Creative Writing and Writers' Residencies by Nureni Oyewole Fadare, Ph.D.

 

CREATIVE WRITING AND WRITERS' RESIDENCIES

 

By

 

Nureni Oyewole Fadare, Ph.D. 

 

 

Department of English Language and Linguistics

Sokoto State University,

Sokoto

nureini.fadare@ssu.edu.ng

fadnur982@gmail.com

+2348070885707

 

KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT THE RECEPTION FOR EBEDI FELLOWS AT THE EBEDI INTERNATIONAL WRITERS RESIDENCY, ISEYIN, NIGERIA ON JANUARY 21 2023

 

Observation of Protocols

 

Introduction

 

I welcome our four eminent writers: Justica Anima (Ghana), Fatima Salihu (Nigeria), Anatu Ben-Lawal (Ghana) and Ramatoulie Onike Othman (Gambia), to the ancient and creative city of Iseyin for their four week writers’ residency. 

 

Today, most of us live in the big cities with all its challenges and stresses antithetical to a state of minds capable of bringing forth novel ideas that creativity requires; hence, the needs to seek for a serene environment outside the tumultuous city life to fulfil our writing dreams and career.

 

 Ebedi Writers Residency was established by our revered mentor and community leader, Hon. Dr. Wale Okediran, to create such avenue where writers can converge and concentrate on their creative writings.

 

 Creative Writing is an act of creating something new or novel out of our imagination based on our experience. The experience can be what we have read, seen, taught, etc. Nobody writes on what they have not read, taught, seen or experienced. 

 

It was the Romantic Poet William Wordsworth in his 1798 seminal titled Lyrical Ballads that defined poetry as “…spontaneous overflow of feelings…emotion recollected in tranquility.” Wordsworth was a Romantic poet alongside with his friend Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who were known in literary history as Romantic Poets.

 

 They wrote about nature; they glorify the beauty of nature and nature serves as a source of inspiration to them. Today, Ebedi Writers’ Residency is located beneath the Ebedi Hill in its majesty, serenity and ambience of tranquility. 

 

Therefore, there is no other better place to recollect our feelings and emotion in tranquility and have it pen down than here and now. Therefore you are welcome to Iseyin, E kaabo, Sannu da Suwa, Akwaaba, dal al jamm, Karibu, you are all welcome to Ebedi Writers’ Residency.

 

The Writers’ Residency

Writers’ Residency are created all over the world to create avenue for creative and academic writers to settle down and complete their on-going works or initiate a new one. 

 

Writers’ Residency is always located in a serene environment such as being located beside a lake, hill, resort, cottage or castle. Writing is a private affair and has to be carried out in a conducive atmosphere and environment.

 

 In the words of Virginia Woolf, a foremost English feminist writer and author of A Room of One’s Own, she said, “…a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” (p. 6) The argument here is that to have the right state of mind to write, one needs to be independent minded and be physically independent too (Veronica Suarez, 1). Such an atmosphere is created here at Ebedi Writers’ residency. 

Writers’ residency takes you out of the crazy and tumultuous city life. 

 

The bucolic ambience of the writers’ residency helps to ignite writers’ creativity and imagination. Again, it takes you out of your dependents and loved ones that might serve as distraction to you while writing. The migration, the longing for your loved ones all help to ignite your creative imaginations.

 

There are different policies guiding the operation of the Writers’ Residency. For instance, at City Writer Residency of Ottendorf at Gartenhaus am Sudawall, resident writers must relate with the members of the community just as we have at Ebedi Writers’ Residency. 

 

The same thing is applicable to Caversham Centre for Artists and Writers in Kwazulu Natal. Some writers’ residencies are fully sponsored, some are partly sponsored while writers have to pay in some instances. 

 

Types of Residencies

 

Writers Only Residency: This type of residency welcomes only those that are into literary works such as poetry, drama or prose. Mostly the residency are connected with the publishing houses. 

 

Multi-Disciplinary Writers’ Residency: This type of residency welcomes creative writers, academic writers, artists among others. Examples of such multi-disciplinary residency are: Tyrone Guthrie Centre or Capacete. Most big writers have participated in one writers. Residency or the others. 

