INTERVIEW WITH RASAQ MALIK GBOLAHAN
Rasaq Malik Gbolahan is a talented poet. He is one of the six nominees of Poet Lore Pushcart Prize.
A Nigerian born and bred in Iseyin, Oyo state, Rasaq Malik tells us about his life as a poet and the challenges facing Nigerian poets.

Who is Rasaq Malik Gbolahan?
Rasaq Malik Gbolahan is a graduate of University of Ibadan. He writes and lives in Ibadan.

How do you feel being one of the Poet Lore Pushcart Prize Nominee?
I was happy when the Editor of Poet Lore, Ellie Tipton sent me the message that my poem was nominated. It always means a lot to be nominated out of the pool of submissions received by the editor.

What inspired you to write the poem "What My Father Says Every Night"?
The war that happens to us as people who struggle to exist in a volatile place. The unrest that happens to us as we wake up every day to meet bullets lurking in the air. The Boko haram insurgency and the massacres and the havoc created by humans. Some of these things inspired the poem.

In your view, what role does poem play in the mind of the readers?
A poem liberates the mind of the reader. It uplifts the moribund spirit of a reader. A poem inspires and teaches you what you do not know. It is bliss. It is the creation of a world filled with stark realities.

Any other career apart from being a poet?
I am a performer. I am a chanter. I am a dreamer.

What do you say about Nigerian poets. Are they up to the international standards?
They are up to international standard. Nigeria is blessed with brilliant poets who have been able to study the art of poetry and write good poems. They include Gbenga Adeoba, Hauwa Shaffii Nuhu, Joshua Omidire, Rahaman Abiola Toheeb, Kechi Nomu, Oladele Noah, etc.
Do you feel fulfilled being a poet?
I am happy being a poet. It is a source of healing to me. It rejuvenates my dying hope. I love writing.

Who are your role models?
Jumoke Verissimo, Laura Kaminski, Danusha Lameris, Kim Adonizzio, etc.

Where do you see yourself in five years time?
I don't know. I just hope things continue to blossom and life continues to be good. I don't know tomorrow. I continue to pray for the gift of life.

What do you do during your leisure time?
Reading poetry books. I can't do without reading poetry books. I have no leisure time. I don't play games. I hardly watch movies.

Your favourite food?
Rice.

Your favourite colour?
Yellow.

Choice of destination for holiday?
Saki. I would love to visit the oke Asabari.

Your social media platforms for fans to reach you?
Rasaq Malik Gbolahan on Facebook. Poetmalik on Instagram.

WHAT MY FATHER SAYS EVERY NIGHT
If we wake up tomorrow, he says,
we will pray to Allah until our knees
bleed, until our foreheads darken,
until the only words that linger
in our mouths are Allahu Akbar.
If we wake up tomorrow without
having to search for our beloveds
at the scenes of bomb blasts, in the wreckage
of burn cars, in the ruins of buildings,
in the fields of graves, we will recite
the Qur'an until our voices reach the heart
of God, until our eyes spill tears.
If we wake up tomorrow without hearing bullets, without smelling corpses, without
enduring the news of war from Gaza, without
reading the list of the dead in Rafah,
Jabalia, Khan Younis, Maghazi,
North Gaza, we will shout Allahu Akbar
until our throats slacken, until our chests
quake, until the only thing we remember
is how to love God. If we wake up
tomorrow, he says, we will go to the streets
to help the wounded, the dying,
the young learning to remember
their country, the orphans saying Help us,
we're hungry, the old in clothes filled with dirt,
the sick gasping for breaths in hospitals.
If we wake up tomorrow, he says,
we will learn to survive another night.
Rasaq Malik.

INTERVIEW WITH AISHA ALIYU
Who is Aisha Aliyu?
She is Aisha Mustapha. She was born on the 11th of November, 1994 to an extended family of Mustapha Lukpan, and she became Aliyu Aisha in 1998.

Tell us more about yourself?
I'm a girl with two identities. I'm from Bida, Niger state. I was born in Minna. I lost my dad when I was three and I was adopted by my big cousin brother. He changed my name from Aisha Mustapha to Aisha Aliyu. I was taken from Bida local government where my dad died and was buried. I was taken from my mom, far away from my biological home and my siblings to Lagos state, where I started a new life as Aisha Aliyu.
I was way too young to realize my new fate. I thought I was just going for a vacation, there I attended new schools, I had new friends, new siblings, new Parents, new home...years passed by and I began to miss my biological home, that place was always on my mind as I grew up. My mom never visited me nor did any of my siblings
I graduated from nursery and primary school and as time went on, I began to forget my history, where I was born faded away in my memory.

