Igbo writer’s independence book earns high praise
Added: (Wed Nov 18 2020)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
A social worker in England is flying the flag for one of Africa’s largest ethnic groups by creating their very own country.
The Igbo number more than 50 million in their eastern Nigeria homelands.
But the days of the ethnic group’s controlling political chiefdoms have been consigned to the pre-colonial history books – until now.
Prize-winning author AA Chukwuka, who works by day as a social worker in East Anglia, has brought back the glory days of his ancestors in a futuristic new novel.
ỤMỤ ANỊ has already been met with a string of five-star reviews, being described as ‘wonderful’, ‘brilliant’ and ‘a masterpiece’.
AA Chukwuka said: “The idea for ỤMỤ ANỊ came from a project that I was running to help reinfuse the Igbo ethnic identity back into society.
“Then, from nowhere, the idea hit me to put the project into a fictionalised narrative, thereby opening it up to a wider audience.
“On thinking about the structure of the book, I considered the style the manuscript should be written in and had the inspiration to write it in the future, describing a society where the goals of the project had already been achieved and the effects visible.”
When the Portuguese first arrived in Africa towards the end of the 14th century, they witnessed first-hand the progressive, republican governance of the Igbo people.
But it is argued that thousands of slaves taken from West Africa during the centuries that followed were from the Igbo communities.
Many plantations in Jamaica, Cuba, Belize and what was to become the USA became predominantly manned by slaves of Igbo ethnicity.
Although still strongly established in the lands which straddle the Niger, the Igbo have little influence on modern-day governance in Nigeria.
AA Chukwuka’s impressive ỤMỤ ANỊ not only highlights what the ethnic group’s unique culture and political equality have to offer, but he puts them at the forefront of a modern country.
The 41-year-old believes this latest book is his finest work to date.
He added: “The book is set in Igboland in the South East of Nigeria.
“Currently, the pulse of the Igbo is firmly on the issue of sovereignty in some form – geographic, economic or socio-cultural and the themes in this book match the current aspirations and the agitation of the Igbo.
“I would count the completion of this manuscript as my greatest achievement as I have written it in a genre rarely explored in the West African space and I have had to go into the future and create a new society with a new social and political structure.
“It is very different from anything I have ever written before.”
AA Chukwuka has been impressing with his creative writing since the age of 14, having won several international competitions.
He is currently planning sequels to ỤMỤ ANỊ, concentrating on other aspects of Igbo society.
For more details, visit Amazon and search for AA Chukwuka, where the paperback and Kindle formats of ỤMỤ ANỊ are both available.
Notes to the editor
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