Echezonachukwu Nduka

Echezonachukwu Chinedu Nduka (born 19 July 1989) is a Nigerian poet, author, pianist, recording artist, and musicologist specializing in piano music by West African composers. His work has been featured on BBC, Radio Nacional Clasica de Argentina, Radio France International (rfi), and Classical Journey.[1][2][3][4]

Echezonachukwu Nduka
In Egg Harbor Township, February 2017
Born (1989-07-19) 19 July 1989
Onitsha, Nigeria
OccupationAuthor, pianist, writer
EducationKingston University London, University of Nigeria
Period2012 – present
GenreClassical Music, Poetry, Fiction
Notable awardsKorea-Nigeria Poetry Prize

Early life and education

Nduka was born in Onitsha, Nigeria. He attended several mission schools as a result of his parents' vocation as ministers who were transferred to various stations. As a child who spent most of his time in the rectory and church environment, he joined The Boys Brigade, an organization founded in Glasgow, Scotland, by Sir William Alexander Smith. Afterwards, Nduka became a choirboy singing soprano and later, tenor.

Nduka attended Bishop Crowther Seminary, Awka. In 2006, he gained admission into the University of Nigeria to study Music, and graduated magna cum laude in 2010. Thereafter, he proceeded to Kingston University London, United Kingdom, where he studied as a postgraduate student in Music.

Career

Academic and Writing

Nduka worked in Nigeria as a lecturer in Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education (later known as Alvan Ikoku University of Education),[5][6][7] Owerri. In addition, he has worked as a freelance writer and columnist for The Nigerian Telegraph, and for African Hadithi, a Pan-African online media platform where his essays and poetry have been published.[8] His essay "Preserving the Igbo Cultural Dogmas via Literature: From Chinua Achebe to Onyeka Nwelue" garnered enormous readership and debates.[9][10] Nduka has been listed as one of the five Nigerian contemporary writers to watch out for.[11] His published critical reviews and appraisals are centered on contemporary African literature with emphasis on poetry and fiction by authors of African descent.[12][13][14][15]

Literary journals and anthologies

Poetry

Nduka's poem "Etude" won the Bronze Prize at the 4th Korea-Nigeria Poetry Feast.[16] In 2016, he emerged winner of the 6th Korea-Nigeria Poetry Feast Prize for his poem "Listen".[17][18] One of his spoken-word poems titled "We Wear Purple Robes" is a reflection on terrorism in Nigeria.[19] His work has been published in reputable literary journals and anthologies including Transition Magazine,Sentinel Nigeria, Sentinel Literary Quarterly, River River, The Bombay Review, Bakwa, African Writer, Jalada Africa, Saraba Magazine, The Indianapolis Review, Kissing Dynamite, The Village Square Journal, 20.35 Africa: An Anthology of Contemporary Poetry Vol.II, Black Communion: Poems of 100 New African Poets, From Here to There: A Cross Cultural Poetry Anthology, A Thousand Voices Rising: An Anthology of Contemporary African Poetry, The Solace of Nature: An Anthology of International Poetry, The Bombay Review: An Anthology of Short Fiction and Poetry, among several others. [20][21][22][23][24][25] Some of his poems have been translated into Norwegian, French, and Arabic[26]

International Poetic Project

In the summer of 2015, the third edition of the international poetic project in honour of the legendary Russian poet, singer, songwriter and actor Vladimir Vysotsky was published in the US. The project, which is essentially a world poetry anthology compiled and edited by Marlena Zimna, the Director of Polish Vladimir Vysotsky's Museum in Koszalin, features Nduka's Igbo translations of Vladimir Vysotsky's poems alongside translations in Greek, Hindi, Maori, Xhosa, Meitei, Peru, Fante, Georgian, Cebuano, Maltese, Gujarati, Assamese, French, and several other world languages by notable poets and translators from different parts of the world.[27]

