Longevity, Fragility, and Writing Anyway
What happened to the Onyeka film adaptation...
Since I created this Substack, I’ve struggled to find something to write about. This is very unlike me as I usually have a lot to say. I think one of the reasons is that I’m in the middle of two projects and have to prioritise all my words for them.
But I think I also don’t want to talk just for talking’s sake. That kind of behaviour will get you in trouble in this day and age 😅.
Then this week something changed. David and Jessica Oyelowo gave an interview to the LA times in which they cited my debut novel Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun. A book they were attached to adapt into a live action movie alongside Westbrook Studios and Netflix.
You can read the article here:
David and Jessica Oyelowo on Government Cheese, Yoruba Saxon and centring Black stories
“Like a balloon in the chubby hands of a toddler.”
In short, they mentioned how difficult it has become to get projects like Onyeka – which saw a lot of interest post 2020 – across the finish line. The deal was first announced in 2022 and I‘d been sitting on the news for nearly a year before that. 2022 was an amazing, but hectic time for me. With my debut novel coming out and all the buzz and hype surrounding, life felt surreal sometimes.
And yet, in the middle of all that joy and excitement, I remember thinking …no, worrying that this sudden celebration of Black authors and books was fragile. A bit like a balloon in the chubby hands of a toddler. I couldn’t help but wonder how long it would last and what things would look like on the other side.
Well, it seems we’re here…on the other side.
What does it look like?
Creative projects by Black creatives are disappearing and opportunities are drying up faster than spit on a desert ground.
And it is not just Hollywood. The publishing industry and many other creative industries are feeling it too. The most recent Reflecting Realities Report from CLPE, for example, revealed a significant drop in the presence of racially minoritised characters in UK children’s books. It’s the first time that’s happened in the report’s seven-year history.
We are in the midst of a cultural reset and it’s not the kind many of us hoped for. In a lot of ways, it feels like we’re being dragged even further backwards than we were in 2020.
I feel it.
And I know many authors of colour do too.
It raises some interesting questions, one of which is longevity for authors who look like me. How realistic is it to build a lasting career in this climate?
So for everyone who’s asked me about the Onyeka film adaptation, the LA Times article offers some insight. Of course, there were many factors at play and I don’t want to over simplify. But the issues that David and Jessica raised are very real. No matter how much people might prefer to pretend otherwise.
Still, like them, I will continue writing the stories that matter to me regardless of the politics at play because I am not a ‘diverse’ author.
I’m just an author who writes stories.
That they feature and centre Black characters should be no more extraordinary than a white author who writes about white ones.
If any of this resonated with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
To my fellow creatives, how are you navigating all of this?