A Letter Away From Asaba: A Novella

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Why did you choose this particular style of narration? How does it compliment the message you are trying to get across? I think there’s a staffing issue. There’s only so much you can decolonise if you don’t have people that specialise in certain areas. There are scholars out there, but you don’t see them at our university, or really the UK in general. America seems to have a lot more diversity in what they offer. Also reading lists; I am taking a course about contemporary Africa, and we had a reading list where every author was a white man. I think diverse reading lists are so important because not only does it enrich your knowledge, but it also introduces you to so many different perspectives.

Writing fiction based in a country that I have never lived in was quite challenging. I had to draw on conversations I’ve had with people who live there, my ethnic ties to Nigeria and my imagination. The dual setting of the novella definitely helped ease the writing process, given that the book is set in London and Asaba. Letters were always going to be a huge part of the book, especially since I wanted to bring light to the censorship in Britain. Having someone in the UK and Asaba emphasised the contradiction in the two different stories which was key to their relationship. Seeing the real story versus what is depicted in the press was the angle I wanted to explore. A second-year History and Politics student at the University of Edinburgh, Claudia is also one of the youngest published authors in Scotland. Next month, her novel, A Letter Away from Asaba, is set to debut, delving into a turbulent episode of Nigerian history that is poorly understood by many in the United Kingdom today. Although her novel is a work of historical fiction, it is based on real events that unfolded during the Asaba Massacre of 1967, which took place during the Nigerian Civil War. Perhaps it is not surprising that very little is known about the massacre in the UK today - indeed, there was precious little publicly available information about it at the time. Censorship within the British press played a significant role in throwing up a smokescreen, and this became a key theme in the novel. Onome is an international student from Nigeria studying law at King’s College London, whilst her friend Chioma lives in Asaba. The story centres on these two protagonists, as they attempt to piece together what really happened at Asaba through a series of diary entries and letters. Therefore, instead of having narrative chapters in between each letter I changed them into alternating diary entries of the two protagonists. So, A Letter Away From Asaba is a novella of letters and diary entries! The structure really allows for a mixture of narration and letter writing, which keeps the reader well informed about not only the lives of Onome and Chioma but also their long-distance conversations with each other.

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It wasn’t until “year 11+” and my second unsuccessful attempt to attain my GCSE Maths and English that suspicions were raised. It was then that the possibility of Dyslexia was a thought. However, at this point, I had not been tested nor screened. It was not until university that I was given the opportunity to explore this further. It was then that I was diagnosed by an Educational Psychologist. Not only did I have Dyslexia, but Dyspraxia and Dyscalculia too. Through this project, I wanted to illustrate the brutality students faced while protesting their rights during the Soweto uprising. For this reason, I chose the mask as an element to put the viewer in the same position as the Soweto students» Alicia I think it can. I think people who look like me need to be sat at the table when discussing these issues, which is why I mentioned staffing, as that determines what’s available to students. More people need to be involved in the process of decolonising. I hope this book contributes to the movement and that the people who read it look into history. Even though historical fiction isn’t scholarly, it is a way for people to engage with historical discourse on a more relaxed level. I first read a book by two American scholars, The Asaba Massacre: Trauma, Memory and the Nigerian Civil War while I was doing IB. Immediately, I was stunned by the massacre, so I wrote a paper about it.Definitely- this is such a good question that I didn’t think about until you asked. I do think my own life experiences have shaped the characterisations in the novel. Initially, I wanted to write it only set in Nigeria, but I realised it was harder as someone who did not grow up there. I’ve been on holiday once and I do have family there, but I was raised in the UK. As I was describing the setting, I wanted it to be represented rightly and I did not feel equipped to do so. So having both the UK and Nigeria feature eased the writing process. As readers learn, feel moved, and have their perspectives challenged while reading this remarkable novella, they will understand that it is not only a significant story about the past but also the future and the present, emphasising the importance of storytelling…” - AYOBAMI RUTH OLUFEMI-WHITE, co-founder of We Write and host of We Listen Podcast In the following written exchange, Claudia shares some insight into the writing process behind A Letter Away from Asaba, and offers advice to aspiring writers. Another difficulty was drawing the line between fact and fiction. As this is a historical fiction, it was important for me to ensure that there is a sense of reality and accuracy in the story, but I also had to weave fictional narratives into the plot. Nevertheless, the entire writing process was fun and enriching! Nigerian history is something that I am greatly passionate about and looking through a degree programme that makes little mention of Nigeria sparked a burning desire in me to fulfil my passion through writing historical fiction.” - Claudia Efemini, Retrospect Journal

