This column is about author Taban Lo Liyong. It is from the Nairobi paper, East African Standard, and was seen on AllAfrica.com at http://allafrica.com/stories/200701220022.html ... DZO
Kenya: African Example The East African Standard (Nairobi) http://www.eastandard.net/ OPINION January 20, 2007 Posted to the web January 22, 2007 Nichola Asego Nairobi Taban Lo Liyong is without doubt one of the greatest literary minds in Africa, south of the Sahara. A man of many hats, Taban has distinguished himself as a poet, critic, novelist, political activist and commentator and a short-story writer - all rolled in one grey-haired icon. His wide and deep educational background and sharp intellect has continually equipped him to see clearly and comment succinctly on what is happening in Africa and the world in general. Born in 1939 of Ugandan parents in Southern Sudan, this prolific writer and literary scholar traces his literary fire to the rich African culture he was exposed to. "What started me writing was not other writings but hearing stories told by the fire-side," he says. "My two cousins with whom I shared the boy's dormitory back home, Moga Lotinge and Bakuli used to tell me interesting folktales," he recalls. This introduction into the magical world of animals that thought and acted like human beings was the origin of his life long romance with literature and, especially, orature. Taban, as he is popularly known, received his early education at Gulu High School and the Samuel Baker School. While in Primary 1A at Gulu, Taban had his first experience as a storyteller. They had a period of telling folktales in their vernacular and this provided the opportunity to make use of what he had learnt from his cousins. "Each Friday every student was required to tell a story, and we did it in turns," he says. "There was no escape, if you had no story, you would sit down in shame in front of the students, facing them." Borrowing from his early experience Taban first translated the tales he was told from his native language, Kuku. "Being in an Acholi country, I had to translate them to Acholi and even to Lang'o," he says. Twenty years later in 1965 he retold the same stories in a Christian magazine in the United States. "So in a way this world of folktales was used to fire the minds of children." The vital lesson here is that Africans must learn that their intellectual base rises from their indigenous cultures. "Personally, culture received from folk tales has been my intellectual base," he says. This is in great contrast to today's children whom he believes are disadvantaged. "During our time we did not sing Baa Baa Black Sheep," he says, with a tinge of laughter. "We were taught and entertained through the embedded lessons in this genre of literature." Prolific writer Taban subsequently studied at a teacher's college in Uganda, before going to Howard University in the United States of America for his BA. Later he joined the University of Iowa, where he was the first African to receive a Master of Arts degree in creative writing. "I guess it was here that I developed what many regard as my unconventional writing style," he says. His strong sense of commitment to indigenous culture and oral tradition can be seen in his works. These include his poems in Frantz Fanon's Uneven Ribs (1971), Another Nigger Dead (1972), Thirteen Offensives Against Our Enemies (1973), and Ballads of Underdevelopment (1976). The Last Word (1969) is a critical study that centres on traditional values and African Literature. His recent poetry has been collected in The Cows of Shambat: Sudanese Poems (1992), Words That Melt a Mountain (1996) and Carrying Knowledge up a Palm Tree (1997). Various critics have described his works as present-oriented, even future-oriented drawing heavily on tradition. He uses epigrams that are close to riddles to pass his moral lessons and the full oral devices of repetitions and scansions. Still controversial Taban has been at the heart of literary movements in eastern Africa where some of his statements have drawn sharp, controversial reactions. "What East Africans have in terms of literature is as a result of West African influence," he says. "The Makerere University Conference of 1960 was responsible for this literary light." Literary icons from West Africa who attended the conference included Gabriel Okara, Chinua Achebe and Christopher Okigbo. "No writer from East Africa was invited," he says. "Ngugi wa Thiong'o attended the conference as a journalist from one of the local dailies to cover it and Okot P'Bitek simply gate crushed." Ngugi took the opportunity to give Achebe who was an editor with Heinemann publishers the manuscript of The River Between. "Achebe later on advised him on how to tighten the book up stylistically," he says. "Because of Achebe's input, The River Between became one of Ngugi's best books overshadowing Weep Not Child." Taban explains: "It is a mathematical reworking of Achebe's own Things Fall Apart." This, he believes, was the beginning of the limited literary light that shone on the region. "The only published writer in the region was the Swahili poet Shaaban Robert," he says. Taban's literary footprints were etched at the University of Nairobi Department of Literature. With Ngugi wa Thiong'o and others he helped change the then English Department into the current Department of Literature in 1969. "Though Ngugi was the brains behind it, he came for me from the Cultural Division of the Institute of Development Studies to assist." Others they worked with included Gideon Were, John Okumu and Philip Ochieng' among others. His former students read like who is who in the literary circles. "Some of my former students include, Henry Indangasi, Henry Chakava, Asenath Odaga, Francis Imbuga, Chris Wanjala, Arthur Kemoli, Arthur Luvai, Hellen Mwanzi and many others," he says, with pride. "Many of them are literary leaders and publishers today." He nevertheless reserves his highest compliment for Simon Gikandi whom he regards as the best product of the Africanisation of the Literature Department at the University of Nairobi. "He is one man that Kenya should respect him, he is a literary role model. The Departments of Literature of the major universities should invite him once in a while and honour such outstanding individual of international repute," he says. While not blind to the gains, Taban sees the problems in our Literature Departments and higher institutions of learning as arising due to lack of academic research. "During our time we used to burn the midnight oil in research unlike