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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Nigeria: 'Things can only get better' | Nigeria: 'Things can only get better' |
| (1 day later) | |
| Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua signing his name at his inauguration | Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua signing his name at his inauguration |
| To mark the 10th anniversary of democracy, the BBC's African Perspective has asked some of Nigeria's most talented young writers to pen short stories and poetry. | To mark the 10th anniversary of democracy, the BBC's African Perspective has asked some of Nigeria's most talented young writers to pen short stories and poetry. |
| E GO BETTA OH | E GO BETTA OH |
| Sade Adeniran was the winner of the 2008 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book (Africa Region), for her novel Imagine This. | Sade Adeniran was the winner of the 2008 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book (Africa Region), for her novel Imagine This. |
| Below is an extract from her specially commissioned short story E Go Betta Oh (It will be better). | Below is an extract from her specially commissioned short story E Go Betta Oh (It will be better). |
| It follows Tokunbo Obanle, the son of a wealthy state governor, as he returns to Nigeria to attend his mother's funeral, after 10 years living in London: | It follows Tokunbo Obanle, the son of a wealthy state governor, as he returns to Nigeria to attend his mother's funeral, after 10 years living in London: |
| As he disembarked from the plane, a wall of heat that immediately sapped the energy from his already weary limbs, hit Tokunbo Obanle. | As he disembarked from the plane, a wall of heat that immediately sapped the energy from his already weary limbs, hit Tokunbo Obanle. |
| The six hour flight from Heathrow had been uncomfortable and cramped, almost making him regret not taking his father up on his offer of a first class ticket back home. | The six hour flight from Heathrow had been uncomfortable and cramped, almost making him regret not taking his father up on his offer of a first class ticket back home. |
| But the idea of him as the prodigal son returning in style, with money swindled from the country's coffers, was against his conscience. | But the idea of him as the prodigal son returning in style, with money swindled from the country's coffers, was against his conscience. |
| His life would have been so much easier, had he been able to toe the family line and turn a blind eye to the injustices, that were a daily occurrence. | |
| He hoped things had changed, but he doubted it. | He hoped things had changed, but he doubted it. |
| The sad truth of Nigeria was that, despite the abundance of natural resources, the poor have always and will always, continue to suffer at the hands of the ruling elite. | The sad truth of Nigeria was that, despite the abundance of natural resources, the poor have always and will always, continue to suffer at the hands of the ruling elite. |
| Democracy had changed nothing it had only made things worse. | Democracy had changed nothing it had only made things worse. |
| Unhappy birthday | Unhappy birthday |
| Last week, he had been at a friend's birthday party and as per usual for these occasions, the talk turned into a political debate about the state of the country. | Last week, he had been at a friend's birthday party and as per usual for these occasions, the talk turned into a political debate about the state of the country. |
| I cannot afford my child's school fees and his children live abroad away from the disgrace that is our country, tell your father we are suffering oh Customs officer Is democracy a military affair? | I cannot afford my child's school fees and his children live abroad away from the disgrace that is our country, tell your father we are suffering oh Customs officer Is democracy a military affair? |
| The consensus was to get rid of the current ruling elite, but as usual no one had a concrete plan on how to change the status quo. | The consensus was to get rid of the current ruling elite, but as usual no one had a concrete plan on how to change the status quo. |
| While there was a lull in the conversation, Yemi told a joke which cut too close to the bone. | While there was a lull in the conversation, Yemi told a joke which cut too close to the bone. |
| "There was a Brit and a Nigerian with their backs against a wall," he began in his sonorous voice. | "There was a Brit and a Nigerian with their backs against a wall," he began in his sonorous voice. |
| "The Brit was pushed against the wall and came back fighting with the legendary bulldog spirit. | "The Brit was pushed against the wall and came back fighting with the legendary bulldog spirit. |
| "The Nigerian was pushed too, however, rather than fight back he pushed the wall back instead. | "The Nigerian was pushed too, however, rather than fight back he pushed the wall back instead. |
| "That, my friends is the Nigerian mentality." | "That, my friends is the Nigerian mentality." |
