A Letter Away From Asaba: A Novella

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A Letter Away From Asaba: A Novella

A Letter Away From Asaba: A Novella

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It’s so crucial for us as global citizens to remain critical of information we receive and to familiarise ourselves with a variety of interpretations and opinions, whether or not we are necessarily in agreement with them. It simply enriches our personal knowledge. This in many ways relates to A Letter Away From Asaba, which explores the power that censorship can have on the perception and handling of an event. It’s food for thought. In A Letter Away From Asaba, Efemini makes it known that history does not remain a thing of the past.” - CHARLIE FJÄLLMAN, avid reader. A Letter Away From Asaba, an epistolary novella, is a historical fictional narrative centred on the Asaba massacre of the Nigerian Civil War. The story follows the lives of best friends Onome and Chioma. Onome is an international student from Nigeria studying law at King's College London whilst Chioma lives in Asaba, Nigeria. Chioma experiences the Asaba massacre, an overlooked and traumatic event of the war, and is forced to confront issues of censorship, grief, and trust. Whilst in London, Onome notices the blatant censorship of the event within the British press. Through a series of diary entries and letters these two young women attempt to come to grips with the massacre and fulfil their desire of publicising its existence in opposition to this censorship. This is far from easy, and they await a series of hurdles in ways they least expect that, in contrast, try to ensure that the victims of the massacre die in vain. Letters were always going to be a huge part of the book, especially since I wanted to bring light to the censorship in Britain. Having someone in the UK and Asaba emphasised the contradiction in the two different stories which was key to their relationship. Seeing the real story versus what is depicted in the press was the angle I wanted to explore. Nigerian history is something that I am greatly passionate about and looking through a degree programme that makes little mention of Nigeria sparked a burning desire in me to fulfil my passion through writing historical fiction.” - Claudia Efemini, Retrospect Journal

As readers learn, feel moved, and have their perspectives challenged while reading this remarkable novella, they will understand that it is not only a significant story about the past but also the future and the present, emphasising the importance of storytelling…” - AYOBAMI RUTH OLUFEMI-WHITE, co-founder of We Write and host of We Listen Podcast Overall, this is a great book to educate yourself on the Nigerian Civil War and understand the effects that it has on individual people. I appreciated the ending because it was hopeful rather than final. They were unable to achieve their objectives of resisting British censorship and obtaining justice for the Asaba massacre victims, which, in my opinion, held a more important lesson. Sometimes our need to achieve a thing causes us to lose sight of the bigger picture, we burn ourselves out with rage or frustration leaving us with nothing. The ending left us hoping that someone would someday locate the letters (maybe even write a book about it) and tell their story. Both characters were bold, courageous, and brilliantly written; they accomplished much more than individuals at their (fictional) time were able to.A Letter Away From Asaba, an epistolary novella, is a historical fictional narrative centred on the Asaba massacre of the Nigerian Civil War. The story follows the lives of best friends Onome and Chioma. Onome is an international student from Nigeria studying law at King’s College London whilst Chioma lives in Asaba, Nigeria. Chioma experiences the Asaba massacre, an overlooked and traumatic event of the war, and is forced to confront issues of censorship, grief, and trust. Whilst in London, Onome notices the blatant censorship of the event within the British press. Through a series of diary entries and letters these two young women attempt to come to grips with the massacre and fulfil their desire of publicising its existence in opposition to this censorship. This is far from easy, and they await a series of hurdles in ways they least expect that, in contrast, try to ensure that the victims of the massacre die in vain. I’ve actually already started working on my second novel, but I’m only halfway through the first draft. Unfortunately, I had to stop writing it once I decided to self-publish A Letter Away From Asaba. It became too overwhelming working on a new manuscript whilst publishing a piece of work. However, I definitely look forward to continuing the story once A Letter Away From Asaba has been published. Perhaps I’ll continue writing it over summer, it really depends on whether I feel ready to do so. Writing novels is something I hope to do long-term as it’s been such a phenomenal experience so far working towards publishing A Letter Away From Asaba.

The long awaited A Letter Away From Asaba is a dazzling debut by Claudia Efemini, writer and History and Politics student at the University of Edinburgh. On behalf of One Edinburgh, we want to wish our Linkedln community a very happy #internationalwomensday. The women of #oneedinburgh are all doing their part to catalyse positive change in their own right. Today, we celebrate them and the role women leaders play in enriching our communities around the world. International Women’s Day also gives us an opportunity to recognise the inner and outer work we all need to do to achieve gender equality for all women, regardless of where they come from. In the book you explore the idea of being ‘changed’ by being in the West, where did you pull that from? I am glad I got over that and went for it because one of my friends, Quinthia, designed the cover. Self-publishing gives more creative autonomy, so if I were to publish traditionally, I would relinquish lots of power. I think there’s a staffing issue. There’s only so much you can decolonise if you don’t have people that specialise in certain areas. There are scholars out there, but you don’t see them at our university, or really the UK in general. America seems to have a lot more diversity in what they offer. Also reading lists; I am taking a course about contemporary Africa, and we had a reading list where every author was a white man. I think diverse reading lists are so important because not only does it enrich your knowledge, but it also introduces you to so many different perspectives.

When did you first learn about the Asaba massacre, and what were your main motivations to write a novel about it? What wider themes does it represent in history?

Through this project, I wanted to illustrate the brutality students faced while protesting their rights during the Soweto uprising. For this reason, I chose the mask as an element to put the viewer in the same position as the Soweto students» AliciaA Letter Away from Asaba is an epistolary novella that speaks on history, that has effected so many, through letters sent by our main protagonists Chioma and Onome. Onome is an international student from Nigeria studying law at King’s College London whilst Chioma lives in Asaba, Nigeria. Chioma experiences the Asaba massacre, an overlooked and traumatic event of the war, and is forced to confront issues of censorship, grief, and trust. Whilst in London, Onome notices the blatant censorship of the event within the British press. Definitely- this is such a good question that I didn’t think about until you asked. I do think my own life experiences have shaped the characterisations in the novel. Initially, I wanted to write it only set in Nigeria, but I realised it was harder as someone who did not grow up there. I’ve been on holiday once and I do have family there, but I was raised in the UK. As I was describing the setting, I wanted it to be represented rightly and I did not feel equipped to do so. So having both the UK and Nigeria feature eased the writing process. The process of writing was good. I got lots of my friends involved who wanted to help. Being in a university space gives access to inform a lot more people and broadens the reach. Being in an academic space means I can get advice and knowledge from people. If I waited until after graduation, I wouldn’t have that community of people who are passionate about history, and decolonising the curriculum, so though it was scary I am glad I did it.

This is an appreciation post to the interns (some missing above) who shaped my time at Cambridge University Press & Assessment .Advocate: We advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion within the university and society at large. I first read a book by two American scholars, The Asaba Massacre: Trauma, Memory and the Nigerian Civil War while I was doing IB. Immediately, I was stunned by the massacre, so I wrote a paper about it.



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