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Okey Ndibe

Biography

Okey Ndibe

Okey Ndibe first arrived in the US to take up appointment as the founding editor of African Commentary, a magazine published by the Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe. He has been a visiting professor at Brown University, Connecticut College, Simon’s Rock College, Trinity College, and the University of Lagos (as a Fulbright scholar). The author of FOREIGN GODS, INC., Ndibe served on the editorial board of Hartford Courant where his essays won national and state awards. He earned MFA and PhD degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He lives in West Hartford, CT, with his wife, Sheri, and their three children.

Okey Ndibe

Books by Okey Ndibe

Never Look an American in the Eye: A Memoir of Flying Turtles, Colonial Ghosts, and the Making of a Nigerian American
by Okey Ndibe - Memoir, Nonfiction

Okey Ndibe’s memoir tells of his move from Nigeria to America, where he came to edit the influential --- but forever teetering on the verge of insolvency --- African Commentary magazine. It recounts stories of Ndibe’s relationships with Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka and other literary figures; examines the differences between Nigerian and American etiquette and politics; recalls an incident of racial profiling just 13 days after he arrived in the US, in which he was mistaken for a bank robber; considers American stereotypes about Africa (and vice-versa); and juxtaposes African folk tales with Wall Street trickery.

Arrows of Rain
by Okey Ndibe - Fiction, Literary Fiction

A young woman runs into the sea and drowns. The last man who spoke to her, the curious individual known as Bukuru, is asked to account for the suicide. His shocking revelations land him in court. Alone and undefended, Bukuru has to calculate the cost of silence in the face of stories which must be told. Both humorous and poignant, ARROWS OF RAIN dramatises the relationship between an individual and the modern African state. 

Foreign Gods Inc
by Okey Ndibe - African American Interest, Fiction, Literary

FOREIGN GODS INC tells the story of Ike, a New York-based Nigerian cab driver who sets out to steal the statue of an ancient war deity from his village and sell it to a New York gallery.  Ike's plan is fueled by desperation. Despite a degree in economics, his strong accent has barred him from the corporate world. So he travels back to Nigeria to steal the statue, where he has to deal with old friends, family, and a mounting conflict between those in the village