Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a celebrated Nigerian author, keeps making waves in the global literary scene with her superb storytelling and provocative narratives.

At the 2023 Indie Book Awards, Adichie’s most recent book, “Notes on Grief,” was rewarded with the prestigious Best Title of the Summer category.

On June 23, the penultimate day of Independent Bookshop Week (IBW), Adichie was announced as the winner of the Non-Fiction category for her reflection on the death of her father, Notes on Grief (Fourth Estate).

Speaking on the selection of Adichie’s book, Mel Griffin, chairman of the judging panel, said: “It was a privilege to chair the 2023 Indie Book Awards, and the whole panel agreed that the shortlists were particularly strong this year, making the decision-making process challenging. However, in the end, we unanimously selected Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie as the non-fiction winner.”

“This utterly beautiful essay says so much in very few pages, and we found it extraordinarily powerful. Although it focuses on one individual’s experience of grief, we felt that it would speak to many people, transcending culture and circumstances, with one judge describing the reading experience as ’cathartic’, Griffin added.

Accepting the award on her social media page, Chimamanda Adichie said, “I have always felt like there is nothing more life-affirming and meaningful than going into an independent bookshop because you know that the people there actually love books. So, I think independent bookshops are the best things ever,” she said.

“I am so grateful, I am so moved, and I am so pleased to have Notes On Grief honoured with the Indie. And it is mostly because I love Independent bookshops and also because this book is so meaningful to me. I hope that it brings some kind of comfort to other people who have experienced grief. Thank you”

This accolade acknowledges not only the exceptional storytelling prowess of Adichie but also the evocative power of the book’s title. “Notes on Grief” invites readers to embark on an emotional journey, contemplating the various dimensions and stages of loss and grief. This award reaffirms Adichie’s status as the world’s literary icon, further highlighting the profound impact her writing has on readers around the world.

Adichie’s literary accomplishments have won her widespread praise and solidified her place among the most significant voices in history. Her earlier books, such as “Purple Hibiscus,” “Half of a Yellow Sun,” and “Americanah,” have won numerous awards and captured the attention of readers all around the world. With “Notes on Grief,” Adichie skillfully combines societal commentary with superb storytelling to make an impression that will not soon fade.

For her novel Demon Copperhead, which is based on the events of Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield, Barbara Kingsolver took home the prize in the Fiction category. Skandar and the Unicorn Thief, written by fantasy novelist Steadman, took first place in the Children’s Fiction category.

The largest international awards ceremony for independent writers and publishers is called the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. The award, now in its seventeenth year, was created to recognise and honour the best independently published books in more than 80 categories for the year. It is presented by the Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group in collaboration with Marilyn Allen of the Allen Literary Agency (previously the Allen O’Shea Literary Agency).

Organisers of ArtsForChange, a creative talent hunt competition powered by Black & White Ideas in conjunction with National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), has unveiled the judges for the 2023 edition.

The judges are expected to screen all the multitude of entries submitted and to recommend top 10 works for final consideration at the second round to select a final winner.

Judges are to consider, adherence to the theme of the competition, which is ‘Nigeria: Stronger Together’, creativity, aesthetic and originality’ of each work submitted.

The judges unveiled by the organisers are Oliver Enwonwu, a renowned visual artist, who holds a Master’s degree in Visual Art from University of Lagos; Halima Abubakar, a freelance documentary photographer who is currently the Artistic Director and Curator for the 19th Emir of Zazzazu; Mufu Onifade, inventor of the Araism painting technique and founder of the now famous Araism Movement and Steve Ayorinde, cultured journalist and former Commissioner for Tourism, Arts, and Culture in Lagos State.

Enwonwu comes from a long line of artists; his grandfather was a reputable traditional sculptor and his father, Ben was widely celebrated as Africa’s pioneer modernist.

In his work, Enwonwu elevates Black culture to challenge racial injustice and systemic racism by celebrating the cultural, political, and socio-economic achievements of Africans through an examination of African spirituality, Black identity and migration, contemporary African politics, Pan Africanism, and the global Africa empowerment movement.

From 2009 to July 2021, Enwonwu served as the president of Society of Nigerian Artists, established in 1963 as the umbrella professional body for all artists in Nigeria, which exists to engender the highest standards of practice and teaching of the visual arts in Nigeria.

On her part, Abubakar is a freelance documentary photographer, researcher, archivist, and artist with an insatiable interest in exploring culture and identity.

She started her photography journey by exhibiting at Lagos Photo Festival 2012. In 2013, she co-won the prize for the outstanding concept at the National Art Competition themed “Identity”.

Abubakar’s work interrogates the environment around her through her long-term projects aiming to depict her life experiences through a combination of colour, texture, patterns, and symbolism. These are captured through the conceptual visual narratives that she weaves, often through the idea of self-portraiture, in expressionistic and diaristic ways. She has a high level of credibility when it comes to her practice and creatively stays true to any subject matter she is exploring.

A critical thinker, this helps give her the discipline to be rational, open-minded, and factual about topics she explores. As an advocate for preserving history and cultural heritage, Abubakar works on projects that will help inform future generations about things they will never experience.

On his part, Onifade is celebrated for many first. He is an award-winning artist trained at The Polytechnic, Ibadan (National Diploma) and the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (B.A, Fine Arts), and won the Best Student Prizes.

He earlier attended the African Art Museum and Training Institute, Ethiopia where he obtained a Certificate of Training in Painting on Animal Skin, and much later, the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, for his M. A, Art History.

