When old people speak it is not because of the sweetness of words in our mouths; it is because we see something which you do not see.

A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing

When mother-cow is chewing grass its young ones watch its mouth

We live in a society that is in transition from oral to written. There are oral stories that are still there, not exactly in their full magnificence, but still strong in their differentness from written stories. Each mode has its ways and methods and rules. They can reinforce each other; this is the advantage my generation has - we can bring to the written story something of that energy of the story told by word of mouth.

What I can say is that it was clear to many of us that an indigenous African literary renaissance was overdue. A major objective was to challenge stereotypes, myths, and the image of ourselves and our continent, and to recast them through stories- prose, poetry, essays, and books for our children. That was my overall goal.

A functioning, robust democracy requires a healthy educated, participatory followership, and an educated, morally grounded leadership.

People go to Africa and confirm what they already have in their heads and so they fail to see what is there in front of them.