₦airaland Forum

APRIL EDITION OF THE OSOGBO BOOK CLUB MONTHLY READING HOLDS TOMORROW, SATURDAY 17 APRIL, 2021

Osogbo Book Club (IBC) has expressed readiness to host two Osogbo based writers, Lukman Alawode and Akobi Joshua Bamigbade this coming Saturday, 17 April, 2021, in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State.

A statement by Godwin Grace, the Coordinator of the club, said the event would take place at the Writers’ Global Movement Secretariat, Ona-babaona, Okebaalẹ, Tara Area Osogbo, Opposite Essence International School by 12PM prompt.

In 2014, 2016 and 2017, Osogbo Book Club in conjunction with the Osun State branch of the National Library of Nigeria under the headship of Mr. Bashir Akanni Salawu and Mrs Felicia Abosede Oyeleke held series of book reading programmes which were sponsored by the Board aimed at reviving and enhancing book reading culture in the state. The programmes also featured arts exhibitions and reading of creative books.

ABOUT OUR GUEST WRITERS/READERS

Luqman Alawode is the Director of Studies, Initiative for Sound Education, Relationship & Health, Osun state coordinator of SYNW, and a Fellow of World Institute for Peace. He is the founder of Humanity First Initiative and Initiator of War Against Fake News, a global anthology that was targeted at eradication of spread of fake news across the globe. He published his first magazine in 2020 which was tagged: Colours of Humanity, The Requisite to Redeem the Heritage of a Displaced World.

Luqman is a Poet, Short story writer, humanitarian and an anthologist. He is one of the over two hundred (200) global writers that co-authored a book titled Complexion Based Discrimination, a book that sought to eradicate discrimination against skin colour and ethnicity.

Akobi Joshua Bamigbade is a published author and book promoter. Akobi Joshua was born in the sixties in the city of Ile Ife. He attended about three different primary schools before settling down with one finally. This is a result of following his father who was a teacher during his transfers from one school to another. He attended the prestigious and only boys secondary school in Ile Ife, St John's Grammar school founded by a Catholic Reverend, Father Clouthier. He furthered his education by studying English and History at College of Education in Ilesa from 1982 to I985. He attended both University of Ilorin and the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile Ife for his degree in Language Arts and English Language respectively, the former of which he abandoned after three years before settling for English Language at Obafemi Awolowo University.

He has worked as a teacher of English Language all through his career even when appointed as Principal until his retirement from government service in 2020 after the mandatory 35 years in service.

As a teacher in the 80s, he founded a magazine then called the 'voice ' to encourage creative writing among his students then.

He is a man in love with literary activities and has been involved in different inter-school debates programmes and essay competitions. He has equally contributed short stories and poems to the WGM Magazine,an online creative writing magazine.

He is happily married with children.

Luqman Alawode is the Director of Studies, Initiative for Sound Education, Relationship & Health. Also, Osun State Coordinator of SYNW and a Fellow of the World Institute for Peace. He is the founder of Humanity First Initiative and Initiator of War Against Fake News, a global anthology that was targeted at eradication of spread of fake news across the globe. In this interview with Wole Adedoyin, he talks about his love for writing and experience as a writer.

WA: WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START WRITING?
LA: Writing to me is inborn, though my father was not a writer but he was an orator, he speaks senses and anybody that is so close to him like I did would have no option than to put on a thinking cap. His words are inspirations. So I can say, it all started from the willingness to document my father’s words of wisdom. This is how I developed the skill couple with the everyday happenings within my environment.

WA: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING
LA: Long ago, I can’t really say precisely but officially, I started in 2014 courtesy of my wife’s wishes to know my special skill apart from everyday’s office assignment.

WA: HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A WRITER
LA: Yes, it was not accidental. I have always wished to be a writer

WA: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A NEW WRITER, SOMEONE JUST STARTING OUT?
LA: Writing is not a money bag. Fine, you can make it through writing but do not starts with the aim of making too much money otherwise you will be shown a way out very quickly. Start slowly and watch your skills taking you across the globe.

WA: HOW DO YOU HANDLE WRITERS BLOCK?
LA: Well, I don’t really experience this as such because writing is a pleasure to me. I don’t write to compete, I write to entertain and enlighten. So, I write only when I am inspired to do so.