 

Ebedi Writers Residency is a Multi-Disciplinary Writers’ Residency

 

Between MFA and Writers Residency

 

There is a difference between MFA (Master of Fine Arts) and Writers’ Residency. MFA programme is meant for a young scholar planning to go into academics and becomes professors. MFA programme includes attending classes, lectures, mentorship among others. Whereas, Writers’ Residency is organized for writers and, or academics to complete their creative or academic works. 

 

A typical example of MFA programme is  MFA Programme for Writers at Warren Wilson College which was established in 1976 by a renown poet and teacher Ellen Bryant Voigt.

 

For the avoidance of doubt, Ebedi Writers Residency was established as an interdisciplinary writers residency with focus on established writers and academics who are expected to work independently, complete a specific planned work and interact with the members of Iseyin community so that they can give back to the host community in terms of sharing of knowledge and mentoring the younger ones. 

 

It was not established as a training centre for the writers but a centre of comfort for writers to realize their dreams of completing their on-going research which might be difficult for them to achieve while at the comfort of their place of abode.

 

The Resident Writers in the Residency

The ultimate goal of the resident writers while staying at the residency is to meet up with their targets in completing chapters of their books, completing a story book, play or poetry as well as other related academic works. 

 

The resident writers should divide their period of staying into three and make judicious use of their time, before, during and after the residency.

 

Pre-Residency Period

Proposal: A would be writer must have a well written proposal that will set out the work plan while at the residency.

 

 The writer should set out a clear cut goal and ensure that the target and the expected works to be completed are within the capacity of the writer to be completed within a time frame of four (4) weeks.

 

Choose a Familiar Terrain to Work on: The prospective resident writer should choose a specific area that they are familiar with especially if it is pure academic work. Writing on a subject one is not familiar with makes the writing more tedious and strenuous.

 

Don’t be too Ambitious: You must set out the scope and limitation of your work; be specific on what you intend to write on. What matters is that you should come up with a specific, well written and publishable work at the end of the residency.

 

Writing and Research Materials: Ensure that you have enough writing materials as well as having a good computer to ease your writings. Be sure that your gadgets are in good shape to make your work easier.

 

During the Residency

Be Disciplined and Organised: For you to achieve your target goal, you need to be disciplined and organized. Be conscious of why you left your comfort zone and came to the residency.

 

 Keep to your work plan. Schedule your time: prayer time, breakfast, reading, tea-break, lunch, siesta, recreation time among others. 

 

Residency is not a period of holiday but work. Relate with others while focusing on the main reason that has brought you here.

 

Always have your writing materials with you: Even when you are sleeping, your writing materials should be with you so that you can jot down any new idea that comes to your mind.

 

Ensure you are committed to your Original Plan: Follow your original plan and ensure that you are actually working towards achieving your set goals.

 

Be Time Conscious: Always spend your time judiciously and avoid time wastage. Every time counts while at the residency. 

 

Always ask yourself, have I met with my target today? How much have I achieved today and how much more can I achieve before the closing of the day? My target is to write at least ten pages of my novel per day, have I achieved this or not?

 

Eat Good Food, Sleep and Rest: Do not over work yourself. Ensure that you eat well, sleep well and take your rest. All these will energize you and make you more productive.

 

Use Library Often: By the mention of library, some people would ask, do we have a library here? Yes, Iseyin is blessed with a world class library, Raji Oke-Esa Library which is well furnished and well located in a conducive environment.

 

 Again, there are a lot of online library that can  be consulted such as: z-library.org, Library Genesis, pdfdrive.com among others. 

 

There are also search engine that could be of help such as: Research Gate, Google, Google scholar, Academia, among others. Consult your physical and online library to validate your ideas while at the residency.

 

Mentorship: One of the main objective establishing this centre is to interact with the members of the immediate environment, through teaching, training the young ones, mentoring among others.

 

 Having social interaction with the members of the community will serve as the sign-posts and things that will linger-on in your minds years after you have left the residency.

Be Socialized: Spend your time well by meeting people and interact with people well. One of the precious advantages of travelling is that you meet people. 

 

You can also visit our tourists’ attraction centres such as: Ado-Awaye Suspended Lake, Osoogun, the home-town of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, Ikere George Dam, the Manor House, Aseyin of Iseyin Land Palace among others.

 

After the Residency:

 

Review Your Initial Work Plan: You need to review your plan in order to evaluate how judiciously or otherwise you have spent your time while at the residency.

 

Editorial Work: Ensure your work is thoroughly edited and prepare them for publication.