| A weak chorus of laughs greeted the punch line as everyone recognised the truth in the joke; no one could argue with history. | A weak chorus of laughs greeted the punch line as everyone recognised the truth in the joke; no one could argue with history. |
| As if on cue, someone turned up the music and the melodic voice of Sam Cooke crooning about a "change gonna come" drifted through the speakers. | As if on cue, someone turned up the music and the melodic voice of Sam Cooke crooning about a "change gonna come" drifted through the speakers. |
| The men raised their bottles to change and said the ubiquitous Nigerian prayer with one voice. | The men raised their bottles to change and said the ubiquitous Nigerian prayer with one voice. |
| "E go betta oh." | "E go betta oh." |
| "Is this your first visit to our great country? Asked the bored customs official as he flicked through Tokunbo's passport. | "Is this your first visit to our great country? Asked the bored customs official as he flicked through Tokunbo's passport. |
| "No, it's not," he replied, slightly irritated. | "No, it's not," he replied, slightly irritated. |
| "And why are you coming to Nigeria?" | "And why are you coming to Nigeria?" |
| "My mother's funeral." | "My mother's funeral." |
| "Ah, I'm sorry for your loss oh," mumbled the officer stamping the passport. "Mr Obanle," he paused, "Hmm, you must be the son of our esteemed state governor. | "Ah, I'm sorry for your loss oh," mumbled the officer stamping the passport. "Mr Obanle," he paused, "Hmm, you must be the son of our esteemed state governor. |
| "Me, I cannot afford my child's school fees and his children live abroad away from the disgrace that is our country, tell your father we are suffering oh." | "Me, I cannot afford my child's school fees and his children live abroad away from the disgrace that is our country, tell your father we are suffering oh." |
| Outrage raised his voice as he handed back the passport. "Maybe if they spent our money on hospitals, your mother would be alive." | Outrage raised his voice as he handed back the passport. "Maybe if they spent our money on hospitals, your mother would be alive." |
| Tokunbo grabbed his passport and headed for the exit. He was seething and almost missed his half brother Chidi flanked by two gun-totting policemen, calling his name... | Tokunbo grabbed his passport and headed for the exit. He was seething and almost missed his half brother Chidi flanked by two gun-totting policemen, calling his name... |
| REQUIEM FOR RAGE | REQUIEM FOR RAGE |
| Chuma Nwokolo is a writer and lawyer whose first collection of poetry is Memories of Stone. | Chuma Nwokolo is a writer and lawyer whose first collection of poetry is Memories of Stone. |
| One More Tale for the Road and Diaries of a Dead African are his most recent novels. | One More Tale for the Road and Diaries of a Dead African are his most recent novels. |
| Requiem for Rage is a call for action, for the 'silent' people, who could help bring about change in Nigeria's failing democracy, but do not: | Requiem for Rage is a call for action, for the 'silent' people, who could help bring about change in Nigeria's failing democracy, but do not: |
| Six days the thinker thought, six ways | |
| she weighed her cross: what to do | |
| with things she can not change? | |
| 1. does she boil in the tub of her Monday bath at the hack of the axe she does not hear, | |
| when it swings of an alien night, at a cot | |
| not her own, on a street in a town far away? | |
| 2. does she fret at the thump of cannon and | |
| the shear of shrapnel in Other Square? | |
| 3. as armaments leave her island of ease | |
| will her tears do to slake their thirst? | |
| can the fire from a rage removed | |
| stanch the bleeding by a bomb discharged? | |
| 4. Thursday's tears will not animate the teddy | |
| in the twisted rubble. what is spilled is lost, | |
| what is bent, broken. innocence is seared, | |
| holiness smirched, remorse futileĀ | |
| 5. the torture of truce keeps the dying screaming for dawn, | |
| for euthanasia's war's resumption. | |
| someday for sure, the cry of night's child shall cease. | |
| and not from death. | |
| someday for sure, the child of night's cry shall cease. but not tonight. | |
| 6. in the meantime, the pregnant maid in black | |
| serves dinner to the wealthy men in white | |
| as they ink plans for bigger war machines, | |
| to eat her progeny. | |
| Come Sunday, the thinker bled her rage into a larger gift for charity. She made her peace with impotence, prepared her child and cot, which still lay at ease, for the roll of fortune's wheel, and for night. | |
| she polished her salaried lie until it shone and weaved it into a shawl and wore it: she could do nothing about what she could do nothing about. | |
| To hear the stories and poems in full, listen to African Perspective on the BBC World Service on Saturday 30th May at 1100GMT. | To hear the stories and poems in full, listen to African Perspective on the BBC World Service on Saturday 30th May at 1100GMT. |