WA: HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE YOU WRITTEN?
LA: Sincerely, I have not published through the traditional publishers, most of my works are online. I have two of my books on Okadabooks; NEMESIS and POWER OF THE TONGUE. Also, I have championed and also participated in several anthologies both Local and International. I have also published a magazine on humanity, it was released late 2020.

WA: WHAT IS THE MOST SURPRISING THING YOU DISCOVERED WHILE WRITING YOUR BOOK(S)?
LA: The way the inspiration comes. I never knew I could write as much as I am doing today but the moment I start writing, I never get bored.

WA: DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE CHARACTER THAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN? IF SO, WHO? AND WHAT MAKES THEM SPECIAL?
LA: OLAMIDE in my book titled “OLAMIDE THE GLORIOUS CHILD” unfortunately; I sold the book to a publisher when I had no knowledge about how writing works.

WA: WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION?
LA: Everywhere

WA: HAVE ANY OF YOUR BOOKS BEEN TRANSLATED TO AUDIOBOOK?
LA: No

WA: WHICH OF YOUR BOOKS WERE THE MOST ENJOYABLE TO WRITE?
LA: OLAMIDE THE GLORIOUS CHILD

WA: WHAT, IN YOUR OPINION ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF GOOD WRITING?
LA: The “THEME” that is central idea must be clearly understood. Before writing, the writer should understand what he/she wanted to write about
AUDIENCE; you are not writing for yourself, if it is for you, you already know the story but since writing is for others either to educate or entertain them, the writer must have the audience in mind.
CLARITY: Ambiguous words can piss your readers off, be as clear as possible.
POINT OF VIEW: Your point of view has to be specific. Are you writing in first person, second or third?

WA: WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHOR OF ALL TIME?
LA: I celebrate all authors. I don’t go with name but contents of books. However, I think JP CLARK

WA: YOUR FAVOURITE BOOK BY HIM
LA: The Wives Revolt

WA: HAS A BOOK EVER CHANGED YOUR LIFE?
LA: Not really but I am usually motivated when reading biographies

WA: WHAT GENRE DO YOU LOVE?
LA: All. All genres have their significance

WA: ARE THERE ANY GENRES YOU DISLIKE?
LA: No

WA: WHAT AUTHOR (WHO IS STILL LIVING) WOULD YOU DEARLY LOVE TO MEET?
LA: Wole Soyinka

WA: WHAT BOOK CAN YOU RECOMMEND TO ME?
LA: Talent is Never Enough – Brian Tracy

WRITING, READING AND STORYTELLING ARE VEHICLES THAT MOVE CULTURE FORWARD - AKOBI JOSHUA BAMIGBADE

Akobi Joshua Bamigbade is a published author and book promoter. He has worked as a teacher of English Language all through his career even when appointed as Principal until his retirement from government service in 2020 after the mandatory 35 years in service. In this interview with Wole Adedoyin, he shares with him brief details about his writing career.

WA: WHY DO YOU WRITE?
AJB: It's just an instinct.

WA: WHICH WRITER DO YOU ADMIRE?
AJB: Chinua Achebe

WA: WHAT ARE YOU READING RIGHT NOW? ARE THERE ANY AUTHORS (LIVING OR DEAD) THAT YOU WOULD NAME AS INFLUENCES?
AJB: There are so many of them. Sir. Rider H. Haggard, Chinua Achebe , Sydney Sheldon, Ola Rotimi and so on.

WA: WHAT WAS THE BOOK THAT MOST INFLUENCED YOUR LIFE — AND WHY?
AJB: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. I was influenced by its straightforward narration and its use of proverbs.

WA: WHAT ARE YOUR 10 FAVORITE BOOKS —AND WHY?
AJB: The question could have been my favourite genre or authors. I love African writers whose sole aim is exposing the African experiences under colonialism or apartheid or the new experience under self rule. In a nutshell, I enjoy satire. Equally I enjoy thrillers, espionage and adventures. I love reading books from Achebe, Soyinka, Elechi Amadi, Sembene Ousmane, Buchi Emecheta etc. For thrillers I enjoy books from Sydney Sheldon, Dennis Robin's etc.

