My Edinburgh Diary

DAY TWO: EASING IN
The hours of the night seem just a wee bit too short. Because I woke up late, I have to rush through breakfast to make it on time to Charlotte Square. Today we meet 3 of Britain’s greatest writers: A.S. Byatt, Janice Galloway and Alan Warner. Later on in the day, we also witness Byatt receive the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, following in the steps of the likes of Graham Green and E. M. Forster.

In between the various sessions, we have the opportunity to get acquainted with some more of the British Council Bookcase delegates: Sigrid from Belgium, Eleanor from Canada, Lucy from China –some are British Council staff, some are writers, others publishers. There are also academics and literary festival directors amongst us. I feel completely at home amongst my ‘tribesmen’.

This afternoon, in the bus, on the way to the Scottish National Library, my mind takes a journey 25 years back: I am a teenager representing Nigeria at the Kirby Smith Youth Camp organised by the Lions Club International in Arizona, USA. “Second time around”, as the popular song says. I consider it an honour as well as a burden to represent a country I love so much, but that is not always good to me. It is also 25 years that the EIBF was launched. Since 1985, for 17 days each August, over 800 authors from more than 45 countries and about 200,000 visitors congregate to celebrate ideas and literature.

I awake from my reverie as we disembark at the National Library of Scotland where we have a networking session, lunch and a tour of the library. This proves to be another experience in Scottish history and culture. The National Library of Scotland is one of some 100 libraries in this city and home to over 14 million printed items.

As we go round Edin, I notice the letters ‘RBS’ a number of times and I am curious to know what this means. In my mind, RBS always stands for our bookshop back home: the Rainbow Book Shop and when a ‘C’ is substituted for the ‘S’, it is the Rainbow Book Club. I soon learn that here in Scotland, RBS is an abbreviation for the Royal Bank of Scotland, a major sponsor of the EIBF. The venue where the readings take place with large audiences in attendance is called the RBS Main Theatre. Other sponsors of the EIBF include Deloitte, The Scottish Oil Club, the Open University, while The Times is a media partner. Amongst the supporters are foreign embassies in London, publishing houses and literary agencies.

Today I return to the hotel not so tired. For the first time I notice the photos on display by the lift in the lobby. As I study them I realise that I am not the only important person to lodge in this hotel. Others include Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, PM Mikhail Govbacek and Edinburgh’s most famous son: Sean Connery!

When I get to my room, it is still daylight and I am able to seat at the window and take in the picturesque view my room affords me. Though all the houses are a dull brown and the roofs different shades of grey, the view is enchanting and I almost expect to see Bert and Mary from Walt Disney’s 1964 musical classic, Mary Poppins dancing on the roof tops, singing “Chim Chim Cher-ee”. while Jane and her younger brother, Michael, whom Mary Poppins has been hired to look after, stand in front of the Caley, wide-eyed, observing the spectacular performance.

As i drift off to sleep, I hear the voice of my daughter and her younger brother … “Mummy make sure you see Miss Tracy….”

DAY THREE: MINGLING
We start off the day having breakfast with the Edinburgh International Book Fair (EIBF) Director, Nick Barley. He is generous with information on his experience in organising what, in his own words, is “the largest and most vibrant literary event in the world”. We are enlightened and impressed by the amount of passion and industry that goes into putting together this programme of over 570 events.

Back home, one of the many caps I wear is Festival Director of the Garden City Literary Festival which holds annually in Port Harcourt, the capital city of Rivers State in Nigeria. The Garden City Literary Festival is the realisation of a dream of the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, a graduate of literature and a lover of the arts. Now into its third year, the festival has headlined some of the greatest writers of our time including Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka (in 2008) and Ngugi wa Thiong’o (in 2009). We expect Prof. Chinua Achebe next year. The Garden City Literary Festival, the first of its kind to take place in Nigeria, includes a book fair, a writers’ conference, writers’ workshops, interactive forums, readings, performances and special events for children. Another cap on my head is founder of the Rainbow Book Club, initiators of the ‘Get Nigeria Reading again!’ campaign, which has run now for 6 years. It is in recognition of my involvement in these two endeavours that I have the privilege of representing Nigeria at the EIBF and what a year to do so: 2010, when Nigeria is celebrating 50 years of independence.

After an interactive session with fantasy writers; Russell Celyn and Owen Cheers, I take the afternoon off to wander a bit around Edin. As I walk down Princes Street, the sound of the bagpipe and the sight of tartan dominated gifts and souvenirs in shop windows serve as a reminder that I am in Scotland. Across the road, I look up and sight the famous Edin Castle, a stream of tourists snake their way up and down the path that leads to it. When I begin to feel exhausted I jump into a taxi and head for St James shopping centre. I might as well be in London—all the major shops are here: Frasers, Boots, Russell and Bromley, John Lewis, the list goes on and on and on.

