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Tag: Obinna Udenwe

Colours of Hatred – Excerpt
March 11, 2020
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| FICTION

The Village Square Journal presents an excerpt from Obinna Udenwe’s second book, “Colours of Hatred”. Colours of Hatred, published by Parresia Books, is set partly in Sudan and largely in Nigeria, and follows the life of a young woman, Leona whose family escapes assassination in Sudan during the Sudanese civil war, only to face greater challenges in Nigeria, which forces her to commit a sin that haunts her till her dying day. There are some things a human ear…

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Amamihe: Owning and Controlling Our Own Narrative
November 7, 2019
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| ESSAYS, Uncategorized

On the 1st of November 2019, at the Enugu Sports Club, the Centre for Memories — an organisation working to serve as the repository of the history and culture of Ndigbo — hosted Chika Unigwe, Nigeria’s multiple award winning author of On Black Sisters’ Street and a Professor at Brown University in the United States, for their monthly distinguished speaker series, Nkata Umuibe. Chika gave a resounding speech on the need for Igbos around the world to unite and…

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The Growth of a Language is Measured by Number of New Speakers that Use it – Conversation with Yvonne Mbanefo
September 19, 2019
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| INTERVIEWS, OPINIONS

            Born in London, England and raised in Enugu, Nigeria, Yvonne Chioma Mbanefo is a co-convener of The Igbo Conference hosted by School of African Studies (SOAS), University of London — a festival that attracts hundreds of language enthusiasts, writers, artists, and entrepreneurs annually.  In 2014 and 2015, Yvonne won the Igbotic person of the year Award by ICSN for her contributions to Igbo language. Her first book, An illustrated Igbo Dictionary for Children,…

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The Older Generation of African Literary Scholars and their Obnoxious Idea of African Literary Tradition
June 28, 2018
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| ESSAYS

    In this essay, our Founding Editor, Obinna Udenwe critically analyzes his understanding of the term, African literary tradition, and takes on the older generation of African literary scholars who denigrate contemporary authors and their works   What is African literary tradition? This question was posed to a panel of distinguished academics at a 2018 joint conference organised by the Association of Nigerian Authors in conjunction with the Alex Ekwueme-Federal University Ndufu Alike Ikwo in Ebonyi State on…

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A Weave of Reality, Fantasy and Magic in A Gecko’s Farewell – a Review
June 27, 2018
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| REVIEWS

Title:                      A Gecko’s Farewell Author:                  Maik Nwosu Length:                  256 pages Genre:                   Fiction, Speculative Fiction, African Literature. Publisher/Year:     Parresia Publishers Ltd/2016  Rating:                  4.8/5 Reviewer: Obinna Udenwe   Writers who hope to make their mark must continually re-invent themselves and their craft. A great book must hold the reader captive with its narrative and descriptive powers – its plot must leave strong images in the reader’s mind, long after closing the book. These are…

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Summons to the Village Square No. 002
April 10, 2018
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| SUMMONS

  a conversation with Karen Jennings on her story, Crooked Seeds   In Africa, the village square is where conversations are held and disputes settled. At The Village Square Journal it is our desire to model conversations around this idea. To summon authors we have published to discuss and dissect the ideas behind their work and writing process.   In Summons to the Village Square No. 002 Obinna Udenwe holds conversation with Karen Jennings, the South African author of…

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Book Feature: The Short Story is Dead, Long Live the Short Story
February 21, 2018
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| REVIEWS

Publisher: Black Letter Media Ltd, South Africa Year: 2017 Genre: Anthology of Short Stories Number of pages: 151   The Short Story Is Dead, Long Live The Short Story! Volume 2 is an anthology of eleven stories featuring writers from South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya written in response to the call for submissions for a new annual story contest, The Short Story is Dead Prize founded and managed by Black Letter Media, a publishing house based in Johannesburg, South…

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Summons to the Village Square No. 001
February 15, 2018
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| SUMMONS

          A conversation between Obinna Udenwe & Jayne Bauling on her story, Ancient Words   Every time I visit my village of Ogada Edda – a rice-rich settlement – in the State of Ebonyi, Nigeria, I would be woken most morning by the thundering sound of the village gong, only that it is not a gong but an old vehicle rim hanging on a tree branch at the centre of the village. Most times, I…

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Press Release – The Launch of The Village Square Journal
February 15, 2018
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| Uncategorized

Hello World! We are pleased to welcome you to The Village Square Journal. A village square is more than just a venue, it is a catalyst of sorts for the arts, and all forms of its expression. The Village Square Journal seeks to be a hub where play and artistic display come together to thrill and thrive, as well a compendium of sorts for culture preservation. It looks forward to being a fulcrum of the promotion and appreciation of all…

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The Rise of Brittle Paper: The Village Square of African Literature By Obinna Udenwe
February 13, 2018
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| ESSAYS

When I was a child, up to my teenage years, growing up close to the state university, we used to gather at a junction connecting all the streets in our neighbourhood to play all sorts of games – it was there that we made our bones, learnt how to build cars using old tyres and Coca-cola corks and how to run after older, posh university girls to sing funny songs for them. We thought we were in heaven until…

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