By Paul Chika Emekwulu
Here in this article, novel in this context is broadened to include biographies, autobiographies, self-help, inspirational and motivational materials etc. All these and regular novels have been abandoned in preference to movies, music, comedy, and video games and other distractions on the internet.
Both cellular phones (the Android type) and books are sources of ideas and information. Now, let’s make quick distinction between a cellular phone and a book. Each is beautiful, each is different, each is distinct, and therefore has a different function. One fact is clear though. A cellular phone cannot replace a book and of course a book cannot replace a cellular phone. All these are true statements, they are facts. Unfortunately, some people especially the young ones (the now generation, “ndị kitaa” in Igbo Language) believe otherwise. Such people therefore believe that the cellular phone has everything. Wrong!
A WhatsApp contact of mine reacted to say that there was no need for novels because of increasing technology. He went further to site examples with e – books and e-readers and so on. He forgot that not everybody has access to increased technology, even if.
According to an online source, “Access to increased technology” refers to technological devices and services available to a person.
In response I said I am referring to those secondary school students who don’t even know what an e-book is let alone an e-reader. I am also referring to those housewives who can only mention Things Fall Apart as the only novel they have heard of and probably read in their entire lives not out of a desire to improve their vocabulary, not out of a desire to improve their spoken English skills, not out of a desire to improve their written English, but out of a desire to satisfy a requirement. Those and others are the people I am talking about and of course, they know themselves
You don’t read a novel just because it is a recommended text but because you are interested in personal development in the areas of vocabulary improvement, spoken English, and of course written English as well.
Let’s look at what cellular phone has done. Let me paint some pictures for you. Just as the popular culture has taken over the Igbo Language (For example, Igbo names are now spelt in English and people feel so comfortable doing it), the cellular phone has taken over the reading culture. Of course the cellular phone is a part of the popular culture. So, we can equally say that the popular culture has taken over the reading culture. The cellular phone has taken over the reading culture by taking over something else related to reading and books in general and that is the bookstores. The cellular phone has taken over the bookstores by literally closing the bookstores because people especially the younger ones do not visit bookstores anymore in search of their favourite books. You will agree with me at this point that the cellular phone is now the new novel. You will also agree with me that the cellular phone is heavily poised to replace these novels and others not mentioned here. The replacement is already talking place. Specifically the cellular phone has taken over the following:
Eze Goes to School by Ọnụọra Nzekwu, The Beautiful Ones are Not Yet Born by Amah Ayi Kwei, House Boy by Ferdinand Oyono, Not Yet Uhuru by Ogonga Odinga,
The Only Son by John Mụnonye, This is Lagos by Flora Nwapa (Nee Nwakuche), The Concubine by Elechi Amadi, Oil Man of Obange by John Mụnonye, Behind the Rising Sun by S.O. Mezu, The Minister’s Daughter by Obi Egbuna, Sex is a Nigger’s Game by Dilibe Onyeàmà, Second Class Citizen by Buchi Emecheta, The Naked Gods by Vincent Ike, The Voice by Gabriel Ọkara, Many Things Begin for Change by Adaọra Lily Ụlasị, Many Things You No Understand by Adaọra Lily Ụlasị, Never Again by Flora Nwapa, Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta, Girls at War by Chinụa Achebe, One Man, One Wife by T. M. Aluko, Onitsha Market Literature by Emmanuel Obiechina, Efuru by Flora Nwapa, Idu by Flora Nwapa, One Man, One Matchet by T. M. Aluko, My Mercedes is Bigger Than Yours by Nkem Nwankwọ, The Potter’s Wheel by Vincent Ike, Sunset in Biafra by Elechi Amadi, The Nigger at Eton by Dilibe Ọnyeama, New Broom at Amanzu by Anezi Okoro, Toads for Supper by Vincent Ike, Samankwe and the Highway Robbers by Cyprain Ekwensi. The list continues.
The above are all African Writers Book Series written by Africans and published by Heinemann (Nigeria) Publishers Ltd since 1962.
There were also other notable works of fiction published as a Macmillan imprint under Pacesetters. These novels and others are novels read out of interest not because they were mandated reading classroom texts. Such was the case then and such unfortunately, is not the case now.
Now, here is a story.
Listen and listen very well. Sometime in December 2020, I was on my way to Awka from Ekwulọbịa, a distance of 15 miles or 24 kilometers on a personal business when I was sitting between two school girls. That was an opportunity, a splendid one. I always look forward to such moments. Each of the girls had a phone doing the usual thing and the usual thing as we all know is being busy with their cellular phones. I later noticed that the one on the right had two of them. She had an android on her left hand and a less complex one on her right. She was busy moving information to and from one to the other.
“How many novels have you read in the last six months?” I asked her.
“I don’t read novels,” she said blatantly and point lank without battling an eyelid. The same question went to the girl on the left.
“None,” she replied with less attitude.
“That is why we have problems,” I continued.
Throughout the short distance, the girls decided to say nothing further on a very important topic. On my part I decided not to go further. Doing so would have been fighting a lost battle but it was another golden opportunity to confirm the obvious – the cellular phone is now the new novel and will continue to be so for a long time unless a serious conversation is initiated and action taken.
The influence reading can make in our lives cannot be overemphasized. It was reading that made a huge difference in the life of an African-American neurosurgeon, Dr. Ben Carson.
Here is a summary of his story.
Dr Carson was raised by a single mother. The mother limited his television hours and established a reading regimen for him and his brother who later became an engineer. Due to Dr. Carson’s reading habits, he was the only student who was able to identify an obsidian rock sample brought to school by his teacher. He started to earn respect both from his fellow students and the teachers as well. Dr. Carson eventually graduated at the top of his class and later became one of the best neurosurgeons the world has ever known. He joined politics after his retirement and ran for the office of the United States Presidency under President Trump.
The popular culture has taken over many aspects of our lives and the cellular phone is a vital component of this take over and now stands th be the new novel as already mentioned. This take over has to be discouraged and every effort has to be made both on individual and collective levels to do so.
It seems like the more educated our society gets, the more stupid we become. Education, then is not making any difference in the individual. Furthermore, literate parents are sidestepping their family responsibilities, unfortunately.
Today as we speak Americans still buy books at bookstores, today as we speak Americans still borrow books from different private and community libraries, today as we speak Americans still build new libraries and what does that mean? It means that Americans still read and will continue reading.
This is all in addition to their android cellular phones which unfortunately, to most Africans contain everything and what does that mean? It means Africans don’t read and may not read again.
That is why it will continue to be said that the cellular phone is a wonderful thing to have but it is not a wonderful thing to make it your best friend because there are better friends and a book is one of them. To an African this is not true but to an American it is a fact.