WA: IF YOU HAD A BOOK CLUB, WHAT WOULD IT BE READING — AND WHY?
AJB: Poetry and Prose. I love poetry because of its use of words. Prose because it keeps you company. You are never lonely with Prose in your hands.

WA: GIVE US THREE "GOOD TO KNOW" FACTS ABOUT YOU. BE CREATIVE. TELL US ABOUT THE INSPIRATION FOR YOUR WRITING.
AJB: I love reading novels and love seeing children writing. Most especially I love pleasant surprises in actual live and always want to bring this into my stories. In a nutshell I love intrigues.
I always want reader to get the message I am using the story to pass across. I love treating contemporary issues though a literary work lives on forever and would be relevant in any period or time.

WA: WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT YOUR READERS TO KNOW? CONSIDER HERE YOUR LIKES AND DISLIKES, YOUR INTERESTS AND HOBBIES, YOUR FAVORITE WAYS TO UNWIND — WHATEVER COMES TO MIND.
AJB: For hobbies, I love reading and playing volleyball.

WA: WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
AJB: My writing inspiration comes from happening in the society.

WA: HOW DID YOU GET TO BE WHERE YOU ARE IN YOUR LIFE TODAY?
AJB: I have a motto; Jah guides. God has been leading.

WA: ARE YOU A FULL-TIME OR PART-TIME WRITER? HOW DOES THAT AFFECT YOUR WRITING?
AJB: A part time writer. You know I have been a civil servant all along.

WA: WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE FUTURE OF READING/WRITING?
AJB: Quite foggy. The likes of Achebe, Ferdinand Oyono, Peter Abrahams are dwindling.

WA: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING?
AJB: Can t say

WA: WHAT KIND(S) OF WRITING DO YOU DO?
AJB: Short stories and poetry

WA: WHAT CULTURAL VALUE DO YOU SEE IN WRITING / READING / STORYTELLING /ETC.?
AJB: Writing, reading and storytelling are vehicles that move culture forward. Without them there would be nothing left of a particular society's culture. They are transmitters of culture.

IBADAN BOOK CLUB SET TO HOST JIDE OGUNLANA AS GUEST READER/WRITER FOR HER APRIL BOOK READING
Ibadan Book Club (IBC) has set aside April 24, 2021 to host Jide Ogunlana as her Guest Writer/Reader for the month of April.
A statement jointly signed by the Coordinator and Publicity Secretary of the Club, Ayobami Odunayo and Emeka Emmanuel said that the event will take place at the TETFUND Hall, beside Drawing Room, South Campus of The Polytechnic, Ibadan by 12p.m.
This April Edition is kindly sponsored by Cosmopolitan Publishers.
Jide Ogunlana is a Novelist, Editor, Playwright and Professional Publisher, Two of Ogunlana’s plays, Verbal Violence and Clash of the Gods have been successfully staged in the Arts Theatre of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and they are being read at The Polytechnic, Ibadan and some higher institutions in the country. One of his short stories and extracts of his stories have also been published in some editions of ANA Review of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA).
Ogunlana’s storybook, Primrose and the Kidnappers won the 2018 ANA Prize for Children’s Literature. Many of his books have been approved for school use in the current lists of books of Oyo State Ministry of Education.
Other publications by Jide Ogunlana include: Two Plays of Verbal Attack, Esin Amope (Yoruba) The Adventure of Three Wild Boys (published under a pseudonym, Wale Adewale), Primrose and the Kidnappers, Three Strange Stories for Children, Awesu in a Strange House, A Girl Called Corona Sofia and From Marriage to Prison (A Collection of Short Stories).
As an editor, he worked with Evans Brothers (Nig. Publishers) Ltd for some years before establishing his own publishing company where he now works as a writer, a rewriter and an editor. His work with the Evans Brothers as a Senior Editor exposed him to various works of great writers both locally and internationally. As an independent editor, he has edited outstanding works of many popular Nigerian writers such as the prose works of Dr Wale Okediran, the Secretary General of Pan African Writers Association (PAWA) and a former Member of the House of Representatives, the biography of a former governor, the prose work of Diipo Fagunwa, the only surviving child of D.O. Fagunwa and the autobiography of Prof. Samuel