Reflections of Global Nigerians: Nigeria, what have we learnt from previous generations?
Since it’s formation in 1914, Nigeria as a nation has like many others gone through a plethora of ‘ups’ and ‘downs’. As a country, it has been shaped by generational experiences on multiple tiers and maintains its status as perhaps Africa’s most complex nation. Speaking about the nation’s problems for many is the next topic in conversation right after asking about the weather or the price of garri in the market. Much too often, the conversations emit pessimistic vibes parading through a series of unanswered questions. And so it seems that generations have come and gone [or perhaps remained] and questions still remain unrequited in people’s minds. Even where the answer seems to be ‘change’, it seems that such attitudes fail to trickle inly and around the intricacies of the nation and its people. Furthermore, we may ask, ‘what sort of change?’ Certainly, it has been argued that Nigeria has been run by the ‘same ‘ole cats’ [“na dem wey de run tings”]. Hence, in many sectors, the capabilities of many young Nigerians remain underexplored; what ‘tick-tocks’ in the neurological clockworks of such minds remains unknown and undiscovered. We may probe further: are these seeds in the minds of young Nigerians, seeds we hope to nourish? If we were to flip through Peter Enahoro’s lithe yet deep and humorous book on ‘How to Be a Nigerian’, what words would [could] we replace, what has remained exactly the same and what has taken a positive or negative turn?
Generations of Nigerians who have been embedded within and without its peculiarities, directly or vicariously have metamorphosed in a superfluous intellectual laboratory into profound neo-astute brains. While some remain faithful to the causes of the different ‘fathers’ [fathers definable in numerous ways], others - perhaps more exploratory - have evolved into recondite intellectuals, quixotic revolutionaries, powerful magnates, undisputedly adept geniuses, procreative muses, apt and dapper professionals and witty conspiracy theorists. Hence, in reality, on the basis of its monumental population and complexities, Nigeria is enriched with pluralistic perspectives presenting manifold on the one issue, Nigeria!
“New thinking, New Nigerians” is a mission to record the ‘essence of our time’ through a collection of essays from young Nigerians which touch upon numerous issues within the Nigerian context. The anthology aims to capture the voices of young Nigerian citizens and descendants at home or in the Diaspora seeking to bring forth positivist epistemologies on ails which seem to emaciate the nation or, alternatively, blessings which enrich it.
This is a call for papers from authors. Authors should aim to delve in and around: what is it that we as young Nigerians have seen as inherent ‘failures’ or mistakes of our parents’ generation, what are our lessons learnt and what is the way forward for the next generations? If we believe Nigeria is ours today, where or how must we nurture it and how can we begin?
*Essays [no more than 4,000 words] from Nigerian citizens and descendants aged 40 and below are sought. Essays on any of the topics mentioned below are welcome:
POLITICS & POLITRICKS
Politics
Leadership
History
Law/Legislation
Feminism
The Niger-Delta
Corruption and ‘419’[YahooYahoo]
CULTURE & IDENTITY
Culture
Religion
The Nation's Tribes/Tribalism
Migration/The Diaspora/Cultural Identities
The Cosmopolitan/Negropolitan Nigerian
THE INTELLECTUAL MARKET PLACE
Arts & Media; Blogging Culture
Sports
Fashion & Design
Professionalism
Business and/or Entrepreneurship
Scholarship/The Academia; Education
DEVELOPMENT & INFRASTRUCTURE
Development
Infrastructure and Information Technologies
Renewable Energies & Climate Change
Health Issues/Concerns; The Health Care System
FAMILY, LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Family
Love
Relationships; [Same-sex relationships; Interracial relationships]
Marriage
Sex and Sexuality
THE FUTURE
The Nation
The Next Generation
The deadline for essays is November 28, 2008. Essays may take any form including conversations, interviews, prose, graphics, photo essays, etc., in any tone in which the author is most at ease to express his/herself. Essays may be based on personal experiences, personal thoughts or take more scholarly perspectives. Essays best suited to the goals of the collection will be selected for inclusion into the anthology with the final aim of publication.
Please email entries to thefederalrepublic@gmail.com
Any queries may be forwarded to the same address.
We send you much inspiration to write and look forward to your powerful, interesting and inspiring entries!
