By Unoma Azuah

Bilkisu Abubakar is one Northern Nigeria female writer, who has employed the tool of creative writing in engaging the discourse of religion, gender and polygamy in the predominantly  Islamic North. In this conversation with United States of Americas based literary scholar and writer, Unoma Azuah, how she has successfully done this with her two novels :To Live Again and The Woman in Me. Excerpt:

Tell us a bit about yourself. When did you start writing and what inspired your writing?

I was born and raised in Kaduna, where I had my Primary and Secondary education, and I started writing about fifteen years ago as a housewife. I came into writing by chance. It was not necessarily because I had always loved writing, but because I was lonely and unhappy. It mostly started because I resorted to recording my pains and passions in my diary.

But today I can tell you proudly that I am passionate about writing. It so happens that some of us are born into writing and some others stumble upon it. And several factors inspire my writing. Most of these factors are stirred by my immediate community, life of the people, especially the lives of Muslim woman and how they negotiate challenging paths in a conservative Northern Society.  I am part of the system and identify with their plights. On the other hand, I am not trying to suggest that our dilemma is in any way different from the general human predicament.  It is all part of the human nature.

How has your writing been received, especially in your Northern region?
Alhamdullilah, my writing has received more attention and interests than I could have ever imagined, even though some people in some quarters have speculated that I am against polygamy. I, however, disagree with that hypothesis. I am born and raised in a polygamous environment.

It is part of who I am, so how can I be against it. What I am against is the exploitation of marriage. In other words, the hubs of a good number of the themes I explore look at how the institution of marriage is abused, hence, perhaps the subsequent high rate of divorce. I am myself a product of polygamy and it could be a very wonderful thing.

Bilkisu Abubakar

Two of your novels are about to be released in a few days and then launched in Kaduna, your home state, in a few weeks. That’s commendable. Can we have a peek into these narratives?

My first book, “To Live Again,” was published in 2007, a second edition is ready. It tells the story of a young woman, Uwani, who defied her father to marry the man she loves. The man, however, couldn’t reciprocate the love and loyalty she offered him. Hence, Uwani goes through a lot of trials in the marriage. Yet he gets rid of her as soon as he comes into riches and power: Uwani drops below his status. So he opts for other women whom he finds more befitting of his social status.

Determined not to let the pains of divorce and the task of raising two children pull her down, Uwani pushes on. She goes in pursuit of education. At long last, she achieves success and enjoys love again. The second book, “The Woman in Me,” is my newest work. It traces the lives of a couple, Ibrahim and Rosamond. As a young boy, Ibrahim’s life takes a turn for the better when he leaves the rural north of Nigeria to live as a house help with an Indian family in the city.

He eventually ends up in England and becomes a medical doctor through the assistance of his wife Rosamond. Rosamond’s ancestry is shrouded in a maze of lies and deceit, and this plays a major role in the unraveling the plot of this work. The climax of the narrative is hinged on the fact that when news of Ibrahim’s mother’s deteriorating health condition gets to them, Ibrahim insists that the whole family should visit Nigeria for two weeks, but weeks turn into months and months to years. And as Rosamond struggles to adjust to her new environment, the man she loves transform into a stranger.

What has been your experience as a female writer from the Northern part of Nigeria?
The writing experience has been quite taxing because in my attempt to share, explore and give a voice to subjects that mostly affect women some tend to think that one is out for one of those feminist struggles, whatever the agenda may be. Nonetheless, things are gradually taking a new turn and writers are beginning to gain acceptance and are beginning to reach wider horizons. As a writer, in the regional context— region here being Northern Nigeria, my first novel, “To Live Again,” has done well. It has for example motivated some women to wake up and do something worthwhile.

As a female writer, how does your writing engage your feminity and your community?
Part of the platform my writing has offered me is the opportunity to meet and converse with women who are troubled; we talk about how to move forward, mostly divorcees and widows. In that way as well, my place and role as a female writer finds a space to reach out to other women, thereby engaging my community as a whole, because ultimately women are the mothers and nurturers of our society.

How would you describe the state of writing from Nigeria today?
I am excited about the buzz Nigerian writing is creating both at home and around the world; unfortunately, I think that there is still a gap between writers from the North and those from the South. Writers from Northern Nigeria need more support and more exposure, perhaps. For some reason it is glaring that writers from the South have more advantage over those of us from the North particularly women. In our own little corners, we can and are contributing to the need for education and the fulfillment literacy ultimately gives. Hopefully with time more people, be it men, women and children will aspire to become writers by buying into the message of reading and writing.  The message of literacy is such that everybody should be a part of the crusade.

Any final thoughts, especially for aspiring writers?
My final thought on the issue of writing and aspiring writers is that those who are writing should remain focused while at the same time keeping up with literary happenings around them. It is also paramount that writers remain readers as a way of improving their craft.

Above all, writers both emerging and established, should constantly believe in themselves even while remaining humble and true to their calling as writers. I am keeping the faith by trying to write as much as I can. It has not particularly been easy but all the efforts have yielded fruits: a number of upcoming projects. For instance, I am putting some final touches to my third novel and a collection of short stories. It is my hope that they will be available soon; Insha Allahu.