"Adichie gave a good account as to why she is the shinning star of what Obiwu called the Age of Exile, that includes the likes of Ben Okri, Emman Usman Shehu, Olu Oguibe, Ezenwa-Ohaeto, Wale Okediran, Okey Ndibe, Maxim Uzoatu, Ike Oguine, T. Akachi-Ezeigbo, Uche Nduka, Biyi Bandele-Thomas, Sola Osofisan, Esiaba Irobi, Ogaga Ifowodo, Chris Abani, Nnorom Azuonye, Promise Okekwe, Helon Habila, Toyin Adewale-Gabriel, Obi Nwakamma, Sumaila Umaisha, Maik Nwosu, Obiwu, Chidi Ngangah, Unoma Azuah, Akin Adesokan, Isidore Diala, Nnedimma Okorafor, Chika Unigwe, Nana Embaga, Sefi Attah, Helen Oyeyemi, and Uzodinma Iweala."

You may not be aware of this fact but the question of who is an exile, and more particularly,  a Nigerian writer currently in exile, has been hotly debated on the only listserve I belong to: Krazitivity. You happen to belong to that list, if my memory serves me right.  It is comprised mostly of younger Nigerian writers, journalists, cultural enthusiasts and a handful of non-Nigerians who work on or are interested in Nigerian literature. As it happened, I was the central reference point of that debate for the reason that I DENY vehemently the claim that I am an exile.

I do not intend to repeat the grounds for my denial of that undeserved label here.  Suffice it to say that I left Nigeria voluntarily, and have enjoyed an unimpeded freedom to return several times since. That freedom is not in any apparent danger of being infringed, despite the lamentable state of our country. When indeed I faced the conditions that should have approximated a need for me to go into exile, and the opportunity was given to me in Germany in 1998, I spurned it. Not even then did I think exile an option - I wasn't then facing imminent death or the threat of such unthinkable danger as only exile could obviate. And if I didn't find it an option then, what on earth would make it an option now or when I left Nigeria for the unfashionable goal of pursuing post-graduate studies in literature, a field dear to my heart and which I always knew I would leave the law for some day?

Exile to me is not an academic thing, a chic label to be assumed for whatever reasons. Exile for those who have been truly forced into its horrendous condition is akin to death. It is in fact what it meant from antiquity: banishment from, and so death to, the father/mother-land. It is not a metaphor; not just another term to be drawn out of postmodernism's capacious bag of chic radicalism posing as rigorous intellectual thought. Ask those who have been or are still exiles; consult the late Edward Said!

Listen, I am not an exile, and hope never to be an exile. If Obiwu considers himself an exile, good for him. I wish him all the pleasures minus the pains of such an existence. Let the exile be, and let the non-exile also be, I remember saying to him and his fellow-travellers then. To one like me who is not an exile, I wish that he would be decent enough to allow me the right of defining who I am. Identity politics is not the prerogative of scholars and would-be scholars. Actually, I am shocked that you take his word for it as to those Nigerians who are in exile. When did Obiwu become the oracle on the subject?

I thought at first not to respond to that objectionable passage in your report of the Okigbo conference in Boston, but this is the age of the Internet and the knowledge that  your readers might go away thinking that I am an exile riled me enough to enter this demurral. Please be informed that I am not an exile of any sort, not even of the mind (psychological exiles, they call them!) -- that dubious category that pseudo intellectuals like to deploy to cover every case that resists their definitions.

Robot  Villager

# 1 "Adichie gave a good account as to why she is the shinning star of what Obiwu called the Ag...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 02.10.2007 04:58

bob  Villager

# 2 from wikipedia Exile can be a form of punishment.<1> It means to be away from one's home (i.e. city, state or country) while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened by prison or death upon return. It is common to distinguish between internal exile, i.e., forced resettlement within the country of residence, and external exile, deportation outside the country of residence. Exile can also be a self-imposed departure from one's homeland. Self-exile is often practiced as form of protest or to avoid persecution. thanks for your write up. OGAGA IS NOT AN EXILE. but perhaps some people go abroad to study as a form of protest against the quality of education in their homeland. even when the desired course of study is available at a cheaper cost in their homeland, they still cross 7 rivers and 7 forests to do the same thing abroad. perhaps they are not protesting. perhaps they are look down on a 'home grown' certificates. or maybe they go abroad for studies, just for the fun of it. Posted by bob| 02.10.2007 10:53

