Nigerian Author: CHIGOZIE OBIOMA

On September 24, Chigozie Obioma will visit the International Authors’ Stage at Kulturhusrt Stadsteatern. After two internationally acclaimed novels, he returns with “The Road to the New Land” – a powerful depiction of Nigeria’s civil war.

Chigozie Obioma

Chigozie Obioma (born 1986 in Nigeria) is one of Africa’s foremost contemporary writers. His debut novel ”The Fishermen” and the subsequent ”An Orchestra of Minorities” have both received major international recognition and were nominated for the Booker Prize in 2015 and 2019. Obioma lives in the United States and is a professor of literature and creative writing at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

The Road to the New Land

“The vision is at first murky – like something seen through wet glass. But gradually it clears, and a man’s figure appears in a room with a light bulb hanging from the ceiling on two colored wires. It is a young man, dark-skinned, with a boyish face.”

In The Road to the New Land we meet Kunle, a shy university student in 1960s Lagos. When civil war breaks out in Nigeria, he is thrown into a violent and dangerous mission to save his wheelchair-bound brother Tunle, who becomes trapped in the war zone. This is how he is recruited into Biafra’s secessionist army and drawn into an involuntary odyssey through the war-torn country.

”The Road to the New Land” is a profound portrayal of the consequences of war and the individual’s struggle for survival, love, and identity. It is partly a response to ”There Was a Country”, Chinua Achebe’s book about the same war. The book is translated into Swedish by Nils Wadström.

Chigozie Obioma in conversation with Yukiko Duke

Yukiko Duke is a cultural journalist, translator, and artistic director of the Norwegian Literature Festival. She is also a member of the jury for Kulturhuset Stadsteatern’s International Literature Prize. The conversation will be held in English and is organized in collaboration with Ordfront.

Refreshments & Cloakroom

Please arrive in good time. The refreshments area opens 45 minutes before the talk, and you may bring your glass into the auditorium. Backpacks, bags, and parcels larger than 30 x 20 cm, as well as large outerwear, may not be taken inside. The cloakroom is located on the entrance floor and opens 60 minutes before the event.

The event starts at 7:30pm til 8:45pm.