Mittwoch, 11. Mai 2016, 18:00 - 20:00 iCal
Afrika-Kolloquium
'Born on a Tuesday'. Love, Friendship, Family and Boko Haram
Elnathan John
Seminarraum 1, Institut für Afrikawissenschaften
Spitalgasse 2, Hof 5, 1090 Wien
Vortrag
Too many times the headlines from northern Nigeria read ‘Boko Haram’, but there are several other stories that beg to be told,” says award-winning writer and satirist, Elnathan John. […] [L]aunch[ing] his debut novel, 'Born on a Tuesday', John says it’s time to shine a light on a different narrative of the region.
His story follows Dantala, a teenager studying the Qu’ran in a town far away from home. His loneliness and isolation allows him to be drawn into the care of a Salafi sheikh, and the tense religious politics of the local mosque. Dantala’s experience is a window onto the realities of life in northern Nigeria, which has witnessed a brutal campaign of terror at the hands of the Islamist group Boko Haram. But it’s also a look at first love, friendship and family.
“When it comes to northern Nigeria, there’s no demand for nuance,” John says. “That’s what I’m trying to do – shine a light on a dark space in the hope that people will see the silhouettes and want to know more. And then bring their own lights and ask new questions if their own,” he explains.
(Source: Elnathan John & Emmanuel Akinwotu, The Guardian, 7th April 2016)
Elnathan John, born in 1982, is a Nigerian writer and lawyer whose first novel has recently been published: Born on a Tuesday (Abuja, London: Cassava Republic / New York: Grove Atlantic-Black Cat) For his satirical blogs on (Northern) Nigeria, Africa, and the world, see elnathanjohn.blogspot.co.at
Eine gemeinsame Veranstaltung des Instituts für Afrikawissenschaften der Universität Wien, der Österreichisch-Nigerianischen Freundschaftsgesellschaft und der Studienrichtungsvertretung Afrikawissenschaften.
Zur Webseite der Veranstaltung
Veranstalter
Institut für Afrikawissenschaften
Kontakt
Ulrike Auer
Institut für Afrikawissenschaften
43201
ulrike.auer@univie.ac.at
Erstellt am Dienstag, 19. April 2016, 15:36
Letzte Änderung am Mittwoch, 20. April 2016, 12:34