You are nothing without a community! This is really a proverb that I have flipped into a slightly less exciting sequence of words, but really means “it takes a village to raise a child”. Every opportunity I sought after during my internship was championed by each of these interns. Ndubuisi reminded me that he was my comrad in all things finding a way to better represent Africa in UK curriculums and abroad, which gave me a strong foundation of knowledge and support.I’ve actually already started working on my second novel, but I’m only halfway through the first draft. Unfortunately, I had to stop writing it once I decided to self-publish A Letter Away From Asaba. It became too overwhelming working on a new manuscript whilst publishing a piece of work. However, I definitely look forward to continuing the story once A Letter Away From Asaba has been published. Perhaps I’ll continue writing it over summer, it really depends on whether I feel ready to do so. Writing novels is something I hope to do long-term as it’s been such a phenomenal experience so far working towards publishing A Letter Away From Asaba. The long awaited A Letter Away From Asaba is a dazzling debut by Claudia Efemini, writer and History and Politics student at the University of Edinburgh. A Letter Away From Asaba' is an account of the Asaba massacre during the Nigerian Civil War woven into a fictional narrative.

How do you think the university history curriculum can become decolonised? For history in particular it can feel like non-European histories are just added on for the end – what can be changed? I appreciated the ending because it was hopeful rather than final. They were unable to achieve their objectives of resisting British censorship and obtaining justice for the Asaba massacre victims, which, in my opinion, held a more important lesson. Sometimes our need to achieve a thing causes us to lose sight of the bigger picture, we burn ourselves out with rage or frustration leaving us with nothing. The ending left us hoping that someone would someday locate the letters (maybe even write a book about it) and tell their story. Both characters were bold, courageous, and brilliantly written; they accomplished much more than individuals at their (fictional) time were able to. There is no way I can summarise this experience into a few words so I won’t bother, but I will leave you with three takeaways/ lessons that I will carry forward. This is an appreciation post to the interns (some missing above) who shaped my time at Cambridge University Press & Assessment . The work is based on an under-researched episode in history, so how did you learn about what happened at Asaba?Radical. It is one of the more interesting words in the English language, in that its connotative meaning can be either very negative or very positive. I do not hesitate to call Claudia Efemini radical, and I mean it in the most positive sense. I’m glad I sent it in and got the book deal because I got a sense of validation. I worked with the editor I got in that book deal, and we worked together as a freelance service – from then on I decided to self-publish. I had to get over the stigma of self-publishing. As it is very accessible, there are self-published books that are either poorly edited or amazing. I had to get over that stigma and realise that if people like it, they will enjoy it regardless. Amongst us interns there is Emmanuel, lawyer in Nigeria, who is going on to do his PhD in Germany 🙏🏽, Dejuan founder of The Bookdems and undergrad at SOAS University of London, Medomfo talented musician and singer, as well as music undergrad at the University of Cambridge, Ndubuisi who is currently studying in the UK and has written a phenomenal play called Luscinia, Spencer who has recently graduated with his masters from the University of Cambridge, Patience recent undergrad graduate and aspiring councillor, Usha genius in all things pertaining to renewable energy who holds multiple master degrees and is a lecturer in Nigeria, and myself.