"Most of my education had been in the sciences and all of it was Westernized -- it was difficult for me to consider an Igbo spiritual world to be equally if not more valid. The legacy of colonialism has always taught us that such a world isn't real, that it is nothing but juju and superstition. When I finally accepted its validity, I revisited what that could mean for my gender."

Akwaeke Emezi, Dear Senthuran
#Gender #Ogbanje

#AkwaekeEmezi :

I’m also interested in how writing spiritfirst in an industry that doesn’t really reckon with spirit places my work, but I know eye will always place it where it belongs, centered in spirit. My job is to hold that center, and as Morrison said, wait for the world to move over.

#BlackLiterature #AfricanLiterature #Igbo #ogbanje

𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘱𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘯.

Freshwater, by Akwaeke Emezi.

#BlackFriday book about life broken into pieces and held together by strong string and weak glue.

A cold needle threading the story through jealousy, love, sex and possession, attachment and choice.

This is a book about #Igbo notion of #ogbanje. You will understand it.

@omololaogunyemi

And it calls out to so many other stories.

The Palm-Wine Drinkard, by Amos Tutuola, one of the first Anglophone African books — no doubts inspired #BenOkri

But also through child-spirit chasing their parents, it speaks to the #Igbo notion of #ogbanje.

I'm wondering how much #TheFamishedRoad disturbed/moved Akwaeke Emezi's #Freshwater story?