Onifade has held three solo exhibitions, one joint exhibition, and over 100 group exhibitions. In 2010, he was among the five international artists selected from Nigeria, Barbados, the USA, and South Africa to take part in the Greatmore Art Studio’s Residency programme in Cape Town, South Africa. He was also one of the 26 artists selected from across the world to participate in the Great Walk and More Art Festival in Cape Town.

He was one of the 16 artists selected from seven countries to take part in an art project titled ’16 Pieces’ organized by the Ifa-Yoruba Contemporary Trust, UK, funded by the London Arts Board. Onifade has successfully participated in international exhibitions in Nigeria, France, Belgium, Austria, the UK, the USA, etc.

Among many local and international art competitions, Onifade, a Fellow of the Society of Nigerian Artists (fsna) has been an adjudicator for the annual National Festival of Arts and Culture by the National Council for Arts and Culture, Felabration Arts Competition, MODHAFEST Art Competition and many more.

Last but not least is Ayorinde. Aside from being the immediate past Commissioner for Tourism, Arts, and Culture in Lagos State, Ayorinde was the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy.

He was also at a point the Managing Director/Editor-In-Chief of the National Mirror newspaper. Before then, Ayorinde was the Editor of The Punch newspaper in Nigeria.

Ayorinde is also regarded as one of Nigeria’s most renowned film and art critics, serving on the Juries for some of the world’s most recognised film festivals and awards, including the Toronto International Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, AMAA, and Mumbai International Film Festival.

An author, Ayorinde has credit for three books namely Masterpieces: A Critic’s Timeless Report (Spectrum Books, 2008); Abokede: The Man, The Hill, The City (ArtPillar Books, 2011) and Cascade of Change: A Decade of Liberal Thoughts (Liberal Publishing, 2015). He also edited For Law, For Country: Conversations with the Bar and the Bench (Global Media Mirror Publications, 2012).

Educated at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, he also attended the University of Lagos, Akoka, and the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, where he earned a Master’s degree in Globalization and Communications. Ayorinde is a European Union Fellow at the Foundation Journalists-in-Europe (1997–98), a comprehensive one-year training scheme for mid-career journalists, and also an alumnus of the State Department’s International Visitors’ program (IVP) in the United States, the Goethe Institute, Berlin, and University of Siena for Foreigners, Italy.

Speaking at a judge unveiling event held recently in Lagos, Mr. Titiloye Amzat, a representative of Black & White Ideas, noted that the judges for this edition of the competition are some of the finest in the industry. According to him, they were picked based on their achievements over the years in the creative industry.

He said, “For us at Black & White Ideas, only the best would do as judges. The judges for this edition are some of the best we have around.

“A knowledgeable art writer, a Master’s Degree holder in Visual Art, the creator of a unique painting technique, Araism and a documentary Photographer, what more can you ask for as far as raising the bar in talent discovery and promotion is concerned?

“Having been selected, they now have the responsibility of picking the best entries from the multitude of entries submitted with a focus on four core areas namely, adherence to the theme of the competition which is; ‘Nigeria: Stronger Together’, originality of the work, creativity, and the aesthetic of the work.

“I also want to use this opportunity to appreciate our partner, First Bank, they have truly proven their support of the arts,” Mr. Amzat concluded.

ArtsForChange promotes authentic Nigerian culture and encourages artists of all manners to show their creative side in a bid to unearth and promote young and yet unknown talents in the country.

Entry for the 2022 edition closed on November 25, with over 500 entries received from six zones of the country namely North West, North East, North Central, South-South, South East, and South West.

The unveiling of the winner and presentations of the grand prize will take place this month with the winner walking away with N500,000, while other shortlisted participants will win consolation gifts and certificates of commendation.

A small museum in south-east London has begun the official process of returning looted Benin artefacts to Nigeria.

The Horniman Museum, which houses a collection of 72 treasured items that were taken by force from Benin City in 1897, officially handed over ownership of the artefacts to the Nigerian government on Monday.

The Horniman described returning the looted objects as a “moral and appropriate” response after a request from Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments.

There are still questions about whether thousands of items which were held at large institutions globally, including the British Museum, will ever be sent back.

However, the first six objects which were returned included two Benin Bronze plaques from the royal palace which were handed over to Nigerian officials at a ceremony marking the transfer of ownership of 72 looted items.

The items were taken from Benin City by British troops in February 1897.

Nick Merriman, chief executive of the Horniman Museum and Gardens, and prof. Abba Tijani, the NCMM’s director general, were asked by journalists ahead of the official handover if they were frustrated at the British Museum’s apparent reluctance to hand over the 900 objects it had held for more than a century.

Merriman, who said the Horniman had been an “excellent example” of leadership, stated that, “Journalists who ask me about the Benin return always want to ask me about the British Museum.”

“I would rather talk about what an excellent example the Horniman is rather than answer questions about the British Museum.”

The six objects selected in consultation with the NCMM as being representative of the collection of 72 items form the first wave of physical repatriation of Benin objects from the Horniman.

A new agreement between the NCMM and the Horniman will allow the remainder to stay in Britain on loan for now, with a second phase of physical repatriations to follow in due course.

Professor Tijani later explained that about 5,000 Benin bronzes were currently “scattered” around the world.

He said that he is hoping that talks with various institutions may result in deals that could herald the items being returned from places including Germany and the U.S.