Why romance authors should be taken seriously.
Hello everyone
I was excited to be interviewed by Syncity NG about the role of the romance genre in literature, particularly African literature.
One of the things I hated growing up, was the scarcity of contemporary romance with African main characters. When I was a teenager, I used to walk around the market and bookshops, desperately searching for romance books that had brown people who looked like me on the front covers. I was frequently disappointed because the only romance novels populating our bookstores were Mills and Boons with non-African main characters.
This made me yearn for more. When I came across the pacesetters series in the early 90s and authors like Helen Ovbiagele, who showcased romance in books like Evbu my Love and A Fresh Start, I went wild with excitement like a kid in a candy store. That day, I purchased almost all the books there with my pocket money.
Since then, I have come across other authors like Kiru Taye, Nana Prah, Empi Darko, Lara Daniels, Somi Ekhasomhi who write about love in Africa. I wanted to be a part of that.
Continue for my Interview with SynCity NG
I think representation is an important and powerful thing. Glad more and more writers and writing about romance in Nigeria and other African countries.
Yes, I agree with you. I’m glad there is a slow increase of more Nigerians and Africans authors focusing on romance in Africa. There are many books about war and poverty in Africa but not many about the simple mundane things Africans experience like love and romance. There should be more.