by M. Jalal Hashim

On 22^nd June 2011, the Ministry of Labour issued a general directive to all government departments to enforce compulsory retirement on any Sudanese of Southern origin as a direct consequence of denationalizing them, i.e. stripping them of their Northern Sudanese nationality. Another similar directive was sent to the private sector. Accordingly, tens of thousands of Northerners of Southern origin have been purged from Civil Service. To add hurt to insult, official farewell parties were made at the altar of this civil genocide. Many of these infamous parties were televised and broadcast. These cynical parties were held in ‘honour’ of those a majority of who have never seen the South and who have been living in the North for most of their lives. Twenty-one thousand soldiers were purged from the army overnight; those were the same soldiers who have fought in the Sudanese army against the Sudan People Liberation Army (SPLA) of the South for years and years. Now they are required to go to join the army they have spent their lives fighting against for no reason other than the fact that their origin goes back to the South. More than four thousand policemen were also purged.

Nothing can be more erroneous as those people are not Southerners as such; they are simply Northerners of Southern origin in the same way as the Minister of Interior (Ibrahim Mahmoud, who is responsible of the Civil Registry and nationality) is a Northern Sudanese of Eritrean origin. In his days as a university student in Egypt, he even used to preside over the Eritrean Students Union. The following arguments show the weakness of the position of the government in Khartoum.

Who can tell that I am not a Southerner?

The Khartoum government lacks the legal ground to identify the ethnicity of any of its subjects since it dropped the question of ethnicity from its last census. Therefore the Khartoum government is not in a place to say how many Dinkas or Nuers or Shilluks exist in the Sudan, North or South. Likewise, it cannot prove that a particular person is a Dinka or Nubian or Fur. It is true that in the nationality application forms there is a question about the ethnicity of the applicant (the tribe in particular); however, those who got their nationality document in this way do not exceed twelve million since independence (including those who have since died). Furthermore, all the documents that predate 1995 have been damaged. The fact that the population was put at forty million in the last census proves that nationality documents are redundant in deciding who is a Sudanese and who is not. At least twenty-eight million, out of that forty million, do not have any nationality document but nevertheless are considered as Sudanese by the government.

What does the Nationality Law says about this?

The nationality law states that any foreign person who stays in the Sudan legally for 5 consecutive years becomes qualified for Sudanese nationality. The sliding majority of those Northerners of Southern origin have been living in the North for more than 20 years. So, if they were foreigners, they would have been qualified for nationality. In the Sudan we have many ethnic groups of foreign origin, such as those who trace their origin back to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Chad, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Eritrea etc. Why can we not have people who trace their origin back to Southern Sudanese ethnic groups such as the Dinka, Shilluk and Nuer?

What does the CPA says about this?

The CPA sets forth a clear criterion for those eligible to claim Southern identity, consequently establishing a sufficient definition of the Southerner. It clearly states that those with a Southern parent, or of Southern origin who came to the North from the South within a certain period, can claim the Southern identity and consequently could register to vote in the then-upcoming referendum. However, those who were qualified to claim Southern identity, but had been living long enough in the North and accordingly had qualified for citizenship could remain anywhere in the North if they opted to do so, i.e. it was optional. The implication of that option is that those who registered for the referendum had made their decision to be Southerners; those who did not registered, even though they were qualified to do so, had also made their decision to remain as Northerners.

What do the International Laws say about this?

All international laws and conventions pertaining to nationality clearly state that everybody is entitled to enjoy a nationality. Article 15 of the Declaration of Human Rights clearly states that “every one has a right to a nationality”; it further states that “no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality”. This is further supported by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN Human Rights Committee The 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, which entered into force in 1975, makes it a specific duty of states to prevent statelessness. Article 1 reads that “A Contracting State shall grant its nationality to a person born in its territory who would otherwise be stateless.” The convention forbids stripping of nationality (denationalisation) “on racial, ethnic, religious or political grounds.” Even in cases of State Succession, no citizen of either the succeeded or successor State should be deprived of the nationality they have acquired through lawful means. Article 1 in the International Law Commission, Draft Articles on Nationality of Natural Persons in relation to the Succession of States, with commentaries, 1999, clearly states that “Every individual who, on the date of the succession of States, had the nationality of the predecessor State, irrespective of the mode of acquisition of that nationality, has the right to the nationality of at least one of the States concerned.” Other articles provide that States must take “all appropriate measures” to prevent statelessness resulting from State Succession, and that persons shall not be denied the right to retain or acquire a nationality by being discriminated against on any ground.