Mikky jaga  Villager

# 3 =bob;20915916>from wikipedia Exile can be a form of punishment.<1> It means to be away from one's home (i.e. city, state or country) while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened by prison or death upon return. It is common to distinguish between internal exile, i.e., forced resettlement within the country of residence, and external exile, deportation outside the country of residence. Exile can also be a self-imposed departure from one's homeland. Self-exile is often practiced as form of protest or to avoid persecution. thanks for your write up. OGAGA IS NOT AN EXILE. but perhaps some people go abroad to study as a form of protest against the quality of education in their homeland. even when the desired course of study is available at a cheaper cost in their homeland, they still cross 7 rivers and 7 forests to do the same thing abroad. perhaps they are not protesting. perhaps they are look down on a 'home grown' certificates. or maybe they go abroad for studies, just for the fun of it. So, Ogaga is not an exile, but by choosing to leave all our higher institution of learning to pursue a course that is available in Nigeria, he has made himself an exile. Which brings us to the question: What's in a name? Posted by Mikky jaga| 02.10.2007 11:18

tonsoyo  Villager

# 4 "Please be informed that I am not an exile of any sort, not even of the mind (psychological exiles, they call them!) -- that dubious category that pseudo intellectuals like to deploy to cover every case that resists their definitions" Na wa o. Ogaga na fight? Your language of denial of being referred to as an exile is too strong, you make it sound like it is criminal to be an exile either literally or as a metaphor. You feel so strongly about it that you have to write a rejoinder? Abi something else dey there, wey you never tell? You went abroad to study literature? when the best minds including Nobel Laureate in Literature are in Nigeria. Abeg you be exile jare, whether you like it or not. Posted by tonsoyo| 02.10.2007 11:34

bob  Villager

# 5 i cannot believe tonsoyo and i can agree on any issue. i admire ur rugged defence of 'unpopulist' views. if u defend ur clients the way u defend some 'unpopulist' issues , pat etteh for example, them they are getting their money's worth. Posted by bob| 02.10.2007 11:39

ojemba  Villager

# 6 It appears Mr. Ogaga is seeking to eat his cake and have it. If you choose to abandon your country in search of knowledge, wealth, etc. in distant climes it does not require rocket science to conclude that you fled a lack of opportunity in your homeland. There is no better way to identify the modern exile than his quest for opportunity. Gone are the days of crude deportations by tyrant dictators or dissidents being plucked from gulags by collaborators in the dead of the night, the modern exile actually takes the time to plot his exit. Today’s exile is less likely to have been in shackles or bear physical or psychological wounds. There are many accomplished Nigerian folks in both academia and the professions earning enviable wages here in the US who would gladly admit to what you find despicable ie being modern day exiles. I think you should go easy on yourself and see your situation for what it is, the victim of a failed state now in Diaspora searching of what otherwise would have been available at your finger tips. Posted by ojemba| 02.10.2007 12:06

katampe  Villager

# 7 What is exile within the context of globalization? or within the context of survival economics ? I think the so called writers that are now helping shape African literature must be responsible enough not to discredit us with this chic labels. The notion of nation-state is shifting, and arriving on the scene is the notion of global community.Internet has made time, space and location irrelevant. And how we used to view space or geography has taken on a new meaning. So where are these folks getting this notion of exile? We are experiencing cross cultural influences that has nothing to do with where you live. If Rose and Pooky decide to write a Nigerian novel after a couple of years , do we call them writers on exile. Lumping kids that their first language was English as writers on exile is even more ridiculous. Have you read the reviews of Helen Oyeyemi's novel and how she crafted her characters, and have you heard how she defines herself ? It is no longer news that gradually irrespective of space people are creating their communities online. I am just wondering what defines this new phenomenon. We can congregate here and talk about Nigeria without being in Nigeria. And even most times have more information on the direction of the country than those physically present. I am beginning to be doubtful of the level or rigour of intellectual efforts coming out from these band of Nigerian writers or lovers of literature. The products being shown seems to be lacking of intellectual sophistication. Ogaga , I support you on this jo. This folks must be a bunch of shume writers and literature lovers. Exile ko , exit ni! Posted by katampe| 02.10.2007 12:08

