Caine Prize Interview: Monica Arac de Nyeko
Molara Wood interviews Ugandan writer, Monica Arac de Nyeko, short-listed for the 2007 Caine Prize for African Writing.
How and why did you become a writer?
I suppose you read all these books in school and get fascinated by the process of their coming into being and then sort of start the process of your own creations. I write to understand myself, the world around me, the things that have come and passed and those that are yet to come.
You are a member of a member of the Uganda Women Writers Association (FEMRITE). What difference has the group made to the literary scene in your country?
FEMRITE has definitely had a positive impact on the Ugandan literary scene, particularly in forging a space for women’s voices to be heard. Perhaps as recently as the mid nineties there was a clear absence of women’s writing. FEMRITE came in, stormed the writing scene and is now a remarkable addition to our literary landscape.
You are from the Kitgum district in Northern Uganda, a region that has been affected by war since the mid-eighties. War and conflict seem to be a real concern in your writing.
Yes, displacement of both the body and mind because of armed conflict. This forms quite a regular backdrop in my fiction because it is an immediate reality for me. It has been ever present throughout my growing up and even now. It’s just one of those things that you have to deal with because it is there; and there are no short cuts as to how it affects you, home, the people you love, their histories, the future and your collective memory.
What other concerns are there for you as a writer?
I write about everything really. I am Arac, a woman, Acoli, Ugandan, a daughter, an aunt, a sister – all these things shape my existence and fascinate me.
You were short-listed for the Caine Prize back in 2004 for your story, Strange Fruit. Can you describe the experience?
Definitely exciting and I made some wonderful friends. It was just a wonderful time to hear new voices and relate, be challenged and to share.
War is the major theme in Strange Fruit. What inspired the story? I am also interested in the inter-textuality with Billie Holiday’s song of the same title.
It’s not war alone. It is about violence yes – but you can say Strange Fruit is more about loss. It is also about love, commitment and time (and what it can do to the human condition) in the backdrop of a very complex reality. I am a Billie Holiday fan and I love the way her songs explore the often difficult realities that surround us – in this case the story explores emotional lynching that scars the characters, violence and dispossession very much like Billie’s song does.
You are on the shortlist for the Caine Prize again this year, for your story, Jambula Tree.
Jambula Tree is about loving against a very strong tide - society. Its just one of those stories that chooses you, you don’t choose it.
How do you feel you have evolved as a writer since your first appearance on the shortlist?
It’s great to be on the list twice because ultimately then and now – I am still fascinated by the idea of wanting to tell a story. If that is growth then that’s my evolution. Wanting to write more and more...
Jambula Tree can be found in the Ama Ata Aidoo edited Anthology, African Love Stories , published by Ayebia.
The shortlisted writers will be reading their work at the Purcell Room, on 8 July, as part of the London Literature Festival .
The 2007 Caine winner will be announced at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, on 9 July.