Having said this with regard to the internal law, it is worth mentioning that in March, 2011, in Addis Ababa, under the supervision of the African Supreme Committee which is headed by Thabo Mbeki, both the Government of Khartoum and the Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) concluded the Framework Agreement which clearly stated that in the wake of the cession of Southern Sudan, all citizens either living in the North or the South will have the right to maintain the status quo if they opt to do so. Typically, the Government of Khartoum declined to ratify this agreement the moment its delegation touched down in Khartoum from Addis Ababa. The separatists of the North, the true makers of the cession of the South, could not tolerate any African of Southern origin in the North after succeeding in getting rid of the South.

The Apartheid State of North Sudan

There are at least 4.5 million Northerners of South origin who have nothing to do with the unfolding situation of cession as they have not participated in the referendum. The cession of Southern Sudan has been brought about by two factors; the first is the growing anti-black, anti-African, and anti-Southerner sentiment among a certain sector of Northern Sudanese who are ready to die in order to win the badge of Arabism. There has been a surge of this trend that started gaining momentum with the wake of the fanatically Islamist and Arab-chauvinistic regime of al Ingaz. This is the major factor that has created the conditions of cession. In such a state it was inevitable for any people to opt for cession, in particular the Southerners who have been living under the yoke of racism for centuries. The second factor is merely technical, i.e. the poll, which was exercised by about three-and-a-half million representing the eight million Sudanese citizens living in the South, plus about a hundred and sixty thousand who lived in the North and who had registered as Southerners for the referendum. This proves that the four-and-a-half million Northerners of Southern origin have nothing to do with either the referendum or its result. To hold those four-and-a-half million accountable for the cession of the South by either the government in Khartoum or its ranks and media institutions of hatred is merely racist. This measure by the government in Khartoum confirms that North Sudan is undergoing a phase of an Apartheid State. The Islamo-Arabists of the Khartoum regime want to avenge their own failure in maintaining unity on the Southerners, but having no such Southerners within its boundary has made them to target those Northerners of Southern origin. The four-and-a-half million Northerners of Southern origin cannot victimized in this manner.

The President who threatens his People

The regime of Khartoum is working hard to deepen the rift between Africanism and Arabism in the identity awareness of Sudanese people by not only enhancing this discourse of anti-Africanism, chauvinistic pro-Arabism, but further by initiating it through its top echelon of officials. The fiery words of the State President (who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity and genocide) in one of his late public speeches where he vowed to chase out any Southerner who dares remain in the North after July 9^th, still resonates in the ears of the Sudanese people. In that unwelcome speech, the President did not bother to give a definition of the ‘Southerner’. To the public, a southerner is defined by complexion, a criterion no State that respects itself or its subjects can use without being racist. The two parts of the Sudan now need, more than ever, to  strengthen the ties that bring them together. The keyword today for the two parts of the Sudan is “interdependency” where the existence of Northerners of Southern origin (and Southerners of Northern origin) will surely pave the way to good developmental relations and will serve as a bridge between the shores of the two parts of the country. All other aspects of interdependency, whether cultural or economical, comes after this humane and material bridging. The regime of Khartoum is fully aware that the Sudanese people will very soon awake to face the grim fact that their beloved country is no more the same and that they will understandably be held responsible for this.

Action needed!

