University of Lagos Unveils International Sisi Eko

Chinyere Chimodo’s short story, “International Sisi Eko” became the title of the first lecturer and student collaborative collection of short stories in the Department of English, University of Lagos (UNILAG).

Sisi Eko, the book which was edited by Prof. Hope Eghagha and Karen King-Aribisala, was published in 2018 by Kachifo Limited, publishers of Farafina Books. The International Sisi Eko and Other Stories is a collection of short stories by sixteen writers.

Chinyere, who was doing her masters program in the department when the call for entry was made, said she was pregnant as at that time. However, she had written a story earlier which she was looking forward to publish. The story having suited the criteria for the entry, she merely re-edited and submitted it.

The story is about the seemly danger that comes from leaving home very early for work just to beat the morning traffic. The young lady referred to as ‘Sisi’ is the main character in the story.

Reacting to her success, Chinyere said, “It is exciting and encouraging to be published alongside notable lecturers in the English Department.

International Sisi Eko and Other Stories, as reviewed by Abiodun Adeniji, a senior lecturer in the Department of English, is an outstanding 115-page volume story of Lagos state by sixteen contributors (students and lecturers from the Department of English), UNILAG.

The story book presents Lagos to readers from diverse perspective, all of them reverberations of the glorious and the guttered, and the many contradictions and spontaneous transformations in-between.

Presenting the book to the general public, Mrs Saidat Otulana, Executive Director, Lagos State Council for Arts and Culture, who represented the special guest at the event, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, Honourable Commissioner, Lagos State Ministry for Art and Culture, said they would like to see more of this encouraging and beautiful collaboration between lecturers and students.