On #GhanaLit Chat with Nii Ayikwei Parkes

I organised a Twitter chat, with the Ghanaian poet and novelist Nii Ayikwei Parkes, as part of Ghanaian Literature Week.   We chatted, using the hashtag #GhanaLit,  from 8pm GMT to 9:15pm.  About 35 people actively participated  by sending tweets.  Perhaps countless more just read the timeline.

I thank Nii Ayikwei Parkes for graciously agreeing to be questioned.  And I thank all those who participated.  I think we all enjoyed ourselves.  Frankly, it was quite exciting!

I present, below, some of Parkes’ responses (his twitter handle is @BlueBirdTail)

(Please note:  those of you who receive my posts as email updates will have to click on the link and come to the blog to see the replicated tweets. )

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On Language

Language is a big issue for Parkes.  This is evident in Tail of a Blue Bird, his first novel.  In response to questions on language, he tweeted the following:

@kinnareads with language I am doing two things: 1. replicating bewilderment 2. celebrating the richness of the local #GhanaLit—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

@kinnareads replicating bewilderment in the sense that growing up in GH there was always a word in the air one didn't understand #GhanaLit—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

@freduagyeman @kinnareads basically when I was reading when growing up no one thought to translate e.g. spanish words for me #GhanaLit—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

@freduagyeman @kinnareads also, words like yew, cherry blossom though i could read them as trees meant little to me #GhanaLit—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

In response to question of the reaction of non-Twi speakers to the book:

@freduagyeman @kinnareads readers w/ an open mind (most) have reacted well. there is enough context. #GhanaLit—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

@freduagyeman @kinnareads i'd no specific aud'ce in mind, but also knew the word prekese was truer than any other scientific name #GhanaLit—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

A question on the source of the inspiration of the village of Sonokrom led us back to language:

@kinnareads there is no Sonokrom. I was playing w/ the meaning of Osono so that village would represent sthg that was trampled #GhanaLit—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

@kinnareads Osono, of course, meaning Elephant (for the English speakers) #GhanaLit—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

On writing about the police and on the backstory or inspiration for Tail of a Blue Bird:

@osarpong @kinnareads i wanted to look at an institution we are 'intimate' with but don't really know, + there's a crime! #GhanaLit—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

@freduagyeman @kinnareads no TotBB dvlpd fr image of remains that haunted me, then a news story fr Brazil & an anthropology bk #GhanaLit—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

On conflict conflict between Yaw Poku’s (traditional) and Kayo’s (modern) worlds 

@kinnareads I see no conflict. I believe we are hybrids in GH and we exist on a sliding scale; Kayo and O Poku are at diff points #GhanaLit—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

On the lack of concrete resolution to the ‘murder’ or ‘devolution’ in Tail of a Blue Bird: 

@freduagyeman @kinnareads truth is, the resolution is whatever makes the reader most comfortable #GhanaLit—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

On His Writing 

In response to question on writing so much material for This is not a Love Poem and how he avoided repetition

@parrishlantern I'm a classic daydreamer; I find it had to stay on one topic for long so it works as a natural editing aid #GhanaLit—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

@parrishlantern …I'm also careful in selecting material to put out – only 5% or less of the poetry I've written has been pub'ld #GhanaLit—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

On research for his books:

@kinnareads @freduagyeman i did a lot of research. for such a small novel, i think i must have had 700 pages of notes. #GhanaLit—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

@kinnareads @freduagyeman i tend to do more research the more familiar i am with a subject to avoid missing obvious things #GhanaLit—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

On writing different forms of fiction:

@parrishlantern my first love will always be poetry but i consider myself a storyteller – that's why i write 4 radio & stage too #GhanaLit—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

On the writing style and different POVs in Tail of a Blue Bird:

@kinnareads @freduagyeman it wasn't as difficult as i thought it would be. i actually wrote it as each telling his side #GhanaLit—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

@freduagyeman @kinnareads one of main things i was looking at in TotBB is the power of narrative, how what we choose affects us #GhanaLit—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

On the African writing scene:

@kinnareads there's good & bad, but mostly there's growing volume & that can only be positive. out of the vol. will emerge the gr8 #GhanaLit—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

What is he working on:

@parrishlantern yes, i'm working on sthg pretty big in comp. to TotBB, but the kids come first. A book of shorts will come before #GhanaLit—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

Finally, on the twitter chat:

very fun interview moderated by @kinnareads for #GhanaLit – i really felt the 140 character twitter limit! #writing #fb—
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (@BlueBirdTail) November 17, 2011

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Twitter is limiting when there is a lot to be said.  But, in this case, @BlueBirdTail did superbly in utilizing his 140 character limit.

I think I’ve gone from zero to hero in Social Media .

There will be more #GhanaLit chats in 2012.