I return in time to participate in a 5pm session with Meaghan Delahunt (Australia), Neel Mukherjee (Indian) and Kamila Shamsie (Pakistani). They all read from their books. Then they discuss the challenges of stereotypes and assumptions that are made about their writing by the West. I understand.

We take part in an interesting discussion on the manifesto for culture moderated by Charlotte Higgins, Chief Cultural Editor of The Guardian. The panel consist of Culture Minister ,Fiona Hyslop; Director of the National Theatre of Scotland, Vicky Featherstone; and Director of Tate Britain, Penelope Curtis.

That evening, myself, Canan (from the Netherlands), Alison (from Italy) and Ivan (from Denmark) head to a restaurant for fish and chips. We discuss various issues ranging from feminism to gay rights, the notion of good and evil. Ivan keeps his warm, caring smile; it serves as a cooling effect, in the midst of three women exchanging strong and opposing views.

At the end of the day, I collapse into my bed. It is very late at night; I am haunted by the fact that I have not as yet contacted Miss Tracy. I fall asleep and wake up early the next day continually amazed at the fact that I somehow manage to stay within the confines of my 6-spring bed.

DAY FOUR: PEOPLE AND PLACES
At this morning’s session, Kia Miller, Jamaican author, holds us spellbound as he reads from his book; The Last Warner Woman. So powerful is his delivery that a woman from the audience (speaking for us all) announces to him, “I do not want to read your book. I want you to read it to me”. On behalf of us all, she goes on to ask him whether he is considering making an audio recording of the book. I wonder whether it is just his excellent reading or the common Jamaican roots we share (mine is from my Jamaica mother) that makes him my favourite author at the festival. Nadifa Mohamed then reads from her book Black Mamba Boy, which is on the long list for the prestigious Orange prize. I trail the writers to the bookshop for their autographs. I get my books autographed alright, but I also manage to get a photo with both writers.

I also get DBC Pierre’s autograph, after his interactive session. I find this author to be down-to-earth and brilliant. When I get ‘my time’ with him, he tells me that his father worked in Ibadan, which is in the south-west of Nigeria. I feel an instant bond with him. We share a couple minutes bantering. I tell him about our Garden City Literary Festival. He says he would be delighted to come to Nigeria.

In the evening, I make out time to see Tayo Aluko’s ‘Call Mr Robeson’ at the Zoo Southside (studio). I had called up Djanjo and we agreed to meet at the entrance of the theatre. Until Tayo invited me, I had never heard of Mr Robeson. In this solo performance, Tayo plays Mr Robeson, an African-American actor, singer and civil rights campaigner who got into trouble with the establishment for being outspoken and radical. His career suffered a setback as he was branded a traitor, harassed and denied opportunities to perform or travel. These, combined with personal challenges, led him to near madness and attempted suicide. Mr Robeson is relieved when he is allowed once again to travel and perform. Tayo, a Nigerian, British-trained architect took to his passion of acting years ago. He has performed around the UK, in the US and in Lagos. This play has won the Argus Angel Award, Best Male Performer and been nominated as Best Show in the Brighton Festival Fringe.

Earlier today we had lunch at the City Chambers, another historical monument to the credit of this UNESCO’s first city of literature. Edinburgh has been home to Robert Louis Stevenson, J M Barrie (creator of Peter Pan and Wendy) and more recently, JK Rowling. To get to the City Chambers, we have to navigate through the street parties of Edin’s Festival fringe. There are a myriad of activities going on. There are clowns, human monuments, face and portrait painters, ‘magicians’ … you name it. At the City Chambers we hear from Edinburgh’s poet laureate, Ron Butlin, who, by the way, tells me he once spent an unforgettable time in Nigeria, travelling between Lagos, Ibadan, Benin and Kano.

Our last activity for today is a party where there is, again, ample opportunity to mingle. A delegate from South Africa, who was unable to make it to the London Book Fair due to the Ash Cloud that hung over Britain in April, is here. South Africa’s Poet Laurete, KW Ngositsile greets us briefly, reminding us how we can build bridges between cultures and people through poetry. During this festival other South African Writers will feature: Mandla Langa (exiled ANC member), Kopano Matlwa (Afrikaans writer) and Marlene Van Niekere (winner of the Wole Soyinka prize for African Literature). It is at the end of the day I learn that famed children’s author, Jacqueline Wilson was at the Festival earlier that day.