 

Assessor: Get a good assessor to assess your work objectively to ascertain whether or not they are suitable for publication.

 

Publication: Look for a good publisher and get your work published. Publishing your work will help the public to learn from the pool of your knowledge and research outputs.

 

Addendum: Towards an Effective and Efficient Ebedi Writers Residency

Many writers, both upcoming and well established writers have benefited from Ebedi Writers’ Residency and the task before us is how to sustain the programme. I have identified some areas that we need to work on for the sustenance of the Residency.

 

Funding: As much as I know, this residency is being solely sponsored by Dr. Wale Okediran. We may need to look at how to sustain this residency in the future by looking for alternative ways of funding it. International organizations, government at all levels and philanthropists can be contacted to support this noble cause.

 

Collaboration: The centre needs to collaborate with other necessary agencies and individual in order to develop the centre such as: media partnership, technical partnership, security, etc.

 

Establishment of Ebedi Writers Alumni: There is also a need a to have an Alumni Association for the centre where past writers would meet and discuss how the centre will be sustained for the benefits of next generations of writers.

 

Publicity: The residency needs more publicity. The events at the residency should be publicized though media. Good and wide publicity will attract goodwill to the centre.

 

Conclusion

My concern in today’s interaction is to look at Creative Writings and the Writers’ Residency. I tried to explain  what creative writings means and how it is exigent for us to have a writers’ residency where the ideas in the minds of the writers will be transformed into writing.

 

 I also looked at the differences between the MFA programme and the writers’ residency, and I argued that the main difference between writers’ residency and MFA is that MFA is more of a training ground for young scholars while a writers’ residency is meant for established writers to complete their ongoing work or initiate a new one.

I also discussed what the resident writer should do before, during and after the residency. 

 

An addendum was added on my suggestions on how to improve the residency. 

 

I hope you will enjoy your stay at Ebedi Writers’ Residency located in Iseyin, the ancestral home of Aso Oke. Ensure you move around and see the beauty of our great City.

Thank you and have a wonderful stay with us. 

 

 

Bibliographies

 

https://www.transartists.org/en/air/europ%C3%A4isches-%C3%BCbersetzer-kolloquim. Accessed on 20/01/2023

 

Suarez, Veronica, “Writing Residencies: What are they, and is it for you?” Retrieved from: https://www.readpoetry.com/writing-residencies-what-are-they-and-is-it-for-you/

 

“The MFA Program for Writers-Warren Wilson College.”

https://www.warren-wilson.edu/programs/mfa-in-creative-writing/

 

Wordsworth, William and Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, Lyrical Ballads London: J & A. Arch., 1798

 

Woolf, Virginia, A Room of One’s Own. London: Horgart Press, I929

 

Four Female African Writers For Ebedi International Writers Residency

FOUR FEMALE AFRICAN WRITERS FOR EBEDI INTERNATIONAL WRITERS RESIDENCY

 

Four female writers from Gambia, Ghana and Nigeria have arrived the Ebedi International Writers Residency in Iseyin, Nigeria to kick start the 2023 Writers Residency Year.

The Writers from Left to Right in the above picture are: Justica Anima (Ghana) Fatima Salihu (Nigeria) Anatu Ben-Lawal (Ghana) and  Ramatoulie Onike Othman  (Gambia)

The Writers who will be in  the Residency for 4 weeks will in addition to their Literary activities also mentor school children in their host community in the area of creative arts.

In its 13th year of operation, the Ebedi International Writers Residency is a private initiative for the free use of Writers and Artists.

Since its inception in 2010, the facility has hosted 180 writers from 12 African Countries.

Enquiries can be directed to derinjuwon@gmail.com. 

Travelogue: Djibouti; Embers of an African Writers Day Celebration By Wale Okediran

 

TRAVELOGUE:  DJIBOUTI; EMBERS OF AN AFRICAN WRITERS DAY CELEBRATION BY WALE OKEDIRAN 

                               

‘’Where the heck is Djibouti’’? was the first question on the lips of some Members of the Pan African Writers Association (PAWA) when I informed them about the venue of the 2022 International African Writers Day Celebration.  In response, I explained that the small country in the Horn of Africa is located on the western coast of the southern outlet of the Red Sea bordering Somalia to the southeast, Ethiopia to the south and west and Eritrea to the north.

