It’s 2118 and you’ve arrived in Lagos for a book festival. When you step out of the airport, what is the first thing you see?<\/b><\/p>\n
Giant billboards welcoming everyone to the 2118 edition of Ak\u00e9 Fest. Billboards are sponsored by the federal government\u2019s cultural arm which reminds everyone to avail themselves of the free book share kiosks at major intersections all over the place or simply download and read short pieces while commuting courtesy of the good people of Nigeria. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You’ve been selected for a mission to the moon. Which African author are you taking and why?<\/b><\/p>\n Prof. Chris Abani. Because his conversations will keep me engaged all day and all night and when he wants me to shut the hell up, I can read his works and keep figuring out how I can be better. And do better.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n What invention do you think would change the lives of Africans today?<\/b><\/p>\n Anything that would allow us to move without barriers, especially on our continent. Visa free travel is a start, but whatever makes it easy for an African to go from Jinja to Durban, Bulawayo to Port Harcourt, Gaborone to Fez without hassle, would make a huge difference in how we live and see ourselves. No African should be uncomfortable or unwelcome in any part of this continent.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Two things you\u2019re doing when not reading or writing?<\/b><\/p>\n Watching tennis and figuring out how to serve better.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n To what extent has African literature envisioned an African future?<\/span><\/p>\n As novelists describe a better Africa with cities and characters that are varied and different we can see glimpses of a bright African future. A. Igoni Barrett\u2019s \u2018<\/span>BlackAss<\/span><\/i>\u2019 and the forthcoming \u2018<\/span>A Stranger\u2019s Pose\u2019<\/span><\/i> from Emmanuel Iduma come to mind. \u00a0\u00a0But so do the work of great non-fiction writers: Noo Saro-Wiwa, Mona Eltahawy and Sisonke Msimang.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n What book do you think best captures Afrofuturism?<\/b><\/p>\n \u2018<\/span>Hardly Working\u2019<\/span><\/i> by Zukiswa Wanner. This writer pretends to take the reader on a travel journey, but what is really going on here is that the reader is left chapter after chapter pondering how to find a better way for Africa. \u00a0If we look inwards – even after all our external experiences and adventures – we can find great solutions here at home.<\/span><\/p>\n And if I may add, anything I read from the pen of Maaza Mengiste, Imbolo Mbue, and Taiye Selasi seem to be rooted in the past but having the effect of leaving me pondering the future. Go figure. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You wake up one morning to find that you’ve grown a pair of wings. What do you do?<\/b><\/p>\n