What is the practical daily life of Aisha Aliyu?
Just wake up, do the house chores assigned to me, go to school, return home and attend Islamic school at evenings.

What is writing to you?
Writing is an urge to express my feelings, to feed my empty papers ink of pain.

What is your source of inspiration?
I had no specific inspiration, but partially, pain inspired me to write.

Why do you think writers are unique and different from others?
They are unique because they've gotten a talent unleash able. What differentiate them from others is their ability to pen down their instincts, bind out a hardcopy of their imaginations, intelligence and aspirations of life.

What do you think are the challenges faced by Nigerian writers?
Well you see, the challenges are very high. Little I can say is that Nigerian writers lack inspiration, motivation and support. I once went for publishing and I was discouraged by the way I was approached. At first I quit writing because I see no point in writing on the four walls of my room for the rest of my life. I really wanted to onymous, not just to Nigeria but to the rest of the world.

Where do you see yourself in five years time?
Probably managing digital contents, that's in writing. I'm presently into arts and architecture. I'm proposing to drop architecture before I leap to see my future in writing.

Who are your role models?
Muhammad (SAW), my mom and Yesmin Mogaheed.

How do you relax in your leisure time?
On my couch...I make scripts, surf and listen to music all day long. Anything indoors because I'm that type.

Your favourite quote?
"Aim high because the bottom is overcrowded".

Your favourite food?
Irish potato.

Your favourite colour?
White.

Your favourite choice for holiday destination?
Paris.

Your social media platforms for fans to reach you?
Whatsapp @08168865412, Facebook @ Aisha Aliyu and Instagram @ Aliyuaishamustee.



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INTERVIEW WITH MUBARAK BAKARE (NIGERIA'S TALLEST MODEL)
Tell us more about yourself?
I am Bakare Olalekan Mubarak, an Actor, a multiple award winning model, Mr. Nigeria International Kwara 2016/17, the creative director of Mubby's Clothier and of course, the tallest model in (Sub-Saharan Africa) Nigeria...ultimately the tallest model corper in Nigeria currently.
I grew up as a mummy and daddy's boy (laughs), royal family. I have 5 siblings and I am the third amongst the six of us.

What has been the breaking point in your career?
As far as I'm concerned, there is no breaking point yet, 'cos I believe all these are still stepping stones...enough greater things awaits us, but so far, I think it's the nationwide record, that is being the tallest model in the nation.

Being the tallest model in Nigeria. What uniqueness has it paid you in the modeling industry?
It's indeed an edge, that is has apparently fetch me a record, which is what I leveraged on and trying to capitalize on. Though I tend not to fit in for some runway jobs at times because of the height.

What is the typical day of Mubarak Bakare?
Well, I spend my day where necessary, if I don't have fixed schedules then I visit recreational centres for sightseeing or I stay at home and eat well (smiles).

How challenging has combining modeling with you personal life being?
It's not a challenge because it's what I'm happy about. In that case, I don't see it as a hurdle.

Where do you see yourself in five years time?
Hmmmm...well in five years time, I see myself as one of the most notable multinational brands on the cosmos.

Who are your role models?
Anyone that serves as an inspiration for me becomes my role model (smiles). So I've got enough. So far, you serve as an inspiration for me one way or the other.

Do you think the modeling industry can meet up with the International standard?
With time, perseverance and consistency, it can. I am optimistic.

How do you handle fans?
I tend to show love to everyone and I try as much as possible to be cheerful and polite.

What is your biggest fulfillment as a model?
The fact that I conquered the fear of not being able to cope probably because of being supersized and in turn, it has earned me a record.

Apart from being a model, you're also a designer and an actor. How do you relax in your leisure time?
Sleep. I visit places for sightseeing, get to watch documentaries or explore new things generally.

Your favourite food?
I have a few (grins). Fried rice, pounded yam, potatoes and ketchup noodles.

Your favourite colour?
No favourite colour.

Your favourite quote?
"They left...they will return, but this time not as friends but fans".

Your favourite choice for holiday destination?
I have a lot(grins). Let me say a few. Bruj'Al'Arab in dubai (UAE), Disneyland, Florida, USA.

