Stickfighting Man

In July, Sierra Leonean writer Olufemi Terry (right) was awarded the 2010 Caine Prize for African Writing for his short story, Stickfighting Days.

The prize is touted by its promoters as "the African Booker" and, while this grandiose title oversells itself somewhat, it is undoubtedly a good place to spot emerging talent and trends.

Books editor Melissa de Villiers spoke to Terry:

MdV: How do you think winning the Caine will change your life as a writer?

OT: I've almost finished writing my first novel, and I hope the award is going to help me get it published. And, of course, the 10 000 pound prize money will also come in handy in giving me the space and time to write.

MdV: Your story focuses on the short, violent lives of glue-sniffing street boys on a city rubbish dump. In it, you describe one boy as "sandy-haired", while others go by English and French names. The effect is unsettling - it makes the reader almost doubt that we're in Africa at all. Was this a deliberate destabilising tactic?

OT: Very deliberate. I wanted to locate the story in a timeless fictional space that would not be recognisable as an African setting. I can't say why - it just felt right.

MdV: You were born in Sierra Leone, but you've lived all over the world...

OT: Yes, I left Sierra Leone when I was a year old. I grew up in Nigeria, the UK and the Cote d'Ivoire; went to university in New York, then worked as a journalist in Kenya, Somalia and Uganda before settling in Cape Town.

MdV: How do you feel about being labelled an "African writer"?

OT: It's not a particularly helpful label. Often, whether it's journalism or fiction, there is too much emphasis put on issues such as poverty or disease, and I feel the label "African writing" exacerbates that particular tendency. I would like to see more of a shift away from writing about Africa set on the continent, and more exploration of the issues of the diaspora.

MdV: Is this why you became involved in Chimurenga magazine's "Pilgrimages project"?

OT: Yes, I'm very excited about "Pilgrimages", the brainchild of Chimurenga and the Kenyan writer, Binyavanga Wainana, who himself won the Caine in 2002. He sent 13 African writers - many currently living in the diaspora - to 13 African cities for two weeks during the World Cup, and each will now produce a book of non-fiction prose based on their experiences. I think these sorts of projects are taking African writers and African writing in exciting new directions.

MdV: Do you feel supported as a writer in Cape Town?

OT: Cape Town has a fairly large writing community, but it's quite insular and quite South African-focused. I'm not sure I have a natural place within it. However, I do find the city a good place to write. It's easy to be social there, but it's also easy to vanish. And Cape Town also has a kind of loneliness, which I find quite conducive to writing.

MdV: What's next for you?

OT: For the last year I have been carrying the idea for a new novel around in my head. It's a Cape Town story, one I myself would like to read, and having been unable to find it anywhere in print, I feel I must take it upon myself to write it!