This
year’s edition of the Authors’ Forum, organised by University Press Plc,
Ibadan, was dedicated to the celebration of Prof. Chukwuemeka Ike’s 50 years of
writing as a published author, which held at Kakanfo Conference Centre, Ibadan,
Oyo State.more...
Chairman,
Board of Directors, University Press Plc, Dr Lalekan Are, reminded all that it
was the seventh edition of the Author’s forum, describing Prof. Ike as “an
acclaimed creative writer, whose first novel, Toads for Supper, was published
in London in 1965.
He
noted: “Prof Ike uses his stories and creative works to mirror, command,
reproach and persuade the society with the intention of having a better
society. His stories centre on the transformation of the individual, the
society and the country at large. This is laudable achievement worthy of
emulation and we are indeed proud to have him as one of our valuable and
esteemed authors.”
Dr
Are recalled that Prof Ike was on the board of UP Plc between 1978 and 2002,
and his valuable contributions brought significant improvements on the
development of the company: “He served fervently on various committees of
the Board and especially as the Chairman of the Establishment Committee, where
his excellent any impeccable administrative skills were brought to bear in the
discharge of his duties.”
Guest
speaker, Prof. Kanchana Ugbabe, in her lecture entitled “Celebrating
Chukwuemeka Ike: A Literary Icon of Our Times”, said: “The Potter’s Wheel is
one of my favourite books of all time. It is set in the 1940’s Nigeria, and
rests on the Igbo practice of sending one’s child to be ‘trained’ in a
teacher’s household. It was the training in household chores, in discipline and
in material deprivation. The underlying philosophy is that the harder his life
as child, the more equipped the person would be to face adult experience.
“The
novel has unforgettable scenes of the children’s strategy for survival, such as
scenes of Obu’s bungling in his attempt to cook yam for Madam, hiding palm
kernels between his toes to avoid being detected, and impersonating his mother
in a letter to his guardian, the teacher. With psychological realism, Ike
presents the shaping and moulding of young children in the potter’s wheel of
Teacher’s household. It is also one of the most humorous of Chukwuemeka Ike’s
novels.”
The
guest speaker recalled that, as a scholar and researcher, she read all of Ike’s
novels and began to group them for scrutiny. She said: “The Naked Gods drew my
attention to academia in fiction and Ike’s satire of universities from an
insider’s point of view. I noticed that the books abound in insights into the
workings of the university system but characteristically, Ike ridicules the
excesses of the system and human behaviour.
“Having
a long standing interest in women’s writing and the portrayal of women in books
written by both men and women, I took a close look at the women characters in
Chukwuemeka Ike’s novels. The women here are not passive and pliant victims of
social and economic subordination. There are ambitious and self-seeking women
in The Naked Gods and The Chicken Chasers, powerful and domineering women like
the crop of cabinet ministers we have been recently acquainted with. There are
seductive and efficient secretaries, and there are plain immoral women. Critics
have pointed out that Chukwuemeka Ike’s novels have been on my course listing
year after year, from the 1980s onwards.
“I
have drawn the student’s attention to the interconnectedness of literature and
society that understanding literature helps us to understand people and
situations around us. I have trained them to read between the lines, to ‘see’
meanings in texts, and to see the inter-relationship between texts. I have also
emphasised over the years that to be a good writer, they have to read widely
everything that comes their way. My students have responded enthusiastically to
Ike’s novels, and have been to relate readily to situations concerning young
people and problems in society presented in the novels,” she said.
In
concluding her lecture, Ugbabe noted: “We celebrate Prof Chukwuemeka Ike, today
as many others have done all over the country. This year marks the golden
jubilee of Chukwuemeka Ike’s publishing career. We celebrate the power of the
pen, we celebrate the prophetic attributes of the writer who ‘sees’ it before
it comes to pass and who’s speaks’ it without fear or hesitation. We celebrate
the writer’s craft, its ability to transform individuals and society
through the printed word. We celebrate the writer’s craft, its ability to
transform individuals and society through the printed word. We celebrate the
Gentle Giant, his humility, commitment and humanity.
Prof
Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo commended the guest speaker, describing her presentation
as “an awesome presentation”, adding, “It is obvious that the guest speaker had
read and studied Prof Ike very well. This is what critics presupposed to do.
Prof. Ike is proud of the guest speaker, because she has given us an insightful
lecture. Her lecture teaches the young ones that they should be interested in
reading books. Let us focus on the young ones and they should be raised as
leaders. The reading culture inculcated into us should also be brought to the
younger ones while teachers should make efforts to read always. “
The
celebrant, Prof Ike, in his remarks, thanked UP Plc for hosting the event.
"They are kind enough to commemorate my jubilee. Publishing houses should
be indigenized which UP Plc has done, and I have enjoyed my years with them.
They have published all my novels well, and that is why I am with those that
treat me well. Today, UP Plc is my biggest publisher in Nigeria, and it has
been with me over the years.
“We
have since become friends and associates, and I am very grateful to the guest
speaker in her lecture. I am encouraged with the interest that she took in my
writings. I am grateful to all of you who have turned up for this event. I hope
that Nigerians will have interest in reading my books so that the purpose of
writing is not defeated," he said.
The
Managing Director, UP Plc, Samuel Kolawole, added that: “We are here to
celebrate one of our icons who has made us proud. We are willing to honor you
and celebrate you (authors) when your books get to a golden jubilee. We hope
that you (authors) would have succeeded in whatever you do and we will
celebrate you when you have done well.”
Guests during the event include Prof. Niyi
Osundare, Prof. Ayo Banjo, Ganiyu Adebayo, Innocent Okoye, Folakemi
Badamosi,Yomi Adewusi,
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