The national, regional and international NGOs and civil societies institutions, and the free Pan African elites and intellectuals worldwide cannot maintain their ethical and moral integrity if they allow this state fascism and apartheid orientation in the Sudan. They must not be blackmailed into capitulation. We have all to stand up and face this new wave of state racism. A Northerner is that Sudanese person who has lawfully qualified for Sudanese nationality and who has chosen to live in the North; a Southerner is that Sudanese person who has lawfully qualified for Sudanese nationality and who has chosen to live in the South. The foreigners are those who do not fall in either group. The Sudanese Northerners of Southern origin are being officially discriminated against by the government of Khartoum. This is taking place as part of a process of demographic engineering in the course of which African people in Darfur are being replaced by Arab groups brought in from Niger; African Nubas are being replaced by Arabised groups in Southern Kordufan and Abyei; the Beja of Eastern Sudan are being replaced by fanatically Islamist groups from the  Eritrean and Egyptian peasantry; the Nubians in the far North are being replaced by Egyptian peasants brought from over the delta. The current slogan that resonates all over the region: “the people want to change the Regime!” is being turned by the Islamist regime of Khartoum into: “the Regime wants to change the People!” For people to change their bad regimes is commonplace; but for a detestable and corrupt regime to decide to change its people is a matter that cannot be achieved without those wretched people being killed in cold blood – which is what happened in Darfur, and what is happening right now in Southern Kordufan.

Has Apartheid moved North to Sudan? is a post from: AWblogs

My name is Grace Kim.

It’s a beautiful evening, and the world’s finally cooling down after a typically hot February day. Irene, my sister, and I are leaving Thuthuka’s apartment block after having picked him up from the airport. Irene’s driving. She edges slowly out of the driveway, watching the traffic in the busy main road. I hear a group of students chatting loudly towards us, and turn my head to watch them while Irene concentrates on the road. Most of them stop at the edge of the driveway, waiting for us to go ahead. One guy doesn’t. Just as he’s about to walk in front of the car, his girlfriend anxiously yanks his arm: “Babe, she didn’t see you”.
“No, ‘cause she wasn’t looking. Fucking Chinese”, he retorts loudly, pulling away from her.

I am a stereotype.

My sister and I are too stunned to say anything. We drive home in silence. Inside, a brood of ugly emotions start rearing their heads. I am pissed off. Angry. Mad. Furious. Fuming. Sad. Disheartened. Discouraged. Hurt.

To be honest, a comment like this shouldn’t affect me as much as it did. A South Korean national, I have lived in South Africa since I was two, and have long considered South Africa home. However, my physical appearance is a visible signal of difference, with the result that I am often on the receiving end of well-meant questions implying that here is where I do not belong, or less benevolent “Chinese” comments shouted by puerile teenagers. As a racial minority in South Africa, I’ve often been subject to minor forms of prejudice and racial stereotyping by people who perceive me as an ‘outsider’, but the sheer bias and venom expressed in this new incident broke me in a way none of the other ones had.

The thought that never left me was the most lasting one: Why. The. Hell. Had. I. Not. Said. Anything.

Unintentionally, my silence at this guy’s words is an illustration of the silencing power of stereotypes. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s useful insight about the problem of stereotypes is “not that they are untrue,  but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story ”. Imbedded in this notion of the ‘only story’ is the relationship-shaping factor of power. Human beings rarely tell one story about themselves – they are far too complex for that. An ‘only story’ is told and retold about people by other people. Adichie adds that “power is the ability not just to tell the story of another person, but to make it the definitive story of that person”.  And stereotypes are that powerful. They can, and do, define, categorize, and shape one person’s relationship with another.

Ironically, it is precisely for their definitive ability that stereotypes are so often used. Stereotypes are handy tools because they help us categorize reality into segments our brains can utilize in making sense of the complex world we live in. As Chinua Achebe points out: “The whole idea of a stereotype is to simplify. Instead of going through the problem of all this great diversity – that it’s this or maybe that – you have just one large statement; It is this”. It is, after all, easier to remember the 5 jocks, 2 engineers, and 3 artists that were at the party, rather than each of the 10 different individuals. The danger is when these stereotypes come to be the only things that represent another individual, as is often the case when we allow ourselves to be content that our ideas about someone actually constitute that person.

