[CELEBRITY PROFILE]:- Echezonachukwu Nduka
Echezonachukwu Chinedu Nduka (born 19 July 1989) is a Nigerian poet, pianist, and musicologist specializing in piano music by African and African-descent composers. His work has been featured on BBC, Radio Nacional Clasica de Argentina, and Classical Journey.
Early life and education
Nduka was born in Onitsha, Nigeria, to an Anglican clergyman and educationist. 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 (now Alvan Ikoku University of Education), Owerri. In addition, he has worked as a freelance writer and columnist for The Nigerian Telegraph. He is one of the contributors on African Hadithi, a Pan-African online media platform where his essays and poetry have been published His essay “Preserving the Igbo Cultural Dogmas via Literature: From Chinua Achebe to Onyeka Nwelue” garnered enormous readership and debates Nduka has been listed as one of the five Nigerian contemporary writers to watch out for. His published critical reviews and appraisals are centered on contemporary African literature with emphasis on poetry and fiction by authors of African descent.
Literary journals and anthologies
Poetry
Nduka’s poem “Etude” won the Bronze Prize at the 4th Korea-Nigeria Poetry Feast.In 2016, he emerged winner of the 6th Korea-Nigeria Poetry Feast Prize for his poem “Listen”. One of his spoken-word poems titled “We Wear Purple Robes” is a reflection on terrorism in Nigeria.His poems have been published in reputable literary journals and anthologies including Transition Magazine,Sentinel Nigeria, Sentinel Literary Quarterly, Kalahari Review, The Bombay Review, Bakwa, African Writer, Jalada, Saraba Magazine, Praxis Magazine for Arts and Literature, BrittlePaper, Tuck Magazine, The New Black Magazine, 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.Some of his poems have been translated into Norwegian, French, and Arabic
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.
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
Filmography
- 2015: We Wear Purple Robes (Poetry film)
- 2016: Console Me (Short film)
- 2016: Listen (Poetry film)
- 2016: Where the Road Leads (Poetry film)
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