“When A Woman Renounces Motherhood”- classic essay by Innocent Chizaram Ilo
Innocent Chizaram Ilo lives in Lagos, Nigeria. He writes about class, gender, politics and sexuality.
By Pamela Munyoro
‘When a Woman Renounces Motherhood’ is the 2020 Commonwealth Writers Short Story Prize regional winner from Africa.
He is the youngest ever writer to be awarded the Africa region prize.
The judging panel that selected Ilo’s work was chaired by Ghanaian writer Nii Ayikwei Parkes and five other judges representing the five regions of the Commonwealth.
These are Mohale Mashigo for Africa, William Phuan for Asia, Heather O’Neill for Canada and Europe, Elizabeth Walcott-Hackshaw for Caribbean and Nic Low for Pacific.
One of the judges Mohale Mashigo noted that, “this short story is one of those stories that tell you something shocking and yet leave you with empathy for the characters in a story.”
The writing of this short story is so specific and intimate which makes you want to go back and read it again and again.
Nii Ayikwei Parkes further praised the story for its particularly striking confidence switching between languages.
The story was inspired by his mother, he just wanted to capture what women like his mother lose and give up in the name of marriage and by extension, motherhood.
IIo is very proud and wishes to share his happiness with the mother, after receiving the award he said:
“I still can’t wrap my head around it. You know you always dream of this moment, how you’ll scream from the rooftops and rent your clothes. Then it comes by sudden and the only thing you can do is call your mother and cry over the phone about how proud your father would have been if he was alive.
“This means so much to me. I feel grateful, honored, proud and humbled, at the same time. This is one of those moments that make me look back at all the late nights and piles of rejection emails and say, ‘Maybe, just maybe, this writing thing is worth it.”
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