tonsoyo  Villager

# 8 =katampe;20915948>What is exile within the context of globalization? or within the context of survival economics ? I think the so called writers that are now helping shape African literature must be responsible enough not to discredit us with this chic labels. The notion of nation-state is shifting, and arriving on the scene is the notion of global community.Internet has made time, space and location irrelevant. And how we used to view space or geography has taken on a new meaning. So where are these folks getting this notion of exile? It is no longer news that gradually irrespective of space people are creating their communities online. I am just wondering what defines this new phenomenon. We can congregate here and talk about Nigeria without being in Nigeria. And even most times have more information on the direction of the country than those physically present. I am beginning to be doubtful of the level or rigour of intellectual efforts coming out from these band of Nigerian writers or lovers of literature. The products being shown seems to be lacking of intellectual sophistication. Ogaga , I support you on this jo. This folks must be a bunch of shume writers and literature lovers. Exile ko , exit ni! Internet has made time, space and location irrelevant. And how we used to view space or geography has taken on a new meaning. So where are these folks getting this notion of exile? It is no longer news that gradually irrespective of space people are creating their communities online. I am just wondering what defines this new phenomenon. We can congregate here and talk about Nigeria without being in Nigeria. And even most times have more information on the direction of the country than those physically present. Can you see the apparent contradiction in what you wrote here and your position. In the age of internet as recognized by you, it is has become an aberration to go in physical search of knowledge, except for some other reasons beyond the accessibility of the knowledge itself, which will confim Ogaga Ifowodo as an apparent exile. Exactly Katampe, he does not need to leave Nigeria to acquire the knowledge he seeks abroad. He can even get the post graduate degree via the internet, physically moving out of Nigeria, in search of knowledge in Literature is a sign of less conducive situation in Nigeria one way or the other. That is exactly what qualifies him as an EXILE. Posted by tonsoyo| 02.10.2007 12:18

Ebe2  Villager

# 9 Ogaga, Methinks that thou protesteth too much. I have my problems with academic theorization of exile, especially when such exilic conditions are clearly of the executive kind. But your view of exile as physical removal (self-imposed or forced) is a little too simplistic in my opinion. Exile is also alienation, whether such an alienation is embraced or imposed. Also, you seem to assume that those who conveniently and self-interestedly appropriate the prose of exile, take away from the radical luster of the originary conceptualization of exile as an agonizing physical and mental distance from the homeland. I am not sure I entirely agree with this assumption. Posted by Ebe2| 02.10.2007 12:37

katampe  Villager

# 10 =tonsoyo;20915950>Internet has made time, space and location irrelevant. And how we used to view space or geography has taken on a new meaning. So where are these folks getting this notion of exile? It is no longer news that gradually irrespective of space people are creating their communities online. I am just wondering what defines this new phenomenon. We can congregate here and talk about Nigeria without being in Nigeria. And even most times have more information on the direction of the country than those physically present. Can you see the apparent contradiction in what you wrote here and your position. In the age of internet as recognized by you, it is has become an aberration to go in physical search of knowledge, except for some other reasons beyond the accessibility of the knowledge itself, which will confim Ogaga Ifowodo as an apparent exile. Exactly Katampe, he does not need to leave Nigeria to acquire the knowledge he seeks abroad. He can even get the post graduate degree via the internet, physically moving out of Nigeria, in search of knowledge in Literature is a sign of less conducive situation in Nigeria one way or the other. That is exactly what qualifies him as an EXILE. Tonsoyo, how now ? How u dey my man ? Let us unpack this for a minute. There is something about knowledge cities , and there is even a book on it. In the world there is the emergence of cities that are defined by high value goods created by technology, research and brain power. Any aspiring writer worth his/her salt would immigrate to areas where things like this thrive. It has nothing to do with protest, rebellion or discrimination , rather does it have anything to do with banishment. It has more to do with a dynamic culture evolving as result of the change in which the world is wired. Infrastructural facilities define the knowledge cities, where there is remote networking, where people can VPN to work without living the comfort of their home. It is a society that is wired with this technologies that attract talent. Art is not some static thing that you keep mining and mining, without exploring new themes and relationships brought about each person's cultural solitudes and tensions with the dominant culture. It would be very timid for these folks to explore themes that they are familiar with without exploring themes that are address change. What exactly am I saying ? People come overseas in pursuit of education that davance their career and their passion, not in protest of some God knows what. Is it communism or socialism, or military dicatorship that this bunch of writers are protesting ? A beg leave matter for mathias , na chop and chop literature these folks dey do jo! Posted by katampe| 02.10.2007 12:38

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