How Fela Kuti inspired Odafe Atogun's debut novel Taduno's Song

Exile, identity, sacrifice and music are some of the threads that Odafe Atogun deftly weaves together in his debut novel Taduno's Song. Central to the story is Taduno, a musician returning home from exile only to find that no one recognises him his identity having being "ground to dust" by the government. The elegant simplicity of Atogun's writing belies the weight of this powerful fable. He told Kim Chakanetsa about how the legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti inspired his work.

Photo: Author Odafe Atogun and cover artwork from Taduno's Song. Credit: Images courtesy of Canongate.