today," he recalls. "I think the Government should give lecturers this salary increase so that they can stop teaching evening classes and start getting involved in serious researching," he advises. "It might also save them the time they waste lining up to buy shares here and there to get extra income." Other than the University of Nairobi, Taban has taught at the University of Papua New Guinea, Juba University in Khartoum and University of Venda in South Africa. "I was in Papua New Guinea in 1975 and had the best experience," he recalls. With a population of two million, the island had 72 languages and a rich tradition. "They taught me that you do not have to learn everything from books," he says. "To me it was like they were living in the stone-age." While in South Africa, he paid a left-handed praise to apartheid. "It helped preserve African languages and some parts of the African culture," he says. "In South Africa local languages like Zulu, Xhosa and Ndebele are taught to the university level. This was the case in my early education too." He challenges the way languages are handled in Kenya. "Here in Kenya, things are different. Other than Swahili what other local language is examined in schools?" he poses. On his pet subject of literary barrenness in East Africa, Taban has no regrets and is not about to change his mind. "Culture of reading unfortunately has fallen by the road side," he says. He argues that many literature teachers are busy writing studies for secondary schools instead of criticising literary books. "Kenyan critics need to discover the best works and bring them to the light," he says. Some of the best Tanzanian writers are not really native Tanzanians. "I'm not trying to be a racist, but look at Vasanji and Issa Shivji," he says. "Where are black writers from Tanzania?" he asks. "Ugandans have Mahmoud Bandani, while Kenyans have Ali Mazrui," he adds. "We must show the genius of the black minds." Though seen as ideologically opposed to Ngugi, Taban nevertheless readily recognises Ngugi as one of the best in Africa. "He has kept the literary flag flying high," he says, with admiration. Why Africans love Christ He says Ngugi has successfully used the Gikuyu oral tradition in his novels. "His use of parables and figurative language shows the wealth of his cultural roots," he says. "Do you know why Africans love Christianity?" he poses deviating from his stream of thought. "Christ himself was an oral literature person and this is why he used parables and figurative language," he explains. "We as Africans can see the wealth and truth behind the language." Despite his belief of literary barrenness in the region, Taban sees things changing in Kenya. "The increase in publishing of autobiographies is an important step towards the right direction," he says. Earlier autobiographies written by J M Kariuki and Oginga Odinga were directed against the white man. "Kenyans are nowadays writing against the black man and this is good," he says. Lavishing praise on Duncan Ndegwa's Walking in Kenyatta's Struggles. "Future Presidents will be careful because there might be civil servants who might write about them," he says. "Every Kenyan should seriously read this book. Taban believes that speaking and writing against some things need courage. He recalls a time when a former minister, the late Stanley ole Oloitiptip and others, went to Jomo Kenyatta to request the President to deport him. "They claimed that I had insulted the Maasai. Kenyatta told them that they too could do likewise." Undeterred by this incident, Taban continued to write and speak in public on whatever he perceived needed addressing. "Even when I speak against Ngugi or Mazrui, it's not that I have an axe to grind with them," he says. On accusations that he always seek to raise controversy, he says: "It's me against all and all against me." Literary world aside Taban is twice married. "My current wife is Janet. She's a Sudanese and we have four children," he says. Janet is a director of Nursing Service in the Government of Southern Sudan. His first daughter, a doctor, is married and lives in Texas. His son is in hotel and tourism business and lives in Juba. His other daughters are students in South Africa. "My former wife is a Ugandan but lives in Arizona," he says. She is physiotherapist and together they have two sons. "The first son is with his mother while the second is married to an English woman with whom he lives in the United States," he says. The tortoise analogy Taban is based in Southern Sudan where, apart from his academic responsibilities, he is a columnist with the Khartoum Monitor. He writes articles every Wednesday and Sunday. "The column Tortoise Wisdom began in July 2005," he says. He uses the column to address the pressing issues affecting Southern Sudan. On why the analogy of the tortoise. "You can never tell a male tortoise from a female one," he says. "You will only tell them apart when they are mating or when you throw one into a fire, the male organs will protrude." Despite the fact that his fellow Southern Sudanese are divided on their dreams for Sudan, he believes that they should give the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) a chance. "Whether they want unity or separation, they should emulate the tortoise and not show their true inclinations," he says. "We are nearing elections, so rather than make noise on unity or separation, we should get all the benefits of the CPA." Do not pollute the literary desert Taban is compiling his columns into a book. While encouraging writers to write Taban nevertheless warns: "Writing is more than having your name on the cover of a book; it's a noble occupation," he says. While agreeing that not all can write, he readily encourages others to read. "We all can't write, so others should do some serious reading," he says. Rather than try to fill the literary desert with bogus books, Taban would rather the desert remained. "If you can't plant trees in the desert, please don't pollute it," he warns. In a parting word to his former students, Taban pleads with them not to disappoint him. "If I was serious as their teacher, they too should be serious. But if I was lousy let them show my lousiness," he says. For the departments of literature in local universities, he promises to come in 2009. "It will be 40 years since the revolution of the 1969 at the University of Nairobi and I will come to see what they will have done with what we started," he says. "It will not be a visit but a visitation," he adds. 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