Nduka Otiono
University of Alberta
Languages & Literature: English
In spite of globalization and modern aspects of existence in postcolonial Africa such as the Internet, oral modes of transmission of knowledge such as rumours/“street stories” are still very powerful and central to the production of knowledge and everyday life. This paradox of the postcolonial condition in Africa has influenced various studies focusing on oral literature in Africa, popular culture, African modernities, and media matters. Notwithstanding these scholarly efforts, “the concept of popular arts in Africa has yet to be [fully] theoretically constructed” as Karin Barber has stated.
This study seeks to expand the discourse of popular culture, postcoloniality, and oral literature in Africa by spotlighting and tracking one of the genres to which Barber refers. It is the “street story,” which has been ignored for a long time by scholars of postcolonial and African Studies. “Street stories” are mythopoeic oral texts or rumours produced and circulated within the postcolonial state, especially in the metropolis with its complex demographics. Their importance heightened especially during the dark days of military dictatorship in Nigeria when even the most innocuous public gatherings were prohibited through a Public Order Act that insisted on permissions for meetings and processions.
Lagos, Nigeria’s sprawling commercial capital is my case study. My research analyzes how these unofficial narratives (street stories) open up alternative expressions of civic responsibilities, justice, and human rights in the context of the government’s abdication of the social contract in the postcolonial “vampire state in Africa” (Frimpong-Ansah). The study addresses questions such as: What forms of empowerment and social justice emerge when ordinary citizens gather in pubs, bus stations, around public newspaper vending stands, and other arenas of socialization in the “public sphere”, and conduct impromptu ‘mock trials’ of rulers and traducers of human rights in the context of postcolonial tyranny? How do street stories mediate, and are mediated by the popular press? The significance of these street stories as a tool for political resistance can be gleaned from the state's censorship of popular newspapers, and regular public statements discouraging rumour mongering, as well as administering oaths of secrecy on public servants. In extreme cases, billboards have been posted at conspicuous locations in the city showing a citizen with a shut-up sign over his lips, and declaring: “Stop spreading rumours around.”
My primary texts comprise “street stories” already published in popular newspapers and magazines, or represented in Nigeria’s popular music and Nollywood video films. I complement these with texts obtained through extensive ethnomethodological fieldwork. I examine these texts using theories of oral literature, media, narratology, postcoloniality, and cultural studies. Such an interdisciplinary blend will enable me to dissect ways in which oral culture continues to influence the popular imagination and the production of knowledge in postcolonial Nigeria. The approach promises to offer more "reflection[s] on the association between narrative and the African imagination" as Abiola Irele puts it, generate more insights into the role of popular culture in participatory democracy, and reposition traditional oral literary studies in the light of important contemporary critical discourses.
 By turning the oft-derided and neglected rumour mill into a research machine, my dissertation will show that such overlooked social practices are capable of revealing what ordinary citizens think of the political elite, how they “use guerilla tactics against the strategies of the powerful, make poaching raids against their texts or structures, and play constant tricks against their system” to borrow from popular culture scholar, John Fiske.
What does it mean to you to be a Killam Scholar?
I am delighted to be honoured with a Killam Scholarship, the most prestigious graduate scholarship in Canada. Being a Killam scholar means a call to distinguish myself in my career, to contribute to knowledge and a better society in a most outstanding way. This is the passion that drives my work, a passion that is girded by the need to contribute to social justice and a truly egalitarian society.
How has Killam funding benefited you?
The Killam funding has enabled me to focus more on my research, assured that my basic financial needs are met. It has provided me the means for a vital field trip, and enabled me to procure some new research tools.
Why did you choose the University of Alberta?
I chose the University of Alberta for my current research because it is a world–class institution, hosting one of the best English and Film Studies Department in North America. The combination of English and Film Studies in one Department offers an uncommon program which I needed to explore my research interest in literary studies and popular culture. Complemented by Middle Eastern and African Studies (MEAS) and Comparative Literature Programs as sister units in the university, the U of A attracted me as an excellent place to pursue my research.
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