The Canon 65 Years Later. Nigerian Literature and the Post-Colonial Perspective

In recognition of Nigeria’s 65th year of independence, Princeton’s Nigerian Student Association — in collaboration with the Lewis Center for the Arts — hosts The Canon 65 Years Later, an event dedicated to exploring how Nigerian postcolonial identity has been constructed via the stories that have succeeded independence. This event features Lola Shoneyin, Helon Habila, and Nnedi Okorafor. By placing some of the most prominent figures in third-generation Nigerian literature in conversation with one another, we hope to probe at the nuances that accompany postcolonial writing — i.e., tribal identities, writing in a colonial language, writing from the diaspora, and writing in resistance — and provide a roadmap for looking forward to the coming years of the Nigerian postcolonial storytelling — what strides have been made? What more can we do as a diaspora of passionate artists? All in all, this event will offer the Princeton community an opportunity to explore the relationship between post-coloniality, creativity, and the building of nationhood in Nigeria’s story.

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Co-hosted with: Princeton Institute for International & Regional Studies, Program in African Studies, Program in Translation and Intercultural Communications (OWNER)

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