AUTHOR/JOURNALIST

LLR: Tell us a little about you- your early childhood, upbringing, education. 

I was born in Kolahun in northern Liberia. I went to school there, learned English and Arabic. Later I moved to Kuwait to pursue my high school studies. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait forced me to flee to Jordan first, then Syria, and later I ended up in the Netherlands. It was in the Netherlands that I began to write what would become my first novel, The Land of the Fathers.  

LLR: What inspires you to write generally?

I am inspired by stories of my childhood, by my own experience and by the books and stories I read or hear. Reading The Kingdom of this World by Alejo Carpentier, Bound to Violence by Yambo Ouoluguem and My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk partly inspired Bound to Secrecy. What inspired the novel foremost was Liberia and my experience in that land.   

LLR: Who are some of the people/things that influence you?

My mother and grandmother influenced me a lot, as well as some people in my family. One of my brothers who was an avid reader had an impressive collection of Heinemann African Writers Series, all of which I read. Writers like Sankawulo, J M Coetzee, Camara Laye, Isaac Bashives Singer, Amos Oz, Thomas Mann, Chekov, Tolstoy, Bakunin, Alejo Carpentier, Orhan Pamuk and many others influence and inspire me.

LLR: What role does your family play in your writing?

My family back home plays a supportive role in my writing. My father was a poet in his own right, as was his father before him. Though some family members understand and appreciate my choice to become a writer, they do not always understand how much patience and time it costs. They associate writing with great financial wealth, which is not always the case.

LLR: Why did you choose your profession? When did you know you wanted to be a journalist?

Since childhood, I wanted to be a writer. I mean I wanted to tell stories, and I told stories from The Arabian Nights, stories about American Indians and European legends; stories from Wilton Sankawulo’s collections of stories. I was not trained as journalist and I only practice it on the sly. It is not my profession. I studied Law but chose to write stories and novels.

LLR:  All things considered, do you wish you had chosen differently?

I cannot imagine a life other than that of life writing and reading, and of pausing to admire the great works of the masters of world literature. If I had to choose differently, I would become a doctor and a writer. Writing is what gives value to my life.

LLR:  If you could change/improve one thing about you, what would it be?

I always work to improve on my writing. I hope that I become better with each book.

LLR:    What’s the biggest mistake you almost made?

I don’t want to dwell on mistakes. They are a part of my life as well my successes.

LLR:   What character traits do your friends use to describe you?

I am optimistic, easy going, and I attach great value to friendship.

LLR:    How would you describe yourself using five words? I know it is not much but… 

A citizen of the world!

LLR: Tell your fans two things about yourself they don’t know about you.

I appreciate cuisine from different parts of the world. I like Gbandi Quick Service, Cassava Leaves, Tobogi, you name it. But I also appreciate Italian, Turkish, Indian, and Asian Cuisine. I forgot to mention Senegalese cuisine, and the Mandingo peanut sauce…

LLR:   Would you consider yourself a big-picture person or a detail-oriented person?

I am a big picture oriented person. Details come later.

LLR: There's no right or wrong answer, but if you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be? What would you be doing?

I would be in Kolahun, in a house on the hilltop overlooking the town, writing.

LLR: Let’s talk books. What are your favorite Liberian books? Why do you love them?

My favorite Liberian books are Murder in the Cassava Patch by Bai T. Moore, which was adapted for the screen by Yor-El Francis. I like the picture it evoked. Actually it’s a simple story but it has the flavor and taste of Libera. The Marriage of Wisdom and other stories, Why Nobody Knows When He Will Die, and The Rain and the Night by Wilton Sankawulo. Sankawulo was one of the greatest writers of the world. His writings were clear and infused with wisdom. I met him once, and when I was preparing the novel which I am about to complete, The Black Napoleon, I consulted him on the right spelling of Kpelle names. The main character of this novel is called Zaiwulo. So you see, I owe him a lot. And then there is Narratives of a Journey to Musadu, Capital of the Western Mandingoes by Benjamin Anderson published in 1870. It’s a book that should be read by all Liberians, for it gives insight into a world that would have become Liberia but due to circumstances are now parts of Guinea. The book would educate many people about how things stood then. Many discussions today regarding who belongs to Liberia would be avoided by reading this book.

LLR:  Can you talk a bit about the inspiration for your books? How you select your titles? What were some of the things that motivated you and kept you going?   

The books I’ve written came about because of my connection to Liberia. I wrote my first novel The Land of the Fathers because of the civil war. I wanted to explain Liberia to myself. My second novel, The Kingdom of Sebah, is about a migrant Liberian family. My life is a life of migration: first to Kuwait, then to Syria, and then to the Netherlands where I now reside. My third novel Bound to Secrecy explores the theme of power, and once again it’s based on my experience in Liberia. My fourth, The Witness, deals with changes in the world, with the accuracy of memory. What motivates me most is the urge to deal with aspects of my life in a novel.

