“I Was The Only One …” SANKIE MAIMO’S INTERVIEW WITH BOLE BUTAKE’S THE MOULD
Sankie Maimo is a first generation Cameroonian writer and critic, this interview was first published in The Mould in 1978 by Bole Butake.
Question:
Sir, what is your role as a writer?
Answer:
My role as a writer? I think I have a message. It is that message which prompts me to write. It is in complete awareness of my environment that I find certain promptings; then the urge. And when I have the means I put it down on paper. I try to attain a certain catharsis because I find there is a vacuum, something wanting. And I want to fill it. It is this expression that I call writing
Question:
Creative writing attempts to define the writer’s relationship with himself, his environment and his work- all these relationships varying with time and producing a string of resultant effects. Do you agree?
Answer:
I think this looks rather involved. I would prefer looking at things straight, striking the nail on the head. Not that I am attempting a definition of creative writing; but I think we should understand what we mean. Creative writing to my mind is an attempt at putting something new- hence creation. Of course, with creation there are relationships between the writer or the person and his environment. If your definition means this, then I am in agreement.
Question:
How can creative talent be born, nourished and developed?
Answer:
I am not aware that creative talent can be born; but I think it can be nourished, it can be developed, once it exists it can be nourished. If it doesn’t exist you can’t nourish it. I believe that there are people who are idiots. There they are, born without the talent. You can do nothing to make them create except a miracle is performed; and her we are not talking about miracles, we are talking about normal life. Creative talent can be developed if you put that person with the talent in a suitable environment; he will be able to produce something new, because he already has the germ in him.
Question:
Sankie Maimo, you are one of the very few Cameroonian writers of English expression who published way back in 1959. What problems have you confronted so far?
Answer:
It is true, and I found out from records that, perhaps, I was the only one who wrote at that time. It is an accident of history and I am happy about it because I made an effort. The chief problem is money, you don’t even get the patronage where others do it for you and make things easy. And if you don’t also have what I may call the feedback, once you have published a work and hear critics talk about it, you may improve.
Question:
You are a poet, a dramatist, a short story writer and a critic. What primarily are you?
Answer:
I am myself. I do a little bit of everything. I express myself in poetic form. I am a playwright; I am not a dramatist because I haven’t gone on stage. I have also tried my hand on a few short stories. I have done no criticism so far but I think I was brought up as a critic. All the criticism I have done so far has been on my own work. So, what you see is already a form of work, thoroughly criticized, looked over by me before dishing it out. So I am myself; I am Maimo.
Question:
What are the social functions of your works?
Answer:
Yes, again you give me the notion of learnedness- ‘social functions of your work…’ I do not start writing by thinking of social functions. I agree that works of art have their social functions but when I am writing I am not thinking about that. It comes afterwards.
I think the second part of your question is more relevant- my role as a writer. I think I have a message. It is that message that prompts me to write. It is complete awareness of my environment that I find certain promptings. Then the urge. And when I have the means I put it down on paper. I try to attain a certain catharsis because I find there is a vacuum, something wanting; and I try to fill it. It is this expression that I call writing. This is what I try to do; to put my message across to people if they can understand it. But I am satisfied when I have written it.
Question:
Do you lose your individuality when writing or are your works and you one and the same thing?
Answer:
There are times that my writing reflects myself intimately. But there are also times that my writing, because of the urge, goes beyond myself. At such moments not only do I write but I am lucky that the gods themselves project in me, through me, something I didn’t think of before. But that is because I have started already, and sometimes it may go beyond me because of the logic of the situation. So there are works which reflect me and others which go beyond me; works in which I have come in as a medium- something to translate or transmit an idea. It was not what I started with first for I begin one idea and I find myself ending up with another. But I will not refuse the end since it comes as something new. Hence I feel I have gone beyond what I started with. It is still me in a way but that was not what I started with.
Question:
Do you see any link between literature and the chores of modern living?
Answer:
Yes, you find that those who write cannot but say something about their environment if they are honest. And their environment has its own problems. It is this inter-relationship between the individual and the problems of his environment which I think should concern many writers; especially African writers. But I am also aware that in Europe this has not existed all the time because there are those who go in for art for art’s sake. Personally I think the duty of a writer is to look at his environment, understand it, know it, and then draw his lessons from it, so, the writer and his society are closely related. I do believe that you must get your facts from your environment and they must produce in you the appropriate feelings for you to convey them to others.
Question:
What is contribution to the already existing stock of literary works in Cameroon? Has there been any attempt to evaluate our literary works?
Answer:
Well, I do not know what stock exists today of what we may call Cameroon Literature. But if you talk of conferences I participated in the Colloquium which was held in the University some time ago and I wrote something on the problems of creative writing. I have published about four creative works. This is what I may call my own contribution. However, I think everybody has been trying to do something; but one cannot talk of stock yet; because we are all pioneers in a way.
And talking about evaluation our literary works; if we had critics who have written about what is available and given us their worth even if we differed with them, we would speak back. But there is the example of Sov-Mbang which I wrote ten years ago and nobody said anything about it until recently. It is only when we have this feed-back that we can say Cameroon writing in English is being evaluated. The University has lived here longer than some of these works but the University people have turned their backs on our works.
Question:
What role does the audience/reader play in literary creativity?
Answer:
In creativity the audience plays no role; but at a certain stage during creation the audience is necessary. Is the audience/reader going to understand the message? Are you delivering it in the right way? Are you soaring too high for your audience/reader? But sometimes we can ignore them especially your contemporary audience, because only the future generations might be able to get your message. However it is through the process of addressing yourself and your mind seriously to what your audience/reader wants that you can make your work better.
Question:
There is the tendency of ‘Modern’ poets to do it their own way. Are you a ‘traditionalist’ or a ‘modernist’ as far as poetry is concerned?
Answer:
A close look at my poetry shows I am a bit of both. I have written poetry which can be described as traditionalists, but I have also deviated. And in my deviation I try to keep some traditional values; not respecting all the rules because I think the rules were made for man, not man for the rules.
Question:
Talking about your play Sov-Mbang, the Soothsayer, would you agree with critics who accuse you of much talk and less action?
Answer:
If any critic says that Sov-Mbang is much talk and less action it must mean that he has not seen it dramatized. So a person may introduce weaknesses into what I mean to be dramatized because a sentence can be read just as it can be dramatized. Moreover, the ideas I am toying with in the play are philosophical. Furthermore, if you have a stage where there are bombs and explosions and someone still says there is no action. I do not agree.
Question:
In this same play, Sov-Mbang, you portray a yearning for the past, a remarkable nostalgia, exposing Western civilization at its worst. Is it all that bad?
Answer:
It is true that I yearn for the past. Perhaps there is also a remarkable nostalgia; but what am I driving at? I am lashing out at Western Culture for accusing what they found as superstition in favor of European values. I come out saying that it is all stupid. And it is not just simple nostalgia. I really feel people should re-examine their values carefully and pick out what is good. But I do not believe in completely throwing out what we have and swallowing everything that is new under the pretext that the new is better.
Question:
What advice do you have for the budding writer?
Answer:
To the budding writer I will say that he must strive to improve himself. He should keep all his organs alive. He should live in his environment and know it well because full knowledge will improve his work. My budding writer must live with his people; and must be sincere and honest. He must also read others because reading will project something in his mind which he could translate and enrich for others. He should read and read very widely; and he should live and live fully too.