Interview with Elnathan John

Religion is ever present in the theatres of violence: Elnathan John chats with Isidore Diala

“…Adept both in the traditional and new media, John has published in Per Contra, ZAM Magazine, Hazlitt, Evergreen Review, The Economist, The Guardian , and the Chimurenga Chronic. Twice shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing (in 2013 for the short story “Bayan Layi” and in 2015 for another story entitled “Flying”), John was runner-up for the Nigeria Prize for Literature in 2016 for his first novel, Born on a Tuesday , and winner of a Betty Trask Award for the same novel in 2017.…”

“…He recognizes this routine conflation of the secular and the sacred as a boon to the artist: to the satirist a virtually inexhaustible source of humour, and to the dramatist an ample theatrical arena peopled by a pool of dramatis personae torn apart by their dual propulsions towards antithetical roles. John notes that the powerful in Nigeria play “twin roles as both political and moral authorities”, and often support their political roles by dramatizing their “connections to faith and public acts of worship” (2017: 93). He discerns how such a situation “provides insight into motives and posturing among a population whose only solace, in a terribly mismanaged country, is often faith and the support systems provided by organized religion” (93).…”

“…The social injustices prevalent in the system of the failed state and the abject poverty bred by a virtually institutionalized corruption and mismanagement aggravate the political situation further by producing aggrieved young people susceptible to extreme religious ideologies especially when these purportedly promise otherworldly salvation. This is the complex context in which John firmly locates the germs that breed militant groups like Boko Haram: “The mix of a radical religious ideology, local economic and social injustices, an unhealthy fusion of religion and politics, and a ready supply of foot soldiers due to poverty and deprivation exist and have existed for a while in many parts of northern Nigeria” (2017: 90). Mike Smith similarly traces Boko Haram to Nigeria’s complex history, its deeply entrenched corruption that has frustrated its potentials to greatness and creating instead agonizing poverty for a majority of its citizenry, and its poorly educated and unemployed youths (2015: 5).…”

“…‘Allah’ is one such word. To replace ‘Allah’ with ‘God’ would be to strip it of the sound, context, and history that give it its meaning and texture” (2017: 93). Such sensitivity is a defining attribute of John’s writing in Born on a Tuesday and motivated his reading of sections of the novel even before its publication to Muslim audiences in order to appraise their responses.…”

“…In the Research in African Literatures interview, John had affirmed his deference for aesthetic craft but noted: “The craft, important as it is, is a means to an end in [ Born on a Tuesday ]. The end is an understanding of my characters and their world” (2017: 92). In this interview, he underscores his striving to locate his characters’ experience and their world at the core of the human lot.…”