Fitila deepens afro sci-fi scene with Darksand

To show the world that Africa, especially Nigeria, has a lot of untapped talent, Jewel Fitila recently put his writing skill to the test with what many have ascribed as the first science fiction novel in Africa.

Titled, Darksand, the author, who currently wears the toga of the godfather of African sci-fi, is using his story to warn countries across the world of the harmful effects of desertification, global warming and deforestation.

Not resting on his oars, the author has released another sci-fi novel titled, Silent Noise.

The Olabisi Onabanjo-trained mass communicator, who also doubles as the Chief Executive Officer of El Fitila International and senior officer of the Lagos State Signage and Advertisements Agency, sees trees the way he sees humans beings.

According to him, the flora and fauna should be allowed to co-exist if a man wants to live in a good environment.

He said: “While writing Darksand, I could not help, but wonder how much humans are like trees or plants. We grow, we bear fruits (children) without sunlight, we have branches (different phases of our lives, among others), and ultimately, we die.

“Darksand is an experience that brought me to the realisation that as we cut down trees, we are also cutting down humans and other life forms that depend on those trees chopped down to survive.”

Worried that some African countries, including Nigeria, are not showing much concern about the reality of climate change and its looming dangers, the author revealed that it is disheartening with the current level of development that some people still build their houses blocking drainages, while the government is in the business of sand filling the coasts and neglecting the consequences on the people.

Fitila dreams of a country where people do not pollute the rivers and lands with human faeces and chemicals, stressing that our collective actions on the environment have their consequences on the climate and all creation, praying that nature does not fight back in the African continent.

The author disclosed that if nature reacts, there would be flooding, heatwaves, the collapse of buildings and bridges and loss of lives.

With these revelations, he noted that Darksand would soon hit the big screen as the first sci-fi movie by an African whose characters are partly Africans.

Selling on Amazon, the author informed that it was shocking to note that bookworms abroad prefer to place their orders directly with him and also to get his signature on the book, adding that this is a motivation for him to do more.

Using it as an avenue to project Africa and its potential, the author said, “I focus on Africa because I want Africans to know that they are part of the global community and that they have a responsibility to keep this planet alive for their children and generations to come.”

He continued, “the African life is enshrouded in mystery, surprisingly, there are more sci-fi stories from Africa to tell the world than from another continent. We have information that is not documented in any book, but is verbally passed from one generation to the other.”

Stressing on the need for Africans to tell their own stories, the author noted there are so many things to write about the continent. According to him, Darksand revealed that life started in Africa with a black man, which we all know as Adam, adding that a lot of people are still finding it difficult to believe this. Fitila looks forward to raising young people across the globe to unveil secrets in their works, adding that some of the new writers will pick up from where great African writers like Wole Soyinka and the rest stopped.

The Afro sci-fi creator, who graciously used plants as objects of bellicosity and therapeutics, disclosed that flora and fauna have been at loggerhead since the first man stepped on earth.

Going the memory lane, he noted that the Bible informed the man that there were two trees in the Garden of Eden — the tree of good and evil, and the tree of life, saying humanity fell by feasting on the tree of good and evil, and as a result this, man is still fighting to regain his freedom.

“The fight between humanity and plants is a continuous one. It will go on for eternity; if you eat a poisoned mushroom, you will die, if you mess up with nature, it fights back. This battle will continue till the end of time,” he intones.

Unveiling some of the mysteries behind trees, the author said trees have male and female, interact through pollination, sleep at night and wake at sunrise, respond to touch, grow, and even warn others of impending danger when a grazer is around. He calls man to treat his environment with care to get the best in life.

On whether Nigerians still read, the author responded in the affirmative that the percentage has dropped and is still dropping when compared to the past when young people stay indoors and read for leisure.

Advancing reasons for this downward trend, the author notes that the unpleasant economic situation, which has made almost every Nigerian struggle for survival is the major cause, adding that many adults no longer read for leisure, while young people prefer to read to pass their exams instead of to gain extra knowledge.

Despite this ugly situation, Fitila noted that he would continue to make research and share information that many people do not even know exists.

He added that about 95 per cent of the people that read his first book, Darksand, disclosed that they have never had the privilege of getting the quality of information they got in the book in any other they have read.