“Protect the time and space in which you write. Keep everybody away from it, even the people who are most important to you.” — Zadie Smith
That was on our BBM Channel C004151AE and the comment that followed was:
Oh, we got to be selfish now? Won’t work with a possessive hubby, man!
It immediately reminded me of reading Second Class Citizen by Buchi Emecheta and the writer’s biography. When it comes to a Nigerian female writer, Buchi Emecheta is my personal favourite. Her writing sits easily on the reader – inviting you to a space right in her heart. For me, it is like I could see what she was seeing. I could feel the right amount of emotion she carried with each word and it is purely beautiful.
Here is her experience as posted on FemBio
According to Emecheta, “I was the typical African woman, I’d done this privately, I wanted him to look at it, approve it and he said he wouldn’t read it. And later he burnt the book … and that was the day I said I’m going to leave this marriage and he said ‘what for, that stupid book’ and I said ‘I just feel you just burn my child’” (BBC website).
I hope we find partners who are up for greater heights and ready to be supportive all through the process.We would easily have been denied the greatness that is Buchi Emecheta’s works.
