'Beasts of No Nation' Author, ‘Uzodinma Iweala’ covers latest edition of Guardian Life Magazine

The author of the 2005 novel, ‘Beasts of No Nation’, Uzodinma Iweala is the cover star for the latest edition of 'Guardian Life Magazine'.

In this edition, Uzodinma talks about the art of storytelling, his magazine (Ventures Africa), his new novel and a host of other things.

The CEO of Ventures Africa magazine is not only a writer but a medical doctor as well as an entrepreneur.

Read excerpts from Uzodinma's Interview:



On the magazine Ventures Africa
"You have to make a living, it’s an idea, maybe an SME or innovative startup, a cultural experiment, a painting, something created to change how we think and operate. A lot of it is business and innovation but in reality, it’s about telling stories".



On his traditions when it comes to writing

"I have this thing when I’m writing or editing to not cut my hair until I’m finished. It’s the whole Samson thing, all writers or creative people have their games or traditions. I don’t really cut my hair that often. When I’m working on something, all the excess stuff, I cut it away. No-one’s looking at you when you’re spending all your time in a cave. You’re trying to focus on the work. Samson had long hair and that’s the source of his strength".



On the new novel, he is working on

"This is a very American novel set in Washington DC dealing with some of the issues you might expect, the characters are of different races but centered around the crisis of who has the right to full citizenship and who has the right to safety in that space. It’s not necessarily about killings and protest but how people focus and deal with the inner trauma those experiences create. I’ve always been interested in the way that people process trauma, this one deals with, in vague terms, police brutality – how individuals and societies process the trauma around them. It’s fascinating to me both in the creative work and in the work that we try to do at Ventures".


In 2015, Uzodinma's Beast of No Nation got a screen adaptation starring Idris Alba and 15-year old Ghanaian actor, Abraham Attah. The movie was directed by ‘Cary Joji Fukunaga’ and won the NAACP Image award for 'Outstanding Independent Motion Picture'.