A FOOD FEAST WITH WORDS, WINES AND LITERARY FUN IN MAKURDI: A BENUE BOOK AND ARTS FESTIVAL (BBAAF) 2022 EXPERIENCE by Olubunmi Fatoba

Olubunmi Fatoba

Literary gatherings are always worthwhile and leave one with a life-changing experience such as new ideas, creations of new stories, and literary cures. Benue Book and Art Festival 2022 was not an exception. It was my second pilgrimage to this festival, the first being the 2019 edition, where I met several fine people. I got my things ready and packed up to enjoy what promised to be a lovely fest of words and food!

I was already missing as there had been some virtual and physical sessions as the event started on Monday but better to catch what I could soooo, we hit the road.

The journey to Makurdi was relaxed and cosy, as I enjoyed the company of Arike Adesina and Bash Amuneni, who drove us on that fine Thursday, June 23^rd. We took off by 10am and in no time, created a literary atmosphere in the car while engaging in intense discourse. Some meters before Lafia, we stopped at a village to get cooked goat meat which was well-laced and garnished with pepper. We consumed the meat in rare excitement, but a more thrilling part of the journey was our next stop at Bash’s sister’s abode in Lafia. I had the best pounded yam in a year there. It was white, fresh, succulent, soft and delicious with the Vegetable soup and beef meat. Bentex Torlafia, Dr. Jacob Tersoo and Michael Obiabo joined the trip. You can imagine the rate of liveliness and discourse in the car and the sudden switch to Politics. We got to Makurdi a few minutes before 6pm and joined the evening session well underway. There was an evident air of artistic passion and eagerness flowing through. We had this welcome embrace with unfamiliar faces and the familiar faces of Su’eddie Agema, Oko Owi Ocho, Luper, and Carl Terver.

The session started with individuals’ readings of poems and short stories. Anselm Sanusi’s exploration of words and images in a steamy short story stunned me. I definitely loved his storytelling gut. Then, we had the long-awaited panel DECONSTRUCTING THE CANON with Prof. E.E Sule and Prof. Dul Johnson moderated by Su’eddie and Oko. One emphasis was laid: Literature as art is often determined and controlled by the social relations in society. Questions were asked on literary theories and criticism. Perceptions about the younger generation writers were aired. Some pointed out the flaw in Nigeria’s educational system and outdated curriculum. Prof. E.E Sule made a distinction between our educational system and those abroad. He described the foreign educational system as that of a ‘robust institution.’ We had a good time. I had some corn flour with two soups as dinner, courtesy of Bentex’s mom. I discovered that eating rich food was peculiar to Benue people, who do not mind feeding you to the brim. After this, I retired to my hotel accommodation as my body eased into rest after a long productive day.

I woke the following day to a fine breakfast, a quality round of pounded yam and bush meat in the company of my festival partners – Bash, Bentex and Arike. We eventually found our way to Steam Lounge, Old GRA, Makurdi, where most of the main events for the remainder of the festival were to take place. After some speeches from Su’eddie and Mr. Tine Agernor, the programme manager for the Eunice Spring of Life, who was also representing Benue’s First Lady, H.E. Eunice Ortom, we were set for literary action.

The first session for the day was Prof. Dul Johnson’s keynote speech on Art and the Convergence. He delivered a deep academic work that focused on two convergences; physical spatial convergence and mind and sight convergence. He spoke of the value of art, its power and so much more. We engaged him after the session, and I asked a question which he favourably answered. There were two panels after that.

I planned the break ahead. Well, it would be a crime to leave the festival without having a discourse with Prof. E.E Sule, right? I have read his novels, criticisms, keynote of the Association of Nigerian Authors 2019 convention. As a matter of fact, one of his novels, Makwala is one of the texts I am using for my thesis. A big secret is one of the reasons I attended the festival was to meet him! We spoke, and it was a rewarding discussion for me. Prof. Sule took his time to answer all my questions with additional details. Having read his criticisms often, I didn’t know I would be meeting an icon who is humble and always smiling. I felt bad I didn’t tell anyone to capture us during the dialogue. Someone showed me a picture of myself and Prof. E. E. Sule on Sunday. I was delighted. Happy. Relieved. I am still applauding that photographer. That picture is a summation of the discourse. That picture will live.