Although it’s not pleasant being so often and so easily stereotyped, the experiences that I have undergone have made an indelible impact on me. I remember telling a good friend about this incident, and his response was that I shouldn’t take it personally. He meant it kindly, making a point that if it hadn’t been a f***ing Chinese who was driving at that point, it could’ve been a f***ing blonde, or an f***ing ou man. Let me say from the outset that I agree that there is a danger in taking like this so personally that we walk around with huge chips on our shoulders about ourselves and others. Yet, there is a measure to which we must take situations like this personally – and I must, and I will in this case. One of the conditions of being human is such: only when I am personally affected, will I be moved enough to take action.

The morning after, I woke up with a heavy heart, but one that was also determined. The night before, I’d been toying with the idea of leaving the country permanently when I go to England at the end of this year. The night before, I’d been at the point of becoming bitter about all the wonderful people I’ve met here and about the life-changing, mind-shaping opportunities I’ve had. The morning after, however, I woke up and realized that the intensity of my anger and sadness was a measure of my deep love for South Africa. Moreover, I was convicted that I could do more to initiate, encourage, and foster conversation and dialogue between all people. Change can be brought about – but it must start with me.

How then do I suggest we fight against the silencing power of stereotypes? I draw the answer from my own life, for, curiously enough, my experiences have engendered in me a compassion for the marginalized and stereotyped instead of bitterness about those who see life in black, white and yellow.

I believe this attitude arises in part from my experience as an immigrant. I was brought up in a culture unfamiliar to my parents in a nation of which I am not (yet) a national, and as a racial minority in a multiracial country. This unique position has enriched my life immeasurably. In observing and participating within two different cultural mindsets, I have come to see a common humanity in all people. Furthermore, I came to realize that the views held by my parents and their South Korean friends quite often contrasted with those espoused by my South African friends and their families. To be aware that such varying opinions can be held by groups of people I regard highly has instilled in me the conviction that everyone’s perspective is of value.

Another reason for my attitude is because of a willingness to listen to other people’s stories. Stories are important because people understand the world and themselves through the narratives they tell. As someone who’s been trained in the humanities, and has an English Literature background, I have a natural interest in the ways that people perceive the world. As someone who is thought to be neutral, I have heard stories from my black friends about what white people do, from my white friends about what black people do, and from my coloured friends about what white and black people do. Sometimes the stories are humorous, as I am privy to the various misunderstandings on either side that have led to a specific situation; sometimes the stories are just heartbreaking. It has been my experience that people want to talk – they just don’t know how or when or with whom to begin.

I am not saying that everyone needs to be an immigrant in order to understand other peoples’ perspectives. I also do not wish to give the impression that I myself do not fail miserably at times – this is in no way an attempt to exonerate myself from my own tendencies to fall into blatant stereotyping and prejudices. This post is rather a call to action, a plea. I am advocating that we step into others’ experiences, and that we can only do if we talk to each other – if we open ourselves up to understanding two, three, four, five sides of a story. South Africa has a wealth of individuals, races, cultures, stories waiting to be heard and listened to, questions seeking answers, answers seeking questions. Athol Fugard once wrote: “One of the greatest blessings to fall in the lap of any storyteller is to be born in South Africa. You trip over stories when you step out of your front door, they walk past you as you stand on the street corner. Just keep your eyes, your ears and your soul open”. Let us keep our eyes, ears and souls open, and encourage these discussions. Let us share our lives, hurts, emotions, experiences, because stereotypes break down when individuals talk.

I have written this post as a start. I have written this post as a step to eventually breaking free from the silences that are draped over me, and others, when people enforce their stereotypes thoughtlessly, carelessly, hurtfully. Thank you for reading this, and taking time to consider my perspective. In doing so, you have temporarily joined in my battle. I ask you to play a bigger role, however, because change may start with me, but to carry on this change, to make a real difference, other people, you, must join my struggles.

