SMU Alumni Highlight: Francesca Ekwuyasi
Written by Holly Morrison
@holly.morrison
Thumbnail and Header Photo by Mo Phung
Halifax is a city that has previously sparked the inspiration of many artists, writers, and filmmakers. Author Francesca Ekwuyasi’s experience in this city is evidence that this still holds true today. Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, Ekwuyasi moved to Halifax from New York to do her Master’s in International Studies here at SMU in 2013 (from which she graduated in 2016). While she originally found this change difficult, she has noted that it was the change of scenery that really encouraged her to begin writing.
Ekwuyasi began writing while living in Lagos, but it wasn’t until moving to Halifax that she began to submit her stories for publication. Her first published short story was That Time Before Before, in online literary magazine Brittle Paper in 2016. Since then, Ekwuyasi has published nine short stories in various magazines, with two being long-listed for various awards, and one listed as Distinguished Short Story in Best American Short Stories 2018.
Her most recent and notable written work is her debut novel, Butter Honey Pig Bread, which was published in September 2020 by Arsenal Pulp Press. It draws inspiration from both Ekwuyasi’s childhood home of Lagos as well as her more recent home here in Halifax. In an interview with CBC, she describes the book: “[It] is about the relationship between three women, a mother and her twin daughters. It centres around their own self-perception, their relationships with each other and with the people that come into their lives. It's a slow, relationship-focused book. But it's also about food and faith and forgiveness.” Ekwuyasi also drew from spirituality and Nigerian folklore, where twins are popular figures. These themes are blended with queer romance, reconciliation, and forgiveness. Ekwuyasi said in her interview that these ideas came naturally to her, as she wrote what was in her heart.
Since publishing about 7 months ago, Butter Honey Pig Bread has received acclaim from many different organizations around Canada. It was one of 14 books featured on the long-list for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, which aims to recognize excellence in Canadian fiction. More recently, Butter Honey Pig Bread has been featured on the Canada Reads list for 2021, where it was announced runner-up by one point. In addition, it was also listed by CBC as one of the best Canadian fiction novels of 2020 and has been featured in the Globe 100: Our favourite books of 2020.
Photo by CBC
Apart from writing stories and books, Ekwuyasi has many other credits to her name. She was hired as a writer for Heist Theatre Company to write a performance piece called Frequencies. During her residence at The Khyber Centre for the Arts, she created a paper cutting exhibit that looked at queerness and religion and how they connect. She’s also written and directed multiple short film documentaries, such as Black + Belonging, Queerness + Faith, and Black in Halifax. Her film Black + Belonging was originally screened at the Halifax Black Film Festival in 2019, before also being featured at both the Montreal International Black Film Festival and the Toronto Black Film Festival in February 2020. Ekwuyasi truly is an artist in all senses of the word.
In addition to the amazing pieces she has contributed to the creative community, Ekwuyasi has also done significant community-based work in both Halifax and SMU during her time here. She is currently a volunteer with the Halifax Refugee Clinic, and currently works both at South House Halifax, (a sexual and gender resource centre) and as a sexuality educator at Venus Envy. During her time at SMU, Ekwuayasi worked as an editorial assistant for the Labor, Capital & Society Journal as well as a graduate teaching assistant while completing her Master’s in International Studies. Her research explored labour migration and human trafficking in the Gulf Cooperation Council, under the supervision of Dr. Henry Veltmeyer.
From all these accomplishments, it is clear that Francesca Ekwuyasi has contributed much to various communities, including that of SMU. With her debut novel having received so much praise, the SMU Journal looks forward to keeping up with whatever Ekwuyasi releases next. Here’s hoping that both the community of Halifax and the artistic community of Canada will continue to see her work for a long time.