Young African “boy wonder” halted on his way to writers’ festival
BREAKING NEWS: Prodigy denied entry to Hong Kong
By a Staff Reporter
AFRICA’S LITERARY ‘BOY WONDER” has been refused entry into Hong Kong for a symposium of Asian authors. “There was no reason whatsoever,” said Onyeka Nwelue. “Maybe because I'm BLACK?”
Nigerian author Nwelue, considered one of the hottest young literary talents in his country, was booked to speak at the Asia Pacific Writing Partnership (APWP) conference at City University on Tuesday March 9, followed by an appearance at the Hong Kong International Literary Festival on the 14th.
But on Friday he received a call from the Chinese embassy in Nigeria. “My visa was not approved by the Immigration Department in Hong Kong,” he said. No reason was given.
Nwelue contacted Jane Camens, festival founder, to break the bad news and ask whether she could spread the word and see if something could be done. Ms Camens said it was “embarrassing” for “an event that bills itself as an international festival showcasing writers to have one of the people on the program of events stopped because of the colour of his skin”.
Hong Kong author Nury Vittachi, co-founder of the APWP and the literary festival, said: “Nwelue is Africa’s ‘boy wonder’ and has displayed an amazing talent. He’s barely 21 years old. In 2004, the Guardian described him as ‘a teenager with a steaming pen’.”
The event raised echoes of an incident in 2002. “Author Amit Chaudhuri was frisked and made very uncomfortable at customs,” Ms Camens said. That author, a highly respected India-based novelist published around the world, was taken aside for a lengthy grilling at Chek Lap Kok. “The incident gained huge international media and made Hong Kong look stupid,” Ms Camens said.
Vittachi added: “We’ve now had two respected authors stopped on to way to share their wisdom. The Immigration Department needs to stop assuming that dark-skinned people coming to Hong Kong are here to work illegally doing washing-up in curry houses.”
Nwelue is standing by in Nigeria hoping that publicity over the case will cause the Hong Kong Government to reconsider its decision.
His first book, The Abyssinian Boy, was bestseller in his home country and is due to be filmed by a Belgian moviemaker. Vittachi said he would highlight an empty chair and the literary symposium on Tuesday to mark Nwelue’s absence.