I leave one last thought to you: if stereotypes break down when individuals talk, who are you speaking to?

My name is Grace Kim, and I am a stereotype. And I will remain a stereotype, until you open your ears and your heart to me.

My Name is Grace Kim – and I’m a Stereotype is a post from: AWblogs

As a base for a reading group devoted to “New African Writing”, Oxford might seem slightly unsuitable. Founded many centuries ago by men for whom “the language question” meant Latin or Greek, Oxford University often proves reluctant to adopt anything new, resistance to change in each crevice of its crumbling college walls. Yet the dreaming spires of Brasenose College, Oxford recently played host to handful of intrepid minds eager to explore new landscapes of the literary in the first meeting of the “New African Writing Reading Group”. Together we opened a text far younger while, many would argue, richer in taste than the college wines in the cellar below us: Irene Sabatini’s The Boy Next Door, winner of the 2010 Orange Award for New Writers. In our journey together through Sabatini’s story, through the vibrant cosmopolitan markets of Harare in the 1980s, past Bulawayo’s graceful architecture serene in the midst of national transition, around political and economic roadblocks erected by Mugabe’s ZANU-PF, we arrived at insights both unexpected and profound, the rewards of reading en route with friends.

Still, as we embark on new forays in the following weeks, it will not be without the road map of African Writing to guide us. The interviews, essays, excerpts, and reviews included in your magazine have been, and will continue to be, a source of direction in what we read and of encouragement by like efforts to seek the best of new writing from Africa. The inclusive, polychrome, fresh and forward-thinking tone of your magazine has allowed our small circle of readers, huddled within a dank Oxford college, to imagine ourselves warmed by larger community of writers, readers, professionals and scholars united by a passion for the continent and its literature. Thank you for an inspiring publication, rendered all the dearer to us bibliophiles by its recent appearance in print. It is with eager anticipation that we await your next issue.

Yours,

Miss Tamara Moellenberg
Spokesperson for the “New African Writing Reading Group”
University of Oxford, U.K.
E-mail: tamara.moellenberg@bnc.ox.ac.uk

African Writing’s Oxford Reading Group is a post from: AWblogs

After events in Oxford and Birmingham, all roads lead to Manchester University’s Samuel Alexander Hall on 2nd February, at 3.30pm, where AW’s partner, The Centre for New Writing, hosts a launch with a programme of readings and talks.

See you there!

African Writing Launch… at Manchester University is a post from: AWblogs

Chuma Nwokolo, author and advocate, delivers a public lecture tomorrow at the University of Birmingham. The speaker is also publisher and editor of African Writing magazine, and his talk is titled, Those Who Can’t, Write. The occasion is to mark the launch of African Writing’s print edition. The event starts at 5.30pm at Danford Room, 2nd Floor, Arts Building, Centre for West African Studies.

African Writing is a literary magazine that brings together new and old voices from Africa and the Diaspora, including English translations from French, Portuguese, Arabic and other languages. The latest edition contains contributions from some nineteen countries, including fifteen African countries, and features an original translation by Elliot Colla of an excerpt from Ibrahim al-Koni’s Arabic Novel, The Animist. Print copies of the magazine’s 10th and 11th editions will be available at the venue.

Entry is free.

AW for Birmingham Launch is a post from: AWblogs

One of the leading writers of African Bandes Desinées (BD)  is Chistopher Ngalle Edimo (below).

Edimo is the writer behind the dark and hyper-realist  Malamine: un african à Paris, illustrated by Simon-Pierre Mbumbo.  To see larger version of all images below, click on them.

Below are thumbnail links to the cover and sample page of the more comic tale of émigré life also written  by Edimo and illustrated by Al’Mata, Le Retour au Pays D’Alphonse Madiba dit Daudet.  The main article describes the story with some comments by Al’Mata.

