We should begin to show more love to the vulnerable class in our midst, says Henry Akubuiro

Mighty Mite and Golden Jewel is Henry Akubuiro’s entry that made the longlist cut at this year’s children’s fiction for The Nigeria Prize for Literature worth USD$100,000. In this interview with ANOTE AJELUOROU, Akubuiro talks about how his children’s book is an indictment of and a motivation for society to mend its ways in how it relates with its vulnerable members who have so much to offer if only they could be given the same chance as given to its able-bodied members. Akubuiro made it to the shortlist last year with his play, Yamtarawala, the Warrior King

Mighty Mite and Golden Jewel is your second time on the longlist of The Nigeria Prize for Literature after your shortlist exploit last year. How are you able to navigate from drama to children’s writing?
Actually, I am at home with more than one genre. I have published works in prose, drama and children’s literature. I also write poetry, but I don’t have a published collection of poems yet. Of all the genres, children’s literature is the one I have published more works than the rest. Mighty Mite and Golden Jewel is my fourth children’s book. The ones before it were Little Wizard of Okokomaiko, Adventures of Bingo and Bomboi and Vershima and the Missing Cow.

On the surface, children’s literature appears to be simpler than the rest. In reality, it is difficult. Part of the difficulty stems from the intricacy of character delineation and the diction deployed. In adult fiction, drama or poetry, you have more freedom on the choice of words you use. But, in children’s literature, the language is censored. You are also careful in the depiction of violence, because, at this stage, the young audience is very sensitive to those things. They copy what they see.

Many great writers find it hard to write for children. The genre restricts you a bit. It’s fascinating for me to write for children. I have to come down to their level, imagine what characters at that stage of development would be preoccupied with, while paying a great deal of attention on what will excite and teach morals. My former teaching experience has also helped. I have taught literature to students from JS 1 to SS 3 after graduation before I became a journalist. This category of students falls under children and young adult literature. Frankly, I enjoy writing for children. It makes me immerse myself into the world of children and appeal to their consciousness in their formative years on issues that bother and thrill them. Education and entertainment are brought into the mix.

What was your experience last year when you got shortlisted?
First of all, I must commend the Nigeria NLNG for creating and sustaining the Nigeria Prize for Literature (for 20 years now). In this part of the world, writers are hardly celebrated compared to those in the entertainment industry. The organiser of the prize gave much publicity to the shortlisted writers, from media interviews in dailies newspapers to online and on television. Some people, who ordinarily are not interested in literature, knew that something big was happening in Nigerian literature. The television appearance added to the mileage we got as writers.

I also enjoyed the reading in Port Harcourt, hosted by the Rainbow Book Club, in collaboration with the Nigeria Prize for Literature. An outing like that, with all the media buzz around it, stimulates public consciousness on literature and the writer himself. I was pleasantly surprised when the deputy governor of Borno State got across to me through his PA on account of Yamtarawala, the Warrior King set in ancient Kanem-Borno Empire. They heard the news. I never knew the deputy governor hailed from that part of Borno where the play was set, Biu. I am still awaiting the collaboration for the stage production to materialise from their end. It is not everyday you come across a playwright depicting the culture and history of a distant civilisation with so much enthusiasm.

Are you looking forward to the Book Party? What’s your expectation?
Yeah. The CORA/NPL Book Party is an interesting event. It offers the audience an opportunity to interact with the writer, and the writer a platform to air his view on his writing. Besides, readers get the chance to see some of the longlisted works and make purchases. The atmosphere at the book party leaves a lasting memory on the writers. Once again, I hope to enjoy myself while it lasts.

Your book is about children experiencing trauma in the hands of society. Is society doing enough to protect its vulnerable members? What exactly can be done to mitigate the anti-social behaviour that marginalise such groups? Apart from a book like yours, what form of sensitisation do you suggest should be carried out to help this group of vulnerable ones?
Mighty Mite and Golden Jewel is a fictional narrative that calls attention to the stigmatisation of the disabled and the need for reorientation by the public. The two heroes – Chukwueze and Nora – are a dwarf and an albino respectively, from different cultures. Their trials in the hands of society reflect what their kind experience nationwide and beyond. For no fault of theirs, the myths woven around them make them disrespected and hated. As seen in the novel, dwarfs among us are treated like aliens, who nobody wants to cohabit with. The albino character is also derided by others. If you go to the streets, the disabled constitute a high percentage of beggars. This should not be so. They have been made to look unwanted, making them resort to begging to survive.

This novel attempts to enlighten the society that the circumstance of their birth has little to do with them but a genetic problem. Interestingly, the stigmatised children in Mighty Mite and Golden Jewel rise above hatred to become celebrities by realising that they, too, can impact society through creativity. They become a big internet sensation. This feat makes everybody show them more love. It also goes to show that the circumstance of their birth is not a limitation. If they believe, they will surely fly.

We should begin to show more love to this vulnerable class in our midst. They are not demonic agents as erroneously believed. This is one of the things the novel preaches. Society should encourage them by teaching them skills which would make them stand on their own instead of being beggars. There is also a need for more sensitisation in the media and other places on the disabled. They are humans like us. The only difference is that they inherited a genetic disorder from birth for no fault of theirs.

In Nigeria, there is a legislation on people with disability. It is contained in a 2018 act that a person with disability cannot be discriminated against. It attracts a fine of N1 million for a corporate body and N100,000 for individuals. In practice, most defaulters are not being prosecuted. Many disabled people don’t even know this law exists. This is where sensitisation comes in. The disabled should assert their rights. You are all aware of what happened last year at Tasty Fried Chicken at Lagos Airport, where a disabled boy on a wheelchair, Adebola Daniel, son of Gbenga Daniel, former Ogun State Governor, was ordered to leave the eatery. He didn’t keep quiet. He made his voice to be heard, which led to an uproar, which made the government to close the eatery. Having realised their mistake, the management apologised.

Similar incidents occur everyday, but nobody hears about them, because the victims of this discrimination are often too timid to speak. We should encourage the disabled to speak out and for society to amend its ways. The government should also enforce the fines to deter others from showing unnecessary hatred to the disabled. If all of us begin to appreciate them, we are going to have more stars coming out from their rank, as evidenced in the two heroes in Mighty Might and Golden Jewel.

Your title is quite evocative and tends to romanticise the conditions of these vulnerable groups of disabled children and people. Why is society blind to these diversity traits?
“Mighty mite” is another word for “small but mighty.” The narrator of the story, Chukwueze, describes himself as a mighty mite, following what he passed through and how he overcame stigmatisation as a little person. He appears small physically but he is great. His friend, Nora, an albino, sees herself as a golden jewel, something of value. Both of them stood their ground and never allowed anybody to intimidate them on their way to living their dream.

Non-governmental organisations, government at all levels and, above all, individuals should be involved in sensitising the public that the disabled are just like you and I. They are not inferior to anybody. We need to rev it up. Philanthropists should also help with the establishment of foundations to help the cause of the disabled. When we give every individual a sense of belonging, we are close to achieving an egalitarian society. I think the Western society is miles ahead of us in this regard [we all saw how disabled children filed out alonside football stars at the recent Super Cup in Europe between Real Madrid (Spain) and Atalanta (Italy)]. We should close the gap.