Camouflage – Best of Contemporary Writing from Nigeria edited by Nduka Otiono & Odoh Diego Okenyodo; Second Edition 2021 (First Edition 2006); Treasure Books, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria; 327pp

By Uzor Maxim Uzoatu

Nigerian writers have won all the coveted prizes in world literature – Nobel, Booker, Orange, Caine, Commonwealth, etc. This anthology, Camouflage – Best of Contemporary Writing from Nigeria, was first published in 2006, and this second edition has been released as a 15^th Anniversary offering in 2021, with the addition of a short story by Ike Okonta, entitled, “The Fate of Yala Street.” There are 71-odd contributors to the anthology drawn from all sections of the country. Some of the writers featured in the first edition have since passed away, notably, Pius Adesanmi, Nike Adesuyi, Adolphus Amasiatu, Halima Lawal, and Simeon Chibiko Nwakaudu.

The writers on offer in Camouflage – Best of Contemporary Writing from Nigeria, are, indeed, the who’s who of new Nigerian writing, such as: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Helon Habila, Chika Unigwe, Afam Akeh, amu nnadi, B.M. Dzukogi, Maryam Ali, Amatoritsero Ede, Victor Ehikhamenor, James Eze, Chiedu Ezeanah, Ismail Bala Garba, Ogaga Ifowodo, Nengi & Bina Nengi-Ilagha, Toni Kan, Akeem Lasisi, Razinat T. Mohammed, David Odinaka Nwamadi, Nkechi Nwosu-Igbo, Obi Nwakanma, Uche Nduka, Maik & Angela Nwosu, Uchechukwu G. Nwosu, Chinyere Obi-Obasi, Nonye Bethel Obiukwu, Sunday Enessi Ododo, Crispin Oduobok, Patrick Tagbo Oguejiofor, Tolu Gbenga Ogunlesi, Chuks Okei Ohai, Promise Okekwe, Odoh Diego Okenyodo, Onookome Okome, Pita Okute, Nduka Otiono, Lola Shoneyin, E.E. Sule, Sumaila Isah Umaisha, Uche Peter Umez, Emmanuel Onyedi Wingate, Wisdom Anierobi, Ike Okonta etc. I weighed in with my short story, “Tough Guys Write Poetry”.

Camouflage – Best of Contemporary Writing from Nigeria is a hefty anthology of poetry and short fiction, with the only drama piece being the playlet, “The Trials of Ken Saro-Wiwa (or Saro-Wiwa’s Ghost) by Helon Habila. A remarkable feature of the anthology is the short story “Half of a Yellow Sun” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie that gave birth to the award-winning novel of the same title.

Let’s end on the note of the eminent critic, Professor Chris Dunton, who writes: “Nigeria is the powerhouse of African literature and here, in Camouflage, is the evidence.”

Uzor Maxim Uzoatu is a renowned poet, journalist, and author.

Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.