Christope Cassiau-Haurie is an organiser of the Salon, and is the editor of a new list of African BD for L’Harmattan publishers.  Below is a link to an interview by him in French with Edimo on the Africultures website.

http://www.africultures.com/php/index.php?nav=article&no=8143

Below, Pahé, one of the most popular writer-artists of African BD.   The last thumbnail below links  to a larger image from his autobiographical comic novel La vie de Pahé.

T.T Fons is the author-illustrator of the popular Senegalese newspaper strip Goorgoorlu (below)  The thumbnail links to the cover of one of his collections

Annani Accoh, one of the Accoh brothers who illustrate the Africavi series, which is written by three generations of the family.  The series is in the Francophone tradition of robust humorous adventures.

Photo of Leon Ngandu, called Tchibemba, illustrator of Les Clandestines a la Mer

L’Afrique de Papa by Hippolyte, also featured in the main magazine, is a one of the most ambitious works featured in the Salon.  Click on the thumbnails below to see larger images of this impressive work.

Marguerite Abouet’s Aya de Yopougon is a popular series of six graphic novels about a young woman’s life in a small Ivorien town.  Cover below and links to two pages.  The illustrations are by Clément Ouberie.

Rwanda is a powerful graphic novel, illustrated by Patrick Masioni.

Ago Publications are introducing superhero comics to Togo.  Essingan is a magazine for younger readers featuring fantasy and superhero stories from the Cameroon.

A short documentary about the Salon is available on Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCtJUxJYGtU

If you would like to see more images from the Salon itself, or from African BD, please let me know by commenting below.  There’s a short biography of me at

http://www.african-writing.com/eleven/rymanbio.htm

Geoff Ryman

African Graphic Novels is a post from: AWblogs

In an interesting recap of last year’s award, Lauri Kubuitsile of Botswana has extended her winning streak by coming tops at the latest edition of the Golden Baobab prize for children’s literature. Her Mechanic’s Son won in the ‘Literature for 12-15 years’ category, where she also triumphed last year with her Lorato and her Wire Car. Lauri is not exactly unknown to readers of African Writing (The Empty Space on the Paper & The Dandelion Wishers).

Mirirai Moyo of Zimbabwe, who won in the 8 – 11 years category for Diki, The Little Earthworm, is new to the award list, although her country is not: Ivor Hartmann, last year’s winner is also Zimbabwean.

In addition, 16-year old Ahmed Farah of Kenya got the Rising Writer’s Award for his Letters from the Flames. Again, he retains the prize for Kenya, following on Aisha Kibwana’s win from last year.

Other writers on the shortlist selected by the six-person judging panel (Jay Heale, Nana Ayebia Clarke, Muthoni Garland, Bibi Bakare-Yusuf, Cynthia Pon and Meshack Asare ) are:

• Dorothy Dyer for War Stories,
• Gothataone Moeng for The Rainmakers of Botalaote,
• Jenny Robson for Only the Stones Still Cry, and
• Patrick Ochieng for Neighbours.

It is early days yet for the Golden Baobab Prize and founders, Deborah Ahenkorah and Rama Shagaya. If the object is to create a prize whose shortlist brings writers to the attention of children and parents not just across Africa but throughout the world, there are still hillocks to climb… but there is a measure of success already: last year’s winning stories in the two main categories are already in print, having been published by South Africa’s Vivilia Publishing (Ivor Hartmann’s Mr. Goop was first published online in African Writing). Not a bad record for a well-regarded 2-year-old award. 

The Golden Baobab; Kubuitsile makes it a Double is a post from: AWblogs

From L to R: Dr. Aba, (BSU), Laura Joyce (MU), Chuma Nwokolo (AW), Dr Kombol (BSU), Damola Pedro (MU), Holly Ringland (MU), Geoff Ryman (MU), Dr. Bashir (TSU), and Fumnanya Oboite (MU)

October 2010 saw the official commencement of the collaboration between African Writing (AW) and the University of Manchester (UM) in a creative writing project with partner universities, the Benue State University (BSU) and the Taraba State Universities (TSU), both in Nigeria. For the first time, the main participants in the British Council sponsored project came together in a week of workshops and briefings in Manchester, which included a public lecture by Chuma Nwokolo on 13th October. The top photograph shows the representatives of the four collaborating institutions, as well as four student volunteers (Laura, ‘Danmola, Holly & Fumnanya) from the University of Manchester.