 

 Unfortunately, the fact that Djibouti was bordered by Somalia and Ethiopia, two countries in the middle of sectional wars further raised security concerns about our destination. Matters were not helped by recent news of the activities of terrorist groups such as Al Shabaab and the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy (FRUD) in the region. However, I debunked the security concerns citing assurances of a safe and peaceful state as given by officials of our host country. 

 

Despite all my efforts to adequately market the venue of the Conference, the next question was an unusual one: ‘’How do we get there’’? Since I didn’t know whether or not the question was a joke, I answered cheekily; ‘’We can go by bus through the Grand Bara desert or sail by boat via the Red sea’’

 

However, by the time writers from 25 African countries arrived Djibouti by air after an overnight stop -over at the Addis Ababa Bole International airport Ethiopia, all the anxieties about their country of destination had vanished into the warm, windy and winsome tropical climate. As we stepped on the hot airport’s tarmac, we were hit by a dry gusty wind that plastered our clothes to our bodies. 

 

‘’This is our cool season with temperatures ranging between 22 to 30 degree Celsius’’ explained one of our guides. ‘’Our hot and dry season is May to October with temperatures ranging between 30 and 40 degrees with occasional hot and dry sand wind called ‘khamsin’. This is a good time to visit Djibouti’’ he added.

 

 Apart from the warm camaraderie with fellow writers who had flown into Addis Ababa the previous night from their various destinations, the VIP reception from Djibouti government officials at the Djibouti Airport had set a delightful tone for what would later become an excellent convergence of African writers. 

 

Obviously impressed by the beautiful airport, some of the writers brought out their mobile phones to take pictures, an action which drew the angst of Djibouti security officials. Unknown to us, photo and video shootings of infrastructure facilities in Djibouti were strictly prohibited. 

 

From the airport, it was a 15- minute drive to our hotel, the Les Acacias located by the Red Sea at the residential district of Heron. 

 

From the comfort of our air conditioned vehicle, we watched Djiboutians going about their daily tasks in the dry, tropical climate. 

 

Most of the people wore western clothes including the women who did not wear veils. This was a refreshing sight to some of the lady writers who were already in jean trousers. We were also informed that alcohol was available as long as its consumption was done decently. This was another cheering news for some of the writers, the ones who needed a daily dose of spirit to lubricate their throats and whet their inspiration. 

 

Djibouti which secured its independence from France in 1977, is one of the smallest countries in Africa, with an area of 23,200 square kilometers and a population estimated at about 1,000,000. The country is mainly composed of two ethnic groups, the Somali and the Afar.

 

 Although a largely import dependent country, Djibouti’s strength lies in its strategic location at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, marking a bridge between Africa and the Middle East. Adjacent to some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes (between Asia and Europe), it hosts military bases for France, the United States, Japan, China, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as well as for other countries with forces supporting global anti-piracy efforts. These military bases provide significant revenue to the country in the form of rents earning it about $125 million a year in rents from the US, China, France, Japan and Italy combined. 

 

The first event of the 4-day African Writers Day Conference was a welcome cocktail at the poolside of our new abode, the cozy and homely Acacias hotel. 

 

As I awaited the arrival of more writers to the event, I went on a walking tour of the hotel’s outdoor facilities. Next to the poolside was a well -stocked bar where some guests were busy enjoying their drinks while beautiful music boomed out of a wall sized screen that displayed the musician and a horde of dancers.

 

 In a secluded dimly lit section of the premises I chanced upon two hooded figures puffing away at a big cistern of Shisha. From there, a wooden jetty that extended into the sea took me away from the poolside into a starry night with a twilight view of the Red sea and some distant boats and ships.

 

 After savoring the seaside beauty for a while, I turned round to discover another jetty-like promontory where some guests could be seen enjoying candle lit dinners in private cubicles that had been built into the sea side projection. From the seductive lacy curtained interiors, beautiful music and the aroma of well spiced Arabian cuisine wafted into the rarefied night.

 

In addition to a literary offering of poetry readings and music, the welcome cocktail also offered writers the opportunity to celebrate the cultural and culinary diversities of the African continent.

 

 For example, our Somalian colleagues informed us that in Somalia the camel is celebrated in songs and folklore as a symbol of status and prosperity, and exchanged in marriages or to settle feuds. We were also regaled with the culinary beauty of camel meat and milk. As they put it; ‘’ for many Somalis, a taste of home means eating camel meat’’ 

 

We were equally informed that the camel is considered a gift from the gods because of its economical and nutritional importance for pastoral Somalis who live in a harsh and arid climate. In addition to providing a source of meat and dairy, the animals are employed as vehicles, laborers, and even as a type of currency.