Somewhere along the line, we had some literary insertions in German literature where we got windows into the works of amazing authors like Bernhard Schlink (I love the story of his work in The Reader, which also has a movie!), Bertolt Bretcht, Thomas Mann, Günter Grass, Franz Kafka, and Herta Müller. It was later explained that the Goethe Institut was one of the key partners of the festival this year and part of their objectives is to promote German culture. Most of the people in the audience appreciated this aspect of the festival and hoped see more of other cultures reflected in our discussions.

The evening session was a blast too. There was a book unveiling by Afrika which was well attended. We also had songs, music and a drama rendition by Benue Poetry Troupe/SEVHAGE Team. They enacted an adaptation of Dul Johnson’s Melancholia as revisioned and directed by Su’eddie Agema. The session ended at 7pm, an hour earlier than projected.

Much later in the night, we had an outing that included several faces from Bash, Bentex, Umar Yogiza, Prof Sule, Prof Dul, Su’eddie, Afrika, Dr. Charles Iornumbe (the Director-General of Radio Benue), Atom Lim, Dr. Gabriel Nyitse (Chief of Staff to the Benue State Governor) and others. It was a feast! I finally had the popular Dirty Boy (Pork meat) into my bowels. We eventually left, really late, back to the hotel where I had a sound rest.

The third day was overwhelming. We had a million sessions on arts, social media and development, editing and publishing. My panel was missed. Painful. Prof. E.E Sule’s keynote speech was top-notch. At a point, I thought I was in some parliamentary session because of the variation of the theme, especially in his frequent reference to political happenings in the country. In his keynote address, Literature, Activism and The Contemporary Quest For A Leadership Revolution In Nigeria, he pinpointed how the notion of eloquence or language can move people. He talked on the subject of ‘virtuality’, which is now a trend to doing anything in the contemporary world. He also distinguished between ‘Literary Activism’ and ‘Street Activism.’ As such, the Writer should not just be confined to his fictional character but act on the need to relate with real characters on the street. Based on this stand, he concluded that our desire for a revolution cannot be sincerely attained in the virtual world. With this keynote, I was already having a filled festival, but there is yet the climax in the evening.

The final part of the festival was the performance poetry session which started with a discussion with Bash Amuneni moderated by Afrika. I was fascinated by Bash’s performance of a fine poem, Promise. After this, there was an art exhibition by Mfangu Baki. Next, the SEVHAGE Team announced the start of the E. E. Sule Prize for African Literary Criticism and then it was time for the festival slam. Seven contestants came forth, as the Slam Master, Anselm Sanusi read the rules. Three rounds of hot sauce; they served it hot for us. The contestants were unique in their style and their display of energy. But then, just a winner emerged: Hafsat Abdullahi. There was little to choose between her and Younglan Talyoung, who came second according to the judges’ ratings. The third was Umaru Kj Elizabeth.

There were announcements and we were done. It was really a reality that the festival ended that night. I thought we would proceed into the night with more sessions. Some mixed feelings. It didn’t end for my crew and I. We stepped out to have some fun. Makurdi is really an amazing place to behold at night. Cheers of fun. People tuning to their wit. Effective market in the night. Active clubs in illuminating lights. It was a soothing last night.

Same mixed feelings the next day. We had new company in the car, Hafsat and Sanusi. It was a smooth ride to Abuja. A cool Sunday evening. It all seemed like I spent a month in Makurdi. If I had my way, I would have stayed back for some time. The experience was unique. Friends and companies were real. The festival was real too. Indeed, it was a feast of too many things and something I look forward to again.