In recent times, awarding the Nobel Prize by the Swedish Academy has assumed the predictive flair of a Russian roulette. The empty click of the gun trained on the public’s favorites, leave tears and warring opinions running; alongside these, faith, in that award committee that has for long, elevated worthy members of the literati.

It is hard to say if Abdulrazak Gurnah who won the 2021 Nobel Prize in literature deserved it more than the other nominated writers. It is harder still to figure out the motive behind the award (as some factions have taken it upon themselves to prove). However the hardest part of the award is the acceptance of the chosen one by the public. If it were up to them, Gurnah would still be a professor emeritus probably working on a magnum opus.

Regardless of its merit, Abdulrazak Gurnah’s Nobel Prize win has erupted into a hydra-headed controversy. On one hand, the quality of his art is being questioned. A good portion claim the professor doesn’t deserve the award. A good number of this good group haven’t read any of his works, and so it is no wonder why they are so right and wrong at the same time.

On the other hand are those who had other favorites in mind, I know most Africans, Nigerians and Kenyans in particular, wish Ngugi had clinched the award. But the way I look at it, a black cardinal has a better chance of receiving the acknowledgment of the white smoke in the famous Sistine chapel. And we know that happens quite often.

Last year, the Swedish Academy was dragged through the cyber mud after a report was released, accusing it of under-representation of certain races. It is only natural that after this accusation, the academy will award one from the unrepresented races. Who fits that bill more than Gurnah, a Brit with an African root that is barely there.

‘Barely there’ because even though Tanzanians regard this as a big win for their country, most of them claim Gurnah isn’t Tanzanian enough, having spent most of his adult life in the United Kingdom. I’m sure some Brits have similar notions regarding Gurnah’s ‘Britness.’ It reflects to an extent, the problem of identity Gurnah’s characters often encounter(ed).

Ijeoma Umebinyo’s Diaspora Blues begins with, ‘so, here you are. Too foreign for home. Too foreign for here. Never enough for both.’ I’d draft an essay, painting a portrait of Gurnah with Ijeoma’s words, however, that will be a waste of canvass as the image in those lines clearly describe our guy Gurnah; the fate of his characters who also struggle(d) with belonging; and the problem faced by all in recent and past times, who have been displaced from their homes, or for whom the lines of home are constantly shifting.

If someone asked me, who is Abdulrazak Gurnah? (as most people have asked after his win) I’d take them by the hand down to 1948, to the cosmopolitan Sultanate where Gurnah was born, that semi-autonomaus city called Zanzibar. From there I’d drag them down the ghastly memories of that archipelago that saw young Gurnah fleeing the country, in search of safer pastures.

This movie would be titled Coming To Britain. It would follow Gurnah’s years as a lecturer in the University of Kent; the triggers reminding him daily that home isn’t home, and hell is the migrant’s communion. As is Gurnah’s style to complicate plots and balance events on the precipices of shards of memories, the screen will show a vintage setting of the year he came into the country with 400 euros, expecting that this amount will five-loaves-and-two-fishes and cover his tuition, other fees, and his brother’s needs. We won’t show the racial tension and racist angst that threatened his life and peace in Britain, or the mass murders that initially sent him running from home. When all these is shown, we might feature a sub-plot: a group of intelligent fools who read of a chef’s caviar and called it shit even when culinary experts who actually tasted the meal, gave it a five-star rating. The movie should end here, but where are you rushing off to my love? My screenwriting skill does not exist or is poor at best, but I figure our chef ‘s life will change from here on, and he’d dedicate his life attempting to assemble a magnum opus. The End!

After the award was announced, some of Gurnah’s former students and literary associates have publicly spoken well of the man. We would assume the artist is as good as his art based on all the testimonies.

Adulrazak Gurnah has written 10 novels, a few essays, and he has emgaged in other literary endeavors that truly embody his commitment to African literature and to the plight of migrants, especially those of East African descent. However, it is sad that his books were not widely read or studied before the award. Nonetheless the man has made his mark in the world, joining the league of African griots like Wole Soyinka, who have graced the Nobel Prize in literary hall of fame.

About the Writer

Nwankwo Christopher is a sophophile, entrepreneur, and retired romantic. He is a graduate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (with a BSc in Public Administration and Local Government). He has worked as a creative content writer for Arts Lounge, Safe Place Community, 44 Barz, Welcome2Nigeria (W2Np), and the Los Angeles Journal. He is also a lazy devotee of the sacred art of words [and storytelling]; a firm believer in people, highs, & the potency of ideas; a mental health advocate and THC activist, who wastes unsober moments thinking about thinking when he is not tinkering thoughts on everything.