 

The Literary cocktail also revealed that ‘Ewedu’ (Jute leaves) a favorite soup among the Yorubas in Nigeria is actually a common vegetable in parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East.  While the vegetable is known in Ghana as ‘Ayoyo’ it is referred to as ‘Delele’ in Zambia, and ‘Green Soup’ in Egypt. It was equally revealed on that starry evening in Djibouti that the vegetable which is alleged to have some medicinal properties could also act as thickeners in soups, stews and sauces.

 

The main conference later took place at the 300 capacity People’s Palace, a monument which is said to be a symbol of struggle for freedom of the people of Djibouti. According to information, the building which is a national symbol is made up of representative elements linked to the ideas of Djiboutian liberators and at the same symbolism that contains the shield of the nomad. Built in 1984 as a gift from the People's Republic of China (PRC), the building contains the Monument of Martyrs who died for the freedom of the Djiboutians from their French colonialists. 

 

The Keynote Lecture which dwelled on the theme of the Conference; African Literature in the New Normal: Technology and Creative Writing, paved the way for a robust discussion on the need for African writers to take advantage of the numerous available technological opportunities to propagate African Literature without losing their relevance as notable ambassadors of African culture.

 

Another highlight of the Conference was the presentation of the Grand Patron of The Arts award to the Special Guest of Honor to the conference, H.E. Ismail Omar Guelleh, President of the Republic of Djibouti who was physically present at the event. 

 

In his remarks, the President who himself is a writer affirmed the readiness of his government to support PAWA. As he put it; ‘’ We will like to encourage you and support you in your commitment to eradicate illiteracy to the promotion of literature in African languages,” he assured.

As expected, the African Writers took time off their conference to do a sight- seeing of the hitherto unknown country. One of the places visited was Djibouti’s  state-of-the-art port complex reputed to be among the most sophisticated in the world. 

 

The port serves as a key refueling and transshipment center, and is the principal maritime outlet for imports to and exports from neighboring Ethiopia. An estimated 2,500 ships are said to pass through and call through the port every day. 

 

It is strategically located at the crossroads of one of the busiest shipping routes in the world, linking Europe, the Far East, the Horn of Africa and the Persian Gulf. The economy of Djibouti relies heavily on the strategic location of its port since about a third of all daily shipping in the world passes the north-east edge of Africa.

 

Also visited was the Djibouti International Free Trade Zone (DIFTZ) which is currently under construction by China. Free trade zones are special economic areas, usually based around major ports, which allow for goods to be landed, stored, handled and manufactured under specific customs regulations and generally without customs duty. Judging from the tele-prompted designs, the writers were impressed by the futuristic completed project which is said will become Africa’s largest free trade zone when completed. The project which will span 4,800 hectares and offer dedicated logistics, retail, business support and processing is expected to generate an estimated 350,000 new jobs over the next ten years.

 

 It will also host the Djibouti Business District, a slick rendering facility that will jut out towards the sea, with cruise ships docked on the waterfront and buildings grouped around a series of concentric tree-lined boulevards. It will be a reminiscent of nearby cities of the Arabian- peninsula or in the words of Mr Yemi Edun, a UK based Property Expert and Guest of Honor to the Conference, ’the Hong Kong or Singapore of Africa’.

 

As writers, it was expected that we should also visit the National Library where the Director General (DG) of the National Agency for the Promotion of Culture, Dr Mohamed Houssein Doualeh was on hand to show us the artefacts, photographs and sculptors in the facility. The affable DG also sought the assistance of PAWA members to relate with the National Libraries of their respective countries.

 

The very important linkage between the history of Djibouti and France came to light during our visit to the Memorial Barracks of Djibouti. The facility which was commissioned by President Guelleh on June 26, 2022, had many memorabilia of the Djibouti’s uprising of September 14, 1966 against France. 

 

From the Memorial Barracks, we all trooped to the University of Djibouti for an interactive session with some of the 7000 –student population University. Even though some of the students could understand English, our literary engagement with the very enthusiastic and excited students was conducted mainly in French. 