The best outfit you feel comfortable in?
Shirt and trousers with a pair of brogues.

Your social media platforms for fans to reach you?
@bakare¬¬_mubarakk on instagram and twitter. Mubarak Bakare on Facebook. IG clothing account @mubbys_clothier. Facebook page: Bakare Mubarak/mubby's clothier.


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INTERVIEW WITH NNADOZIE EKENE
Tell us more about yourself?
I was one among the many creative Nigerian youths. I'm gifted in the arts, visual arts to be precise. My name is Nnadozie Ekene Gideon. I was born in Lagos state and I also did my early education there. I'm from Enugu state. I finished my primary school in Port-Harcourt. It was in primary 4 at 8 years old that my talent was first acknowledged in a Fine Art class. The teachers remark changed my life. "A promising Artist".
Ever since, I see art as a form of freedom and a limitless source of hope. A medium through which I could express myself and inspire people as well. So since then, I've been on a journey to discovering the greatness and depth of my creativity. I feel privileged and honoured to have been given this limitless gift and ability.
I would love to use this gift to inspire and lift people, to give them hope. Art being a means of expression simply boundless because it has no language barrier.
As long as your mind is active, art can and will always communicate to you. I have been experimenting on using the pencil to create images. I must say the medium is inexhaustible. Every day, it makes me wonder if the pencil will ever cease to have another dimension in it. The drawings take me between 60 to 150 hours. In the long run, I gained the virtue of patience and consistency.

What is your source of inspiration?
First, it is God because He is the master artist. His works have no end. Then some other artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Kelvin Okafor, Marcello Barengdi, Ken Nwadiogbu..., I can just go on and on...even my fine arts teachers. My Parents have also been very supportive.

Which country do you think is art-based and why?
Nigeria is art-based due to our cultures, traditions, fashion and lifestyle. Art appreciation is growing at a fast pace. Globally, the UK and most Asia and Europe are more art-based than us here in the sense that art appreciation is higher. Thanks to platforms like this that are making Nigeria better in every way.
Every ethnic group, tribe and geo-political zone in Nigeria has every element of art woven into their culture and tradition. So we live and work in art here in Nigeria.



What does it take to pick a pencil and put a thought into drawing?
It takes courage. It takes everything a person entails. It also takes conscious effort and experience or inexperience. Sometimes it takes being intuitively guided other times, it takes curiosity to see what comes out.
Who are your role models?
Wow...My role are many. They range from art masters to contemporary artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Kelvin Okafor, to mention a few.

Do you think Africans appreciate art works like the Europeans do?
Like I said earlier, art appreciation is growing in Nigeria and indeed Africa. Although the level in Africa might not really be up to par with what it is in Europe, Europeans look for the aesthetics in art works while Africans seek for the meaning of work. So until most of Africa start appreciating the beauty and art-for-art sake value of art works. Art appreciation here will not match that of Europe.

What do you think are the challenges faced by Nigerian artists?
The challenges faced by Nigerian artists are basic challenges which have been magnified due to the nature of the environment we find ourselves. Major on the list is "the starving artist syndrome" where an artists can barely live by what he earns. Then there are others like lack of what I call "talent managers". Hence the artist does all the running around. Lack of proper funding, appreciation of creativity is getting better of late.
Also, there is the issue of societal regard for artist as people who have lost hope. This is as a result of art being seen as a less lucrative venture. Even in some universities, the Art department buildings are far from fine. If the artist is valued, then his works can be well priced as in developed places.
These challenges lead to Nigerian artists been taken for less than the best in the world which is not supposed to be so.

Any plans for the future?
If you ask me, I would say the future lies in our heart. As we imagine it and walk towards reality is born. With that said, I hope to birth motivational pieces that will set the pace globally even as I set off locally.
I see exhibitions across the world in view. I also see myself imparting knowledge to young artists, and lots more.

How do you relax when you're not in your studio?
When I'm not in my studio, I watch cartoons and motivational or Sci-Fi movies. I also love listening to music across the globe. I feed my mind on positive things.

What is your best food?
Egusi soup with any available swallow.

Your favourite colour?
Purple. It signifies royalty.

What is your favourite choice for holiday destination?
US, because of its diverse cultural heritage.

Your social media platforms for fans to reach you?
Facebook: Artfinga's Studio
Instagram: @artfinga
Twitter: @NnadozieGideon or search for "Artfinga".