Chuma Nwokolo (AW) with volunteers from the University of Manchester (L-R) Laura Joyce, Holly Ringland, Fumnanya Oboite, and Oyindamola Pedro.

Photographs: Michael Addelman

AW/Manchester University collaboration flagged off is a post from: AWblogs

by Jonathan Dotse

Think about the future, just for a moment. I want you to envision what life might be like on this planet in about fifty years from now. Even if you aren’t a fan of science fiction, you might conjure up images of grand societies with laser weapons and jet packs, of course. But in that same future, allow your mind to travel to Africa. What do you see? Can you imagine what life might be like for someone living on the streets of Nairobi, Brazzaville, or Johannesburg fifty years from now? You’ll probably find that it’s not very easy to imagine Africa in the distant future, simply because there isn’t enough African science and speculative fiction to fuel the imagination. The genre has never gained a major following among African readers for good reason; the widely optimistic view of technological progress underlying traditional science fiction simply doesn’t resonate with much of the experience on the continent.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a dream of building a grand society with grand technology and even grander ideals would be largely out of reach to anyone who has been steadily drained of hope by year after year of broken promises. Africa’s rather sharp transition from the heady independence years into the times of political unrest and the decades of stagnation that followed have taken a heavy toll on the sentiments of an entire generation. Practicality is a highly regarded virtue in Africa, and it can be difficult for any self-styled pragmatist to see the value in sifting through countless mind-boggling scenarios, the vast bulk of which are unlikely to ever happen. Yet I find myself increasingly convinced that science fiction offers a lot that is taken for granted, perhaps even a way out of the vicious poverty cycle.

It can be argued that the world we live in would be a radically different one if not for the incredible amount of science fiction that has been produced since the beginning of the industrial age. This single literary genre has arguably had the greatest effect than other in recent times, literally transforming society by inspiring millions of scientists into brave pursuits of knowledge that span centuries and change the face of humanity forever. That Africa has been least influenced by this tide of scientific fervour is probably the reason why the continent lags behind in technological innovation, currently contributing the least amount of scientific papers to the global pool. I see a direct correlation between the lack of African science fiction and the shortage of African scientists.

Many influential scientists and engineers are drawn into their fields by a vision of the very real possibilities to which they have been exposed in science fiction. They have a clear vision of how their discoveries can have an impact on society, and this knowledge serves to press them on through typically tedious occupations. Science fiction is the simplest and most effective tool we have to mobilize African youth to enter the daunting fields of science and mathematics. More than anything else, it provides a clear vision of what impact individuals can have on the future of their society. The more science fiction is available to inspire African youth, the more engineers, researchers, and technological enthusiasts we will be growing on the continent. If we ever hope to achieve a sustainable level of technological development, there is a huge Africa-shaped hole in the world of science fiction that must first be filled.

There are also artistic reasons to look forward to an African science fiction renaissance. African storytelling tradition contains the very sort of metaphysical themes that science fiction is best equipped to address: themes of identity, self and community, and relationships between generations in time. There is no shortage of inspiration for science fiction within African life today, as the pervasive reach of technological development is being witnessed even by those in the most remote regions of the continent. Aesthetically, science fiction gives the writer power to create landscapes that blur the distinction between the literal and metaphorical interpretations of a story to produce an absolute representation of a complex idea. The writer can freely traverse the continuum of time, placing the present time in its right context by clearly framing it between the future and the past. This freedom could yield invaluable additions to the classics of African literature by tackling critical new issues while opening radical new dimensions to existing ones.

