Literary Nomads

Words from Nigeria 3 – Emezi’s Pet & Hunters for Truth

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Akwaeke Emezi demonstrates how Nigeria’s contemporary writers turn our conceptual realities around. They offer a YA novel that doesn’t condescend, but more, one which shows that we should not “walk away” from Omelas, but perhaps “Stay and Hunt.”

This is also the final of three episodes which offers a broader look at the history and newer trends in Nigerian literature along with recommendations for reading. Part 1 discussed Dear Ijeawele by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Part 2 explored Wole Soyinka’s play, The Trials of Brother Jero.

Episode 6.25 –
Words from Nigeria 3 - Emezi’s Pet & Hunters for Truth

Full list of African writers with sample works I recommend:

  • Abani, Chris (Nigeria): Graceland, The Secret History of Las Vegas
  • Achebe, Chinua (Nigeria): Things Fall Apart, The Anthills of Savannah, Arrow of God, Hopes and Impediments
  • Adeyemi, Tomi (Nigeria): Children of Blood and Bone
  • Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi (Nigeria): Dream Count, The Thing Around Your Neck, Americanah, Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun, Dear Ijeawele
  • Agualusa, José Eduardo (Angola): A General Theory of Oblivion 
  • Armah, Ayi Kwei (Ghana): The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born
  • Bâ, Mariama (Senegal): So Long a Letter 
  • Braithwaite, Oyinkan (Nigeria): My Sister the Serial Killer
  • Cole, Teju (Nigeria): Open City, Tremor, Known and Strange Things, Every Day Is For a Thief
  • Dangarembga, Tsitsi (Zimbabwe): Nervous Conditions, The Book of Not
  • Djebar, Assia  (Algeria): Fantasia: An Algerian Cavalcade
  • El Saadawi. Nawal  (Egypt): Woman at Point Zero 
  • Emezi, Akwaeke (Nigeria): Pet, The Death of Vivek Oji, Freshwater, Dear Senthuran, You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty
  • Farah, Nuruddin (Somalia): Sweet and Sour Milk, Secrets
  • Forna, Aminatta (Sierra Leone): The Memory of Love
  • Gordimer, Nadine (South Africa): The Conservationist, July’s People
  • Gurnah, Abdulrazak (Tanzania): Paradise, Desertion
  • Gyasi, Yaa (Ghana): Transcendent Kingdom, Homegoing
  • Head, Bessie (Botswana/South Africa): A Question of Power 
  • Iyay, Festus (Nigeria): Violence
  • La Guma, Alex (South Africa): Time of the Butcherbird
  • Mabanckou, Alain  (Republic of the Congo): Black Moses, Broken Glass 
  • Makumbi, Jennifer Nansubuga (Uganda): Kintu; The First Woman; A Girl Is a Body of Water
  • Marechera, Dambudzo (Zimbabwe): The House of Hunger
  • Mbue, Imbolo (Cameroon): How Beautiful We Were
  • Mujila, Fiston Mwanza (DR Congo): Tram 83
  • Nwapa, Flora (Nigeria): Efuru, This is Lagos and Other Stories
  • Okorafor, Nnedi (Nigeria): Noor, Death of the Author, Binti
  • Okri, Ben (Nigeria): The Famished Road, Starbook
  • Owuor, Yvonne Adhiambo (Kenya): Dust
  • Salih, Tayeb (Sudan): Season of Migration to the North
  • Saro-Wiwa, Ken (Nigeria): Sozaboy
  • Sarr, Mohamed Mbougar (Senegal): The Most Secret Memory of Men. 
  • Sembène, Ousmane (Senegal): God’s Bits of Wood
  • Serpell, Namwani (Zambia): The Old Drift
  • Soyinka, Wole (Nigeria): A Shuttle in the Crypt, The Trials of Brother Jero, Kongi’s Harvest, The Lion and the Jewel, A Play of Giants
  • Thiong’o, Ngũgĩ wa  (Kenya): A Grain of Wheat, Petals of Blood, and Wizard of the Crow
  • African Instapoetry: Lebo Mashile (South Africa), Titilope Sonuga (Nigeria-Canada), Dike Chukwumerije (Nigeria), Yrsa Daley-Ward (Nigeria-UK), Upile Chisala (Malawi)

    • Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

    CHAPTERS

    00:00     Barbarians Block the Gate

    06:06     Intro Theme
    06:42     Exploding Canons 
    18:03    The Power of YA and Queer Ontology
    25:48    Evasion Modeling
    32:46    Reading Differently
    36:33    Closing Credits

    ===

    New to Literary Nomads?

    Check out my introductory episodes (0.1-0.3) to find out what’s going on here! I’ve got an episode for readers, for teachers, and for students: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords-podcast/

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    Transcript and Bibliography (most accurate):  https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/6-25-nigeria-3-emezi

    ===

    Literary Nomads is the main program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

    Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

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    ===

    CREDITS:

    Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/)

    Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski

    USING THIS WORK:

    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution.

    MLA CITATION:

    Chisnell, Steve. “6.25 Words from Nigeria 3 - Emezi’s Pet & Hunters for Truth,” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 30 January 2026, https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/.

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    Literary NomadsBy Steve Chisnell
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