For us Africans, literature must serve a purpose: to expose, embarrass, and fight corruption and authoritarianism.
AMA ATA AIDOOFor us Africans, literature must serve a purpose: to expose, embarrass, and fight corruption and authoritarianism.
AMA ATA AIDOOAfter all, if we look closer into ourselves, shall we not admit that the warmth from other people comes so sweet to us when it comes, because, we always carry with us the knowledge of the cold loneliness of death?
AMA ATA AIDOOLife is inspirational; sometimes it comes from the most unlikely places.
AMA ATA AIDOOOnce in a while I catch myself wondering whether I would have found the courage to write if I had not started to write when I was too young to know what was good for me.
AMA ATA AIDOOO yes, everyone gets lonely some time or other.
AMA ATA AIDOOSoyinka’s Death at Dawn, Auden’s Musée des Beaux Arts, Stevie Smith’s Not Waving but Drowning and Wislawa Szymborska’s Some People come to mind immediately. But there are plenty, plenty more that I enjoy.
AMA ATA AIDOOIt is a matter of some interest, that the only other volume A Mouth Sweeter Than Salt reminds one of is Ake, by Wole Soyinka. What is it about these Yorubas?
AMA ATA AIDOOIt is understandable why the African artist is utilitarian.
AMA ATA AIDOOOnce an interesting idea or theme occurs to me then I would want to write a poem about it. The rest, frankly, is not difficult.
AMA ATA AIDOOThere are powerful forces undermining progress in Africa. But one must never underestimate the power of the people to bring about change.
AMA ATA AIDOOI’ve written poems about gifts.
AMA ATA AIDOOGhana is like a lion without a head
AMA ATA AIDOOIts a sad moment, really, when parents first become a bit frightened of their children.
AMA ATA AIDOONo matter what anybody says, we can’t have it all. Not if you are a woman. Not yet.
AMA ATA AIDOOToyin Falola has given us what is truly rare in modern African writing: a seriously funny, racy, irreverent package of memories, and full of the most wonderful pieces of poetry and ordinary information.
AMA ATA AIDOOthe best way to sharpen a knife is not to whet one side of it only. And neither can you solve a riddle by considering only one end of it.
AMA ATA AIDOO