Thursday, October 6, 2022

Top 10 books about Nigeria

Chigozie Obioma is a Nigerian writer. He is best known for writing the novels The Fishermen (2015) and An Orchestra of Minorities (2019), both of which were shortlisted for the Booker Prize in their respective years of publication.

Obioma is the James E. Ryan Associate Professor of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

At the Guardian he tagged ten books that should "enrich anyone’s understanding of Nigeria," including:
Be(com)ing Nigerian by Elnathan John

John has written fiction, but his satirical broadside about modern-day Nigeria is a biting and penetrative take, with deadpan jokes such as “Nigerians have the shortest memories amongst human beings worldwide” and, “A good Nigerian politician knows how to use God for protection.” The title itself suggests various interpretations of what it means to be Nigerian, and how we navigate this both within Nigeria and outside it. You will laugh while also shaking your head in dismay.
Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue