Embassy of Ecuador partners Abuja Writers Forum at the launch of ‘CASABE LANDS/PAIS CASSAVA’ book
The Ambassador said that to publish a book of stories is a story by itself. “This one began when my friend Chuwuma Nzeh, from the Young Journalist Forum who asked me if I would like to give a lecture about Ecuadorian Contemporary Literature, I said yes without any doubt. Later I received an invitation from the President of the Abuja Writers Forum, Dr. Emman Usman Shehu’’.
He also said that he prepared to make the lecture with a lot of passion. During the event he could see the interest of young people in literature and in the activities of the Forum so at the end of the lecture, he proposed to make a contest to choose short stories from Nigerian writers and make a selection of Ecuadorian writers so they could be published together as a bilingual anthology. The Embassy got the contact of Mr. Rick Segreda a passionate person from Ecuadorian Literature that sponsors a website of Ecuadorian Literature in English.
‘Mr. President, of the Abuja Writers Forum was very receptive and with the help of Professor Zaynab Alkali, Friday Ejilogo and George Bala served as Judges to select the Nigerian stories. Through Mr. Segreda, the Ecuadorian Embassy reached Mrs. Kimrey Bats an American translator, who lives in Quito. She contacted me with the Editor German Gacio Baquiola, who had selected the Ecuadorian writers from an Anthology that his Editorial The Fall had published recently’.
The Ambassador during the launch highlighted that every human project has a lot of effort behind it, an idea, planning, human resources, budgeting and a lot of work. He also thanked to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of Ecuador through the Director of Culture, Patrimony and Tourism who supported this project. He also informed the audience that that same day in the morning, the Ministry had
prepared a similar event in the headquarters, in Quito, as an event of commemoration of the afrodescendant decade named by UNESCO.
The President of the Abuja Writers Forum, Dr. Emman Shehu Usman also addressed all present about the importance of executing such vision and mentioned that the Abuja Writers Forum was founded ten years ago as an effort to support literature with Guest Writer Sessions, Critique Sessions Creative Writing Workshops, Dugwe On Line literary Journal and other. Finally he thanked the Embassy for the support.
