African E-Novel Pioneer envisions first female Nigerian President

Alexander Nderitu’s latest book, Disco Matanga, is a collection of ten romantic short stories set in Africa. The Kenyan-born writer and critic says the biggest influence for this project was British author Jeffery Archer:

‘Jeffery Archer was the inspiration from the start. I’ve loved his short story collections since high school …But I am an African scribe and I wanted to wade into the highly popular Romance genre. So the goal behind “Disco Matanga”, crazy as it seems, was to produce something that reads like a Jeffery Archer but written by an African griot by way of Barbara Cartland.’

Albeit love-themed, the 267-page tome delves into multiple themes, including continental politics, Pan-Africanism, nuclear posture, colonial legacies, mental health, emotional well-being, tribal customs and superstitions.

In one story, titled ‘Love and Rockets’, the author envisions a scenario in which Nigerians have elected their first female Commander-in-Chief, one Madame Faizah Abdulnasir. A fictional American magazine in the story describes her thus:

Abuja, Nigeria – Few world leaders today elicit the kind of excitement that Nigeria’s Faizah Abdulnasir does. The 65-year-old career politician, who is married to oil tycoon Karim Abdulnasir, is part politico, part celebrity, and part religious icon. Ms. Faizah Abdulnasir beat three male candidates last month in a hotly-contested election that was marred by mud-slinging and sporadic violence.

Since her electoral victory, she has scarcely left the front pages of newspapers across Africa and the Middle East. A Moroccan griot composed a song in her honour, titled ‘The Queen of the North.’ Libyans call her ‘Sister Leader Faizah’, reminiscent of the late Col. Muammar Gaddafi’s title of ‘Brotherly Leader of the Revolution.’ In Egypt, her famously hijab’d image was projected onto the Giza pyramid on her election victory night. During her first African Union meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, media attention was so focused on her that the host Prime Minister joked that all the other heads of state were merely ‘accompanying her to the summit.’

‘She ticks so many boxes,’ a University of Abuja Professor of Political Science I interviewed said. ‘She’s the first woman leader we’ve had; she’s a devout Muslim – which grants her iconic status in the global Muslim world; she’s been a civilian all her life – we’re tired of being ruled by former generals; she’s photogenic – she’s actually a fashion icon, especially with her flowery hijabs and dark stunners; and she appears to be a genuinely nice person. A people person. She has a wonderful sense of humour.’

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…But all is not rosy back at home. Ms. Faizah has an almost insurmountable task ahead of her: that of transforming Nigeria into a progressive nation by international standards. Unemployment remains high, terrorism persists, the economy is ailing, food prices are sky-high, and corruption is endemic…

Politics aside, most of ‘Love and Rockets’ revolves around the steamy relationship between a voluptuous PALC receptionist and a handsome Nigerian economist.

Alexander Nderitu is an award-winning writer, poet, playwright, and critic. In 2001, he published Africa’s first e-novel, When the Whirlwind Passes. He has since published three more books in both electronic and paperback formats: The Moon is Made of Green Cheese (2008), Kiss Commander Promise (2021), and The Talking of Trees (2021).  In 2017, Business Daily newspaper listed him amongst Kenya’s ‘Top 40 Under 40 Men.

According to the statistics of Worldreader, an NGO that distributes free ebooks and e-readers worldwide, Nderitu’s biggest readership is in Nigeria. This has prompted the author to infuse Nigerian characters into his work. In 2020, his narrative poem, ‘The Nigerian Convention on Nude Mice’ was a finalist for the Collins Elesiro Literature Prize. In 2022, ‘The Spirit of St. Louis’, another narrative poem, was published by Itanile literary magazine. It centres on a Kenyan man’s tryst with a mysterious girl from Warri. Alexander Nderitu’s Facebook page describes him as an ‘honorary Nigerian.’

Disco Matanga is available worldwide via Amazon.com and Nuria Bookstore.