My Mode of Thinking

By Muhammad Kabir Yusuf It is barely two years since I had this interview session with late Binta S. Mohammed which happened to be her last interview. Binta was a notable poet and novelist based in Kano. Her two works, Contours of Life, a collection of poems, and A Clean Break, a novel, were received with acclaim upon their publication. She was up to the time of her passing away some time last year a lecturer in the Department of English at Bayero University, Kano. At the time of the interview, I do edit the literary pages of LEADERSHIP Newspaper in Abuja. The Interview was published on 16 September 2008. Excerprts Readers may want to know your literary background and your earliest experience with the world of writing. I started writing when I was in secondary school. That was in the mid 80s; and I got inspired through reading. I read so many books written by both European and African writers. I started with poetry. The first poem I wrote was titled Tree. That time I was just sitting...

Zandam, I didnt misconceive you. You declared bad and and good as universal but I am not even talking about that. I am not even talking about the structure of the national identity you proposed. Pherhaps I am trying to arrive at theoretical frame work of your own thesis which I seem to find not in the thesis itself but in Waziri's contribution. The word (likely) in my contribution carries some weight. You may wish to go through it again if you don't mind. Waziri: I always know that intellectuals are seldom polite for nothing. When I read your compliments I wasn't too quick to jubilate for I expected you to say something like this "I actually can relate to an idealism..........." What we have here Mallam Waziri is not Idealism. We are talking about real situations in the world around us and what they have resulted into. I am happy that you are student of trends and from the way you make your points you sound to me like a very good historian. But the issue here is...

It is a well-done job. Well composed and well presented. How I wish those who read your note will do justice to it by getting deep into the epistemological bases of your assumptions in order to give their comments the same depth you gave... to your note. I exceptionally liked Waziri's comment for its depth. I totally agree with you in your presentation of the Nigerian problem of lack of national identity and that there is a need for one if Nigeria has to forge ahead. It is equally a time-bomb that many young Nigerians did not realize the venom in promoting sectionalism in whatever form; regionalism or religious. But I do have a problem with your presentation of the solution. You seem to take the concept of good and bad for granted and declare them universal. In the version of the national identity you may want to be promoted, you are likely to buy the ideas of Waziri of the domination of one cultural identity on the rest and which I don't find politically moral. It soun...