Kufre FriesenhanThere are still so many stories untold from the Niger Delta.
Kufre Friesenhan: Dear Kaine Agary, thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Does it surprise you that eighteen years after the publication of Yellow-Yellow, your first work of fiction, there is continued interest in it? What do you perceive as the reason for this?
Kaine Agary: Yes, it does shock me, but it makes me happy that there is continued interest in the story. Yellow-Yellow, the book, surpassed my expectations. It was born out of frustration over the fact that, at the time, there was only one story about the Niger Delta being told. I met Nigerians from other parts of Nigeria who did not understand the impact of the oil industry on life in the Niger Delta and did not appreciate the “agitation.” The stories about the Niger Delta centred around the activities of militants, but there were other things going on in the Niger Delta that were just as important but were not getting much media coverage. At the time, I was working as a consultant and doing research writing primarily for academic institutions – a very limited audience – and I felt the need to broaden my audience.
K. F: The protagonist’s journey and growth are interesting to follow alongside the strong women who nourished her, like her mother, Sisi, Madam George, and the sisterhood they built. Was this informed by real-life Amazons while growing up?
K. A: Definitely! I grew up around many phenomenal women, within and outside my family, and they all informed these characters.
K. F. As a novel that is set in the Niger Delta, it is not far-fetched to expect an oil encounter in the narrative. Why was it important that Zilayefa’s pivotal encounter with oil in its materiality opens the novel for the reader? Although it can be argued that oil reappears throughout the protagonist’s journey, can you speak to the authorial choice of placing that significant first encounter in the first chapter of the work? I often return to “there was so much oil, and we could do nothing with it – viscous oil that would not dry out, black oil that was knee-deep” (4) as the metaphor for oil extraction in the Delta. Is there an experience that motivated this opener?
K.A. As I said earlier, Yellow-Yellow was a reaction to the limited understanding of the impact of oil exploitation in the Niger Delta. At the time, in my opinion, because most of the visuals from the Niger Delta were of militants and the creeks and pipeline explosions, people were disconnected from the human element of the condition in the Niger Delta. After only about five years of being away, the Port Harcourt I returned to was not the same Port Harcourt that I grew up in, and after a while, it wasn’t difficult to see that some of the change was attributable to the oil industry. Because women were not fully represented in the Niger Delta story at the time. It was almost like no other group of people, but militants existed in the Niger Delta. With the focus on militants blowing up pipelines, kidnapping, etc., it didn’t seem like there was much interest in hearing about the women who could not farm or fish because their land had been affected by oil spills or how social norms and hierarchies were changing. Women were dealing with changes to their social structures and their way of life, and they were trying to speak about their experiences, but their voices were muffled by the sounds of violence. So, representing that voice was important to me.
K.F. The consequences of boom towns in an oil zone like the Niger Delta are not talked about nearly enough. The high influx of oil workers, the transient nature and demands of the jobs, coupled with social disorders and a rise in crime and domestic abuse in oil zones like the Niger Delta, makes it a serious issue that should be identified and properly managed. In chapter two, the reader is introduced to the circumstances surrounding the protagonist’s birth, while the extractive impulse of boom towns on young girls, women, and the underprivileged is taken up in a later chapter. What inspired the inclusion of this delicate subject? Could you speak to the code of denial or silence surrounding such matters in the region?
K. A. These were issues that I encountered as I was writing generally about gender-related issues in Nigeria. Most of the work I was involved in was generally focused on a more global level, i.e., regionally or nationally, issues around women and development in Nigeria. However, I couldn’t ignore these other issues that I was encountering, that people were quietly talking about. At the time, I made frequent trips to Bonny, and I was intrigued by some of the conversations I would overhear. The NLNG presence in Bonny resulted in expatriate presence, which arguably created a market for sex workers from near and far. So, as other service businesses were thriving in Bonny, so was the sex trade. The women were providing a service as well. A service that I knew would have ramifications for the larger society, even if I couldn’t fully express what those ramifications would be. From what I was told, it was the same in other places like Nembe, where they also had a high influx of oil workers. I spent a lot of time people-watching in my travels around the region, and probably because I was coming back with fresh eyes, I noticed little things. Even though I grew up in Port Harcourt, I was almost a stranger again and fascinated by these little things. Luckily, I still had childhood friends in Port Harcourt who had been there as the city transformed, so what I didn’t understand, they helped to fill in the gaps.
K. F. Interesting. Your adept maneuvering of landmines, like the complex politics and sentiments around bi-raciality and colorism in a post-colonial society such as Nigeria, must be commended. I’m certain that Zilayefa’s struggle with her identity resonates deeply with readers far and near. Why was bi-raciality a central focus in your writing? And when did you know the story would revolve around a biracial character?
K.A. I’ve always found it interesting how different societies view bi-racial people. Their place in society differs depending on where in the world you are. In my corner of the world, when I was growing up, bi-racial people, particularly those who were fathered by foreigners, were referred to in derogatory terms. Seeing young bi-racial children in many different places in Port Harcourt was unexpected and made me wonder what issues they may have to deal with in the next twenty years. When you are bi-racial, your complexion is your story. People can and do make judgments about how you came to be just from your skin. Whether you are at an advantage or a disadvantage because of that, or it has no impact, depends on where you are. And so, in these oil areas, I wondered what the impact on the children of absent oil-worker fathers would be. It’s an issue that I wanted to address in some way, and I thought this story was a great vehicle to do that.
K.F. Indeed it is. Thank you for shining a light on these significant issues. Finally, is writing and denouncing issues like extractive violence, ecological despoilment, pollution and the loss of biodiversity in the Delta enough? What more can be done in terms of sustainability, environmental justice and the future of the Niger Delta?
K. A. I don’t think it’s enough. There are still so many stories untold from the Niger Delta related to these issues. So many stories, good and bad, but all important to complete the telling of the region’s history. Unfortunately, I am not optimistic about the future of the Niger Delta, but I think it may be my overall lack of optimism for Nigeria. Activism and advocacy can only go so far without political backing. Until the region’s leadership prioritizes its people, sustainability and environmental justice will continue to be buzzwords that we throw around in discourse and hold expensive conferences about without much impact.
K. F. Thank you so much for your time and contribution.
Kaine Agary is a lawyer currently using her writing skills at the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York. Her debut novel, Yellow-Yellow, won the coveted NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature in 2008. Yellow-Yellow was the first debut novel to win the prize.
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