Surrounded by white painted walls, Uwem Akpan took the stage in the Hatcher Graduate Library Gallery, which was formerly known as Room 100. He had been introduced by his advisor, Eileen Pollack, who tearfully described Akpan’s time here at Michigan. She asked that we consider Akpan not just as a purveyor of important messages, but also as a gifted craftsman in the English language. Luckily, most of the crowd were reading junkies or were associated with the English department in some way or another, so we were able to focus on Akpan’s technical accomplishments in addition to the powerful things he was describing.
Father Akpan, a Jesuit priest, studied theology and English at various schools in Africa and the United States. He mounted the stage wearing an un-tucked black shirt and a beret. The crowd sat stiff and quietly after applauding him. “Good evening, everyone.” Polite silence continued. “You can say something!” He chuckled like a child, and the shoulders of the self-conscious crowd relaxed with laughter. He continued, “A story is not complete until you’ve told it to people.” Akpan’s book, Say You’re One of Them, is a novel-sized collection of short stories and novellas describing the plight of several children from various regions in Africa.
He began by reading an excerpt from Fattening for Gabon, the novella-sized short story that tells the tale of two brothers, one Christian, one Muslim, and describes the dangerous consequences when people try to go where they are not welcome. As he read, Akpan’s voice boomed, except when he paused or chuckled. His prose is potent and filled with imagery. One character contemplates his hand that will soon be cut off for having stolen something. Sitting there, the audience saw his dark room and feels the emotional conflict in the man as he rubs his whole body with his hand for the last time.
At this point, Akpan explained that he would rather use the time for questions and discussion than simply spouting stories at the audience. When asked about how he approaches cultures that he has never experienced, he describes that the human conflict comes first and foremost. “Children feel the same way worldwide,” he says,” [they] are not born with culture.” Akpan explained that once he has written the drama and the main purpose of the story, he continues onto the details. The details, he explained, are where the believability really comes true. And the details come from in depth research and from repeated verification. Akpan ran his work past locals of the region he was writing about until they were surprised that he was a foreigner. I was both perplexed and impressed at this technique. On one hand, it removes the authenticity a little bit in that he has not explicitly experienced these events (although who am I to question what he has experienced in his life). On the other hand, the ability to recreate another person's observations exactly as they remember them is an admirable skill and one to be studied.
Akpan answered several more questions about the viability of the short story and what people can do to help Africans. To this second question, he simply urged us to help those in need around us, that too many people try to rush in and "save" Africa, and that it is a nuisance and a danger to overly impose. I found it interesting that despite having said some pretty intense things, Father Akpan always managed to chuckle and make the audience feel welcome and at home with him. Needless to say, after listening to him, I look forward to reading Say You're One of Them.
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