Renowned journalist and poet, Chief Eddie Aderinokun, was recently honoured for his famous play: ‘Dance of the Vultures’. A play premised on the senseless killings that was the hallmark of the Nigerian civil war. The event, held at the National Arts Theatre in Lagos. It featured a stage performance of the play. In a chat with YES International! Magazine’s DESTINY AZU, he spoke about the prevalent challenges that have continued to plague the country because of bad leadership, and concluded that the way forward should be a people’s revolution.
How does it feel to be receiving an award for a play you wrote many years ago?
I feel flattered because I don’t understand all this amplification. This play I wrote when I was in my late 20s or early 30s. Dance of the Vulture was my second play. My first play was Ebony on Snow.
How old are you now, Sir?
I am 71 now. I have even forgotten the lines.
How did you get the inspiration for such a play?
You know I am a journalist, first and foremost. But I have had poetry in me since my school days. I did not know I was doing anything important. I was only doing my little thing.
We have listened to the lines of the play, what inspired you to write such a play?
The Biafra War. The play is sending a message, which is that, in any carnage caused by war, it is not the warriors who kill that are delighted; it is the vultures who will feed on the carcass of people. So, to them, it is a festival. But to us human beings, it’s a tragedy. War is senseless. It is only vultures who feed on carcasses, which are delighted by wars. Brothers fighting brothers. Sisters fighting sisters. Who benefits, only vultures.
Altogether, how many books have you been able to publish?
I have written eleven books so far. The latest one is titled ‘Global Villager’. A literary biography, not just a biography, but a literary biography of Bamanga Tukur, my friend of 42 years.
Since you are no longer actively involved in the literary world as before, what keeps you busy these days?
Thinking about Nigeria. That is what I do every day. What do we leave for the next generation? Is it this situation of rubbish? People like us, we are a passing generation. But we saw independence, we had hope. We had beautiful dreams. Everything in 51 years is smashed. We are still hoping.
What do you think is the way forward for Nigerians?
A revolution. It does not have to be a military revolution. It could just be a people’s revolution. That is the only solution to Nigeria’s problems. Our leaders are not serious, till now. We had hoped they will be serious with time, but things are getting worse and worse.
Even with a people’s revolution, don’t you think we might witness another civil war in
Nigeria, given our tribal sentiments?
In Libya, we had people’s revolution. In Egypt, in Syria, we had people’s revolution. People will say enough, enough. Enough of this Tunisia, Bahrain. Even America had their own. France had their own. One day, people of Nigeria will say enough, enough. Because our leaders are not serious.
Forbes magazine listed your colleagues, Chinua Achebe as the most powerful celebrity in Africa.
I am happy with that development. I am happy for him.
How do you and your fellow authors plan to use art to change the mindset of Nigerians and also its leadership?
Every time we put a play together or write books, it helps to motivate people to aspire toward excellence. We are not just barking like dog. Sooner or later people will listen, and that changes society for the better. It is not just being mouthy. Transformation, transformation. Even years past, green revolution was only a slogan. It was not fulfilled. You new generation should take the bull by the horns. You can get it done. If only you determine to get it done.
There has been a drop in the number of literary works produced by Nigerian authors, why?
If you were here when the festival started in the morning, I was not here, but I was told that the younger ones still coming up have shown much drive in this area. So, there is still hope for the industry. We must replicate the Chinua Achebes and Wole Soyinkas. My joy today is that we have a whole new generation of Nigerians with genuine drive for literary endeavours. It is a dawn of a new day for this industry with the number of young Nigerians who have shown genuine drive in the industry.