 

At the end of the participation, PAWA officials reached an agreement with the University to facilitate the formation of a Writing and Reading Club in the 16- year old Institution. Our interaction with the students was followed by a courtesy visit to the University’s President, Djama Mohammed Hassan where we presented some books to the University Library.  

 

Our last official evening engagement was a Literary and Cultural event tagged, ‘African Night’. 

 

The rich and well organized event took place at the high brow Sheraton Hotel located on Plateau du Serpent within the Gulf of Tadjourah which was a walking distance from downtown Djibouti. It was indeed an evening to be remembered as different cultural groups treated us to traditional dances and music from several African countries such as Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Senegal among other countries. 

 

To spice up these iconic presentations, writers also gave poetry recitals and in some cases, musical renditions and impromptu dances. The event was concluded with a delicious buffet dinner that celebrated the culinary diversity of the Arab and African worlds.

Another surprising discovery about Djibouti was its enchanting landscape.

 

 As our hosts put it; “Djibouti is home to some of Africa's most incredible and otherworldly landscapes – the original Planet of the Apes was filmed here! The two lakes – Assal and Abbé – are the best of this, with amazing rock structures, limestone chimneys and gas belching from the ground’’. 

 

We were also informed that the country is internationally renowned as a geologic treasure trove. Located at a triple juncture of the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and East African rift systems, the country hosts significant seismic and geothermal activity.

It was for the above reasons that tourism in Djibouti is one of the growing economic sectors of the country which attracts tourists year round with its convenient beaches and climate. 

 

The main tourist activities are scuba diving, boat cruise on the Red sea, fishing, trekking and hiking, bird watching, sun, sea and sand.  

Out of these lot, we settled for a Boat cruise on the Red sea courtesy of Mr Houssein, the owner of our hotel, the Acacias Hotel. 

 

As we disembarked from the vehicle that had brought us to the Marina end of the Red sea to begin our cruise, some writers after a frightened look at the endless and massive sea, changed their minds about the cruise. The rest of us thereafter filed into Mr Houssein’s personal boat and after putting on our life vests, began the approximately two- hour trip on the ancient sea.

 

The Red sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. It has a surface area of roughly 438,000 km2 (169,100 mi2). It is about 2250 km (1398 mi) long, and — at its widest point — 355 km (220.6 mi) wide. It has an average depth of 490 m (1,608 ft). It is the world's northernmost tropical sea, and has been designated a Global 200 ecoregion.

 

As we cruised on the large mass of blue water, the boat driver increased the speed of the boat’s engine making the boat to rise and fall with succeeding sea waves in a breath taking style much to the delight of the passengers.

 

 As we continued sailing in this exhilarating way, some of the warm and salty water sprayed into our faces to confirm the fact that the Red sea is one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world. Its saltiness is due to high evaporation and low precipitation since no significant rivers or streams drain into the sea while its southern connection to the Gulf of Aden, an arm of the Indian Ocean, is said to be very narrow. 

 

‘’Are there sharks in the sea’’? I asked Ibrahim our very affable guide who had been pointing out various landmarks on the sea to us.

 

 Some of the landmarks were some islands as well as well some security posts on the waterway. ‘’Yes, but the sharks are very friendly. They don’t attack tourists’’ he said.

 

We also passed large stationary ships flying the flags of countries such as France, Germany, Italy among others. Many of the ships were fitted with large guns and sophisticated telecommunication masts ‘’The ships are carrying security personnel against terrorists and sea pirates’’ Ibrahim said. 

 

Although blue in color,  it is believed that the name, Red sea may signify the seasonal blooms of the red-coloured Trichodesmium erythraeum near the water's surface. A theory favored by some modern scholars is that the name red is referring to the direction south, just as the Black Sea's name may refer to north.

 

 The basis of this theory is that some Asiatic languages used color words to refer to the cardinal directions. The Red Sea is one of four seas named in English after common color terms – the others being the Black Sea, the White Sea and the Yellow Sea. 

 

 After four exhilarating days of good food, pleasant sceneries and wonderful people, it was time to go home.

 

 The question now on the lips of many of the writers was no longer ‘’Where the heck is Djibouti’’ but ‘’Why the heck are we leaving Djibouti’’. I assured my colleagues that His Excellency, President Ismail Omar Guelleh, had promised to make our visit an annual event. Next time, we shall have more fun. 

 

Hopefully, camel meat will be on the menu and we can go scuba diving to the warm embrace of the friendly sharks.