Ebedi open to collaboration with federal, state govts to promote literature

‘Ebedi open to collaboration with federal, state govts to promote literature’

By Adewale Oshodi On Aug 1, 2019

Joshua Macdell Koffi Sackey is the manager of Ebedi International Writers Residency in Iseyin, Oyo State. In this interview with Adewale Oshodi, he speaks on how the residency has been faring and its expectation from the government. Excerpt:

Despite all challenges, Ebedi International Writers Residency is still thriving, what is the secret?

There is no secret other than the support and commitment of its founder, Dr Wale Okediran, to the cause of literature in the country. The founder, being a writer himself, knows the importance of quality time to the development of literature, and that is why he is passionate about Ebedi. This is his contribution to literature in Africa, as we have been hosting writers from different parts of Africa. A lot of writers have passed through Ebedi and they admitted that they were able to achieve a lot with their works while here.

Coming to the issue of hosting writers from all over Africa, is it a policy of Ebedi or what?

The news of what we are doing here has travelled all over Africa and the world, and that is why we keep getting requests from writers from all over Africa who want to come to Ebedi for their residency. One good thing for African writers is that, apart from having a conducive environment to work in, they also have the opportunity of visiting a new country, and that is also a draw for many writers. We have had writers from Ghana, Cameroon, South Africa, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and recently, we had a writer from The Gambia. These people also used the opportunity to enjoy a new country and culture. In fact, what many of them experience in Nigeria is usually different from what they hear about the country on news and social media in their various countries. It is when they get to Nigeria that they realise how peaceful and loving the people are, and it can be said that Ebedi is also involved in image laundering for the country. We hope very soon, we will have writers from other parts of the world as well, not just African writers.

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