Mbari Series: Prof. Emeka Aniagolu, Prof. Razinat Mohammed, Others To Headline June Edition 

By Wole Adedoyin 

         The prestigious Mbari Series continues to be at the forefront of intellectual discourse and the upcoming June edition promises to be a captivating event. Renowned scholars and distinguished personalities will converge at the Femi Osofisan Secretariat, Chinua Achebe Int’l Conference Centre, Mamman Vatsa Writers Village, Mpape, Abuja, Nigeria, on Saturday, 24th June, 2023, for a thought-provoking discussion on the theme “A Nation in Dire Need of Innovation: Literature as the Answer.” 

        Headlining the event will be the esteemed Prof. Emeka Aniagolu, the author of twenty works of fiction and non-fiction. He was a Professor in the Black World Studies of Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, where he taught African and African-American History and Politics. Emeka Aniagolu’s first novel, Black Mustard Seed, is critically acclaimed by major scholars in the field of African Literature (including the greatest African novelist, Chinua Achebe). It was nominated for the Commonwealth Writers Prize in August of 2002.  Blood and other Stories( 2021), A New Lie and Other Poems (2021), a reference text, Intra-gender Relations between Women: A Study of Nawal El-Saadawi and Buchi Emecheta’s Novel (Lambert Academic Publication, 2012) and Female Representation in Nigerian Literature www.africanwriter.com among others. She is currently, Head of Department of English and Literary Studies, University of Abuja, Nigeria. Other panel of discussants for this edition comprises a diverse group of accomplished individuals, including Dr. Lois Otse Adams, Dr. C.P. Ojukwu, Andrew Bula and Chimnemezu Nwaeze. 

         The event will be expertly moderated by Prof. Udenta O. Udenta, a distinguished scholar and public intellectual who has dedicated his career to fostering critical engagement with literature and culture. Assisting him as moderators will be Mr. Taiwo Akerele, immediate past Chairman of ANA Abuja and Abdur Rahman Aderinoye (ARA), former Chairman of ANA Kwara.