LLR: What is your writing process? How do you do it? How do you pick your topics?

I write in the mornings and go on till late afternoon. The topics are always connected with my life, or they are themes that interest me very much: migration, Liberia, history, war, power, and the world at large.

LLR: Let us talk about your latest published book. What is the story behind the story?

Here’s the synopsis of my latest book- Bound To Secrecy. It was published first in Dutch. I published it in English in April. Currently, I am promoting it.

William Mawolo arrives in a small Liberian town with a secret mission: to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the police chief.

The locals, however - police force and citizens alike - are far from happy about his presence, and their hostility is increasing daily, threatening to boil over. At the same time, Mawolo is drawn to the departed chief's daughter, Makemeh, who for some reason doesn't seem to be too concerned about her missing father. Intrigued, Mawolo decides to stay longer than required - and even attempts to take charge of the town. Little by little, he starts to behave like the despotic man whose disappearance he came to investigate. His desire to uncover the town’s dark secrets puts him in danger . . . but will his heart rule his head?

LLR:  How has Liberia influenced your works? How has Holland influenced your work?

All my novels are connected one way or the other with Liberia. It’s an obsession! Two of my novels are set in Holland but are connected to Liberia: The Kingdom of Sebah which is about a writer who tells his family history and their migration from Liberia to Holland, and The Witness, which explores the civil war and the accuracy of memory.

LLR: Now this here is tricky but well we like tricky, lol. You now have the opportunity to address five issues or topics that really matter to you; they could cover any area. It is entirely up to you? 

1. I hope to see many writers emerge from our country.

2. I hope to see poverty decreased;

3. I hope to set up a library for people to read books of every kind.

4. I hope to be a diplomat for Liberia like the Mexican writer Octavio Paz was for his country.

LLR: What are the greatest challenges for a modern Liberian writers [aspiring] especially in terms of access to information, publishing, etc.?

Liberian writers are facing difficulties especially after the war. New writers don’t see role models. I hope to work with some of them so that they can have stronger voices than I do, so that they can writer better books. 

LLR:  What do you think of the future of writing and publishing in Liberia?

Publishing is in a poor state in Liberia. But there is the Cotton Tree Publisher founded Elma Shaw which has published a posthumous novel by Wilton Sankawulo, Sundown at Dawn. I found this very encouraging. Wayétu Moore has founded One Moore Book, which publishes children’s books. I hope these publishers thrive, and I hope they can find means of collaborating on other books. I would love to read other novels by Sankawulo, so I encourage Elma to publish another book. I hope to see Liberian writers being published by Liberian publishers.

LLR:  What advice would you give aspiring writers/authors?

Work hard, never give up. There are many stories of writers whose works were at first ignored and who later become some of the greatest writers in the world.

LLR:  What are you currently working on? What are some of your future projects?

I am currently working on The Black Napoleon. Regarding future projects, I leave that to the future.

Here’s the synopsis of the book. It will be published first in Dutch. I hope it is published in English soon.

The Black Napoleon: Zaiwulo is thirteen when he leaves his home town Haindi in the forest in present-day Liberia and travels with his father to Musadu, an old city in the savannah in present-day Guinea. He comes to study under Talahat, a great scholar and head of a prosperous and legendary family, the Haidarahs. This family traces its origin to Timbuktu. It is believed that the source of the family wealth and vast knowledge are found in an ancient manuscript that Talahat keeps in his study. What is that manuscript and how powerful is it? And why no one else seems to have read it but Talahat?  Zaiwulo feels that there's more to his presence amongst the Haidarahs than his father, who leaves him in Musadu, is willing to let on. Throughout his life he's plagued by that secret and its implications, by the silence on the part of his teacher and everyone else. Zaiwulo’s story unfolds in a period that was largely determined by the will of a single man, Samori Toure. Once a trader, Samori became a slave to save his mother and rose up to confront his slave master. Samori became the only leader in Africa who confronted the might of the French and the British in an attempt to hold onto his empire. His campaigns against these powers lasted nearly twenty years, affecting many parts of West Africa, including Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Mali.  The French admired Samori so much that they nicknamed him, The Black Napoleon. Zaiwulo comes in contact with this great man, who takes to him. Samori sees in the child traces of his mother's world. Her family hailed from the forest of present-day Liberia. To Zaiwulo, Samori embodies freedom, a man who elevates his followers, some of who were once slaves, to rulers in the greatest African empire in late 19th century. Zaiwulo follows Samori throughout his campaigns, fighting side by side with him, leading his armies. He goes to France to represent to Samori and to meet the French president. He returns and fight alongside Samori until the latter is captured and exiled by the French to present-day Gabon. Then Zaiwulo flees the French and returns to the forest, where he hopes to find clues to the secret that had led him to Musadu. What he finds has far reaching consequences on his life.