Fiction
  • "Something from Ozumba], in The Kalahari Review, 2013
  • "A Dream in August", in Tuck Magazine, 2015
  • "Kizomba", in Ake Review, 2016
  • "The Journey", in Afridiaspora, 2016
  • "Gondola Street", in African Writer, 2016
  • "Being Alphonso", in Transition Magazine, 2017
  • "Playing the Music of Dead Men", in Maple Tree Literary Supplement, 2018

Nonfiction
  • "On Freedom Falls & Contrastive Realism", in My Africa, My City: An Afridiaspora Anthology, 2016
  • "Memories in Three Mementoes", in EXPOUND: Issue #9, 2017

Books
  • Chrysanthemums for Wide-eyed Ghosts (2018)
  • Waterman (2020)

Filmography
  • 2015: We Wear Purple Robes (Poetry film)
  • 2016: Console Me (Short film)
  • 2016: Listen (Poetry film)
  • 2016: Where the Road Leads (Poetry film)

Recordings
  • Choreowaves: African Classical Piano Music (Digital EP)[28]
  • Nine Encores (Digital EP)[29]

See also

References
  1. "An African take on classical music". BBC World Service - Newsday. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  2. "Echezonachukwu Nduka: The Nigerian pianist exporting the African sound". This is Africa. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  3. "Nigerian pianist to bridge classical worlds in the US". Music in Africa. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  4. "Echezonachukwu Nduka releases new poetry film - watch". Sabi News. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  5. "FEC approves upgrade of 4 colleges of education to Federal varsities of education". TheGuardian. 20 May 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  6. "FG upgrades four colleges of education to varsities". PUNCH. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  7. "Upgrading Alvan Ikoku College of Education to a university". DAILY INDEPENDENT. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  8. Contributor Profile of Echezonachukwu Nduka on African Hadithi| Retrieved 5 January 2015
  9. Preserving Igbo Cultural Dogmas via Literature: From Chinua Achebe to Onyeka Nwelue|Retrieved 2 January 2015
  10. "Interview with poet Echezonachukwu Nduka|Retrieved 7 January 2015". Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  11. "5 Contemporary Writers You Should Watch Out For". ZODML. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  12. "Romance amidst bloodletting-Andrew Eseimokumo Oki's Bonfires of the gods". YNaija. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  13. "BN Book Review:"Bonfires of the Gods": Andrew Eseimokumo Oki". BellaNaija. 5 August 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  14. "From Affirmations for Poetic Pedagogy to Cosmic Realms: The Poet as a Teacher". African Hadithi. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  15. "The Stethoscope as Society's Pen: A Review of Dami Ajayi's Clinical Blues by Echezonachukwu Nduka". Sabinews. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  16. The 4th Korea-Nigeria Poetry Feast Event & Awards. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  17. "World Poetry Day: Echezonachukwu Nduka wins Korea-Nigeria Poetry Feast". Olisa:The Blogazine. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  18. Miriam David (22 March 2016). "Echezona Nduka Wins Korea-Nigeria Poetry Feast Prize on World Poetry Day". Creative Writing News. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  19. "Poetry | We Wear Purple Robes | Echezonachukwu Nduka", YouTube video. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  20. Echezonachukwu Nduka|Retrieved 14 January 2015
  21. Something from Ozumba: A short story by Echezonachukwu Nduka Archived 9 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  22. "Black Communion: Poems of 100 New African Poets" at Amazon. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  23. "A Thousand Voices Rising: An Anthology of Contemporary African Poetry|Retrieved 7 January 2015". Archived from the original on 21 March 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  24. A Dream in August: A short story by Echezonachukwu Nduka|Retrieved 27 February 2015
  25. Piano Blues: A short story by Echezonachukwu Nduka|Retrieved January 2015
  26. "عازف البيانو الاعمى Translated by Nasser Al-hindasi". Poem Hunter. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  27. Zimna, Marlena, ed. (2015). Vladimir Vysotsky in Various Languages: International Poetic Project. USA. pp. PT328. ISBN 978-1517091910.
  28. "Nigerian pianist to mix dance and classical music". Music in Africa. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  29. "Nigeria's Echezonachukwu Nduka to release second piano project". Music in Africa. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
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