The challenge then lies in just how to go about imagining a future Africa. Transposing a cookie-cutter Western version of the future into an African setting usually results in a laughably implausible construction: the significant socioeconomic rift between our societies usually puts a Western future far beyond the threshold of reality of the African reader and well into in the realms of fantasy. The already tenuous leaps of logic needed to imagine the future of the West begin to unravel as soon they are placed into an African context. The 21st century has seen Africa enter a very interesting position, with growth rates at record levels and poverty on the decline, technological penetration across the continent and Internet presence rising rapidly. There is now a growing need for African futurists to observe and discuss the current trends in development that can be extrapolated into the distant future.

The problem is that the science of futurism tends to be rather unintuitive and based on arbitrary patterns in society. Moore’s Law in computing, created by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, states that the amount of transistors on a computer chip doubles roughly every eighteen months. This law has held for over forty years, and is likely to continue to do so for at least the next five years, after which it will inevitably be replaced by another pattern in the system. With this single pattern having so dramatically altered the face of our planet by reducing the cost of computing, imagine what several new and exciting ones might do in the decades to come. Many lay people might not be able to understand the implications of these trends in society, which is why Africa needs a generation of futurist writers and thinkers; people dedicated to study and extrapolate these trends across the fabric of African society to help create a comprehensive picture of Africa’s future.

In the early eighties, when computer systems were just beginning to blossom, a brand new genre of science fiction was spawned from the zeitgeist. Dubbed cyberpunkiii, the genre was defined by its focus on high tech and low life, and at its forefront was a world transformed by cyberspace and the ripple effects of technology in the digital age. Inspired by the reality of the time, it painted a dark portrait of a dystopian information age, with pollution, corruption, and cyber-crime eating away at the decaying veneer of an advanced civilization. Today I look around my own city; a city bearing the subtle marks of an information society, city centers crawling with smart phones, wireless communication flooding airwaves with ever increasing amounts of data, cyber-crime thriving politely behind every street corner, and I realize that some kind of cyberpunk future has somehow materialized here without my noticing–without anyone’s noticing. For better of for worse, we are living in a world driven by technology, and how we acknowledge and deal with this new reality will affect not only our own lives, but the lives of generations of Africans to come as well.

I believe the future holds a lot of potential for African science fiction, despite all the problems the genre has had in the past. The last few years have seen a number of promising firsts come to light, including District 9, the critically acclaimed 2009 sci-fi thriller by South African Neill Blomkamp, and Pumzi, the 2010 short film by Kenyan Wanuri Kahiu. The 2010 movie Kajolavi by Niyi Akinmolayan is also worth mentioning as a breakthrough Nollywood sci-fi flick. Notable mentions include Ghanaian Kojo Laing’s recent novel Big Bishop Roko and the Altar Gangsters, a more unconventional, surrealist treatment of the genre, much like its predecessor Major Gentl and the Achimota Wars. Nnedi Okorafor of Nigeria and Ivor Hartmann of Zimbabwe are among a newer brand of writers adding to the growing body of literature, but there is still plenty of room for even more voices to be heard. I can’t think of a better time than now for a paradigm shift in African media and literature; now, when we have so many possibilities ahead of us, each one as magnificent and frightening and awe-inspiring as the next. Nothing has as much potential to galvanize the African will to survive and thrive like a brand new kind of African dream; a dream with hope grounded in realism and resolve–a dream set fifty years into the future.

Fast-Forward: The Future of Science Fiction in Africa is a post from: AWblogs

Golden baobab trees are the sort of things you will only encounter in children’s literature. Which probably explains why The Baobab Prize, a literary prize for children’s literature has rebranded as The Golden Baobab Prize. Their new website wears new livery, with illustrations from Yvonne Robinson that will also stop an adult in his tracks. The current submission cycle ends 20th June, 2011, but 2010 winners will be announced on 8th November.

Current judges include, Jay Heale, Nana Ayebia, Muthoni Garland, Bibi Bakare-Yusuf, Cynthia Pon and Meshack Asare.

The Baobab goes Golden is a post from: AWblogs