Thread by @Penprince_

Journey's end; won't be attending @chicagoworldcon. Or any other cons if my current mood is anything to go by & if this is how it goes. I can't anyway. Literally, mood asides. Got denied visa to the Worldcon by @USinNigeria today. It's not the denial but the how

@abikedabiri

https://twitter.com/Penprince_/status/1533980487609466883

This is despite being quite literally the most awarded SF writer, editor and publisher on the continent. I was a finalist in the @TheHugoAwards this year in editing & fiction categories. You don't have to be CIA to know why this is important. Simple Google search

They invented Google right? Why not use it? Or better yet, just read, since I even brought everything to you. If you don't want to do the barest minimum & crosscheck.
Something that's only happened for 5 people in the profession's history. The last time, in 2001, 21 years ago.

I'll be the 1st BIPOC to get that honour, the 1st non-American, and the only person to, this year. If I win both, I'll be the 1st & only person in the genre's history to. Cuz of this I said to try to attend WorldCon. Be there when I possibly make history, again. But naaa

Apparently that's not enough reasons to get visa to attend the WorldCon. If I had been considered & denied I wouldn't even have worried as much. But I don't feel I was even considered at all. It didn't look like. Despite all I did (seperate from being ultra excellent at what I do

After I undertook to attend the Hugo, I did a @gofundme drive ran for me by @jasonsanford. We raised over $7000 in a day. I started trying to get a visa interview appointment. Nigerians reading this know how nerve wracking that is.

https://twitter.com/Penprince_/status/1534644412919205890?t=sLuihcKXlWwexAsakpnubQ&s=19

This was in June.

Btw then and August, like 2 months, I got an interview date. I battered my soul to pieces for that. Nigerians understand. Immigration firm I went to refused to talk to me. Said no one was going to US from Nigeria now cuz no dates. Everyone said it was impossible. But I got it

That's how many layers of impossible I have had to beat. How many miracles. But this is Nigeria. Everything needs a miracle. The most basic ish. Miracle after miracle till you are one short. After I got the date, for today by 7.30am I did everything. Got everything ready

Printed my Gofundme page to show how I got funding, got a letter from @jasonsanford attesting to his help, printed statement of account, printed hotel reservation at the WorldCon hotel, printed invite from WorldCon. Everything was on check. Got there, they didn't check, any

They didn't check anything. Any of my documents. Didn't look at anything, ask me anything about the trip, what the WorldCon was, why I was going, where I was staying, how I was getting funded. Nothing. Nothing I saw them ask others.

I got there early. The interview is in an open place so I heard and saw the interview of others. Nevermind how off this is. Interviews in open space with people's sensitive info, account contents, addresses where anyone can hear. They only really seemed to care about 2 things...

Am I a student. That wasn't even a question. It was a leading, reaching statement. I am a student? I said no. Second one, have I ever travelled abroad? To the US? No. Europe? No. Do I have family in the US? No. & That was it. That was literally it. The end!

I then realized that all the lengthy conversations I witnessed were with people who answered those two questions affirmatively. Student, yes or travel/family broad, convo continues. Pleasantries, even jokes. Oh hope your family are nice neighbours. Hahaha. So funny & cute

Smells of classism to me. Student paying international fees, money. Prior/Family abroad, pedigree and or money. A very particular kind of money. If you make it yourself, naaa. Family kind, yes. If not, convo ends.

I even saw them respond positively to someone going to go give "emotional support" to a working spouse. Not that it's bad. But why is that more important than a con for what I do & possibly get 2 of the most important awards on earth that literally nobody alive has collectively?

Esp for a Nigerian. What's next? Deny Tems or Tobi Amusan visa cuz it's not school or they don't have family abroad? Cuz that's literally all they asked me. They have to? In addition to everything else? Or is it cuz this is literature? So that doesn't matter like sports or music

I said in my application that I had written, edited & published some of the most iconic works of Black & Pan-African speculative fiction. & Worked with, edited & published some of the most acclaimed Black scholars, authors & academics as well. & That's not just cv bants.

The likes of @TananariveDue @blackpotmojo, @StevenBarnes1, @NuzoOnoh @tobiasbuckell @ytashawomack @ABrooksdeVita @akualezli @chineloonwualu @MauriceBroaddus @WTalabi. Did anyone check that? Did it matter? What mattered? My family. Where they live & what they do?

What about what I do, have done & are doing? See it's the same thing. The US, Nigeria, it doesn't matter what you do. Just who you are. Lagos or Chicago. We don't want progress, the cure to cancer, good stories, anything. Just someone rich & fine & to keep wallowing in mediocrity

Imagine doing all that, to not even be heard. Not have the interview you worked so much for. Meanwhile I printed my documents at the embassy. Cuz nobody was open early outside. Printed those docs they didn't see, 20 pages for 40 thousand naira. 40k, $60
Me: *everything*
Embassy:

Anyway after this non-interview, that didn't last up to a minute, they give me a funny paper explaining why. Something that says I don't meet eligibility cuz they aren't sure I won't run away or something. Me? Run away & hide? I never...

I don't want to hide. I want to be seen. Stars don't hide, they shine. & this is a whole Nebula.

This won't be the first time Nigerian award winning writers are being denied visas to attend awards & cons. As if you even need to be the first member of a whole race or continent winning something to go for a con. But apparently that's not even enough. There's Walter Dinjos

He didn't get to go receive his award in Hollywood anymore. He passed away shortly after. Covered by @AShvartsman future-sf.com/blog/rip-emeka…
A while back I said the world only cares about African writers 2 times in their careers. When they break out & when they die.

I took it back when folks grumbled it's too dark. But is it really so far off?
On African writers displaying excellence but shunned for US visas, @somto_Ihezue selected for the prestigious @ClarionWest workshop. His interview date was in the distant future, far after the event

If you want to hear visa tales from excellent Nigerian writers who have seen it you can talk to @suyidavies @WTalabi @rafeeeeta & many more. This is pretty much culture at this point. And we all appear to have accepted this. I don't think anybody is trying to do anything about it

This has been happening and continues to happen. You see why one can be tempted to think the world doesn't care beyond posting our lines and work when we break out or die

Recently I was made @IAFA_TW con GoH for 2023. An honour I'll be the youngest person & only continental Black African to enjoy. Along with some of your favs @StephenKing @neilhimself @nkjemisin @TananariveDue
& 2 @NobelPrize winners...

https://twitter.com/Penprince_/status/1554264569639477248?t=8Vsryb-u-64vUnvBKH-Sng&s=19

...including the 1st African female, & oldest literary Nobel winner. The ICFA probably won't be enough too. Cuz as the cab guy told me calmly while I was ranting on the way home, looking at me like I was simple, everybody knows they don't give convention or conference visa

We'll c'est la vie. And au revoir to @chicagoworldcon. RIP to my sweet schedule

https://twitter.com/Penprince_/status/1559951153147822082?t=vSDPsQ1FEZJYIB6HSqxAeA&s=19

🙄