*Soyinka, Osundare Honours Writer
With Under The Mango Tree, a book by Mabel Segun and N J H Grant, students from various schools in Lagos opened the event marking the 95th birthday celebration of Nigerian poet, playwright and writer of short stories and children’s books, Mabel Segun.
Though not present at the opening tagged the Multifaceted Artistry of Mabel Segun, the children took to the stage to celebrate her and engaged in activities to mark her birthday.
Born in Ondo State, Ms Segun’s first book, My Father’s Daughter, published in 1965, has been widely used as a literature text in schools all over the world, and her books have been translated into German, Danish, Norwegian and Greek.
Her work was included in the anthology Daughters of Africa in 1992.
Ms Segun has championed children’s literature in Nigeria through the Children’s Literature Association of Nigeria, which she founded in 1978, and the Children’s Documentation and Research Centre, which she set up in 1990 in Ibadan. She is also a fellow of the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany.
She was a founding member of the Association of Nigerian Authors, established by Chinua Achebe in 1981.
At the birthday celebration tagged ‘Celebrating the Legend @ 95: The Multifaceted Artistry of Mabel Segun. A Life of Literary Excellence and Sportsmanship’, held at the JK Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History in Onikan, Lagos, several Nigerian writers and other literary enthusiasts, took an inspiring trip into the creative and ideological worlds of Mabel Segun.
From Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka; and other celebrated writers such as Professors Niyi Osundare and Akachi Ezeigbo, to Segun’s daughter, Omowunmi, and even students, everyone had a revealing thing to say about or learn from the celebrator. While, on the first day, the programme featured a children’s writing workshop, the Reader’s Theatre project and a mock table tennis tournament, it climaxed on day two with a seminar on ‘The Multifaceted Artistry of Mabel Segun’, an exhibition on the rich journey of her life and the launch of the Mabel Segun Foundation.
Among other resource persons who discussed different aspects of her life and works, Ezeigbo spoke on ‘Women, Identity and Voice in Mabel Segun’s Writing’ while UK-based scholar and media executive, Dr Lookman Sanusi, spoke on ‘Mabel Segun and Evolution of Children Literature’. Another pen pusher, Dr Folu Agoi, presented a paper titled ‘Mabel Segun and the Power of Representation in Literature’. The presentations were variously discussed by stakeholders that included Sola Alamutu, who co-anchored the programme with Sanusi; Jahman Anikulapo, Chydy Ngere, Ndidi Chiazor Enemor, Amara Chimeka and Dr Mujeedah Abdul Aleem Olagunju.
Like the deep calling to the deep, Soyinka, in a Zoom tribute to Segun, described her as an exemplar in different areas she explored. He recalled how, beyond literary feats, Segun used to whip men in table tennis.
Soyinka said, “I should call her Auntie Mabel because she is older than me. She is an exemplar of feminism. She is unique in many ways. She was a very strong member of the university community but she did things her way.”
Yet, Soyinka had a challenge for his auntie. She told her: ‘You may decide to take up the pen again. Why not?”
Osundare also extolled Segun’s virtues. He said he had been hearing about her since when he was in school in the 1960s, while he later studied her at the university. The multiple award-winning poet particularly recalled how Segun’s poem titled ‘Conflict’ came up for discussion in class — then at the University of Ibadan.
Osundare said: “ She has been with us for a long time and we want her to be with us longer. ‘The Conflict’ is a simple poem that raises many complex questions. It was written at the time we were just coming out of colonialism. Segun raised the questions decades back but we still haven’t found answers to them. That was the time Soyinka, Achebe, Okigbo and other great writers were also raising such topical issues. She was the female voice. She has always been one female voice person amid many men.”
Speaking, her daughter, Omowumi Segun, said: “It’s not a coincidence that her birthday celebration started with children; she’s called the mantra of children’s literature. She always has her focus on children and, that’s why she started writing children’s books. At a stage, she realised that there were no culturally relevant books for children in Nigeria, and that was her motivation. Even though she has been writing for adults, she has her collection on poems, short stories, she wrote radio talks which were published under Sorry No Vacancy which used to be Friends Nigeria Country Men published by UPL but she decided to focus on children because she felt that cultural relevant books will help our children understand life as it relates to the environment and our values rather than foreign values; she wanted all that to reflect in her writing for children.
“Generations have read her books, especially ‘My Father’s Daughter’. Former Governor of Lagos State, Akinwumi Ambode said he read the book at school. People who are now grandparents give their grandchildren to read.
“What people would remeber is that she’s a woman who combines brain with brawn. She’s not just an academic person; she was a sportswoman, not just a sport, she was a champion. She excels in whatever she decides to do and that is why we talk about her excellence.
Also, the coordinator of the programme, Dr Lookman Sanusi, said: “Mama, as a pioneer of children’s books, a first-generation of Nigeria writer is a very good person in the aspect of writing, illustration and others. While we are celebrating her, it should give us the sense that to pass on her good legacy to the younger ones and benefit from her writings, which will also improve their lives.
