ON: Nigerian writing, published in Nigeria has
been criticised for its poor binding, printing and lazy
plots.
JD: In the past, this may have been so, but not
now. We now have the technology to produce works that
live up to international standards. As a publisher, you
must demand for the best without compromise. You must do
the necessary things like ‘quality control’, mock
prints, investing in professional literary editors and
copy editors etc. before releasing a book. Farafina is
doing a great job and their works are produced 100% in
Nigeria.
We have
extraordinary writers among us still. Some need
nurturing and encouragement. I read somewhere once that
every single story possible has been told. The challenge
for today’s writer is retelling these stories in an
innovative and new way. You want to relate to a whole
new audience as a writer.
ON: You published
Walking with Shadows, which had a different
subject. It was a great success, I guess. Now your
second, doesn't it unnerve you that you are on
unfamiliar terrain once more, by narrating through the
voice of an abused woman?
JD: I am always on unfamiliar terrain every time
I write. That’s always the best part for me. I love the
challenge of pushing the limits with my stories. It is
very important that when people read my stories they can
easily believe that it happened and it is real. That was
the case with Walking With Shadows and I hope it
would be the same for
Unbridled, regardless of the fact that it was
written by a man.
ON: What's the pow-wow with never-to-be-told
themes that you explore? Some believe you create
controversy to hit headlines!
JD: I’ve learnt not to give too much time to such
banal statements regarding my writing. I really do
believe that the themes explored in
Unbridled have been used before. I still wanted
to tell the story a different way. What’s important to
me is that I am read—it’s the best compliment you can
pay a writer.
ON: 'Rumour' has it that your first novel,
Walking with Shadows will soon be adapted into a
film?
JD: I have been approached by a UK based
director/producer for the film rights of my book. There
is a chance that it would be shot in South Africa in the
not so distance future.
ON: What assistance and advice would you offer to
young authors in Nigeria who are striving to make it to
the publishing industry?
JD: This may sound cliché, but my advice is don’t
give up. You have to keep writing to perfect your art.
Read tons of books and don’t be afraid of criticism no
matter how harsh it may be at times. Publishing houses
like Farafina and Cassava Republic are constantly
seeking to find new exciting writers—why not take
advantage of this?
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Onyeka Nwelue is a budding Nigerian
writer, who has attended book festivals within and
without his home-country, including the International
Writers' Festival, which took place in India. His novel,
The Abyssinian Boy is forthcoming.
Other sites of
interest:
Nwelue Judging Jude /
Walking With Shadows
posted 10 February 2007
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updated 3 November 2007 |
