Yesterday on Facebook (Chris Barkley) and on File 770, it was announced that the US State Department had denied award winning Nigerian author and editor Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki a Visa in order to attend this year’s Worldcon (Chicon 8) in Chicago; Ekpeki is in the running for a Hugo Award. Additionally, he has been scheduled to be a guest of honor at another convention a bit later in the year.
Both sources encouraged readers to write to the Embassy in Nigeria and to the US State Department, with Barkley offering up his version as an example for others:
“SENT to the US Department of State TODAY!
“To Whom It May Concern,
Mr. Ekpeki is a rising star in the science fiction field. In particular, he is also helping to bring positive attention and acclaim to both Nigerian science fiction authors, African science fiction authors and Africans in Diaspora authors. He has, in a very short time, greatly raised the profile of all three groups which have previously not been receiving all that much attention on the world stage.
Additionally, Mr. Ekpeki has been nominated for awards that will be presented at Chicon 8 and it would be a terrible injustice if he were not allowed to attend because the NIgerian government has seen fit to deny him a Visa.
I respectfully and strongly urge you to look into this matter and assist Mr. Ekpeki in obtaining his Visa so that he can attend the event and represent both Nigerian and African authors of Science Fiction.
Sincerely,
Steve Davidson
Owner & Publisher of the World’s First Science Fiction magazine –
Amazing Stories, first published in 1926 and still going strong!”
(If you use either letter as your starting place, please do not copy directly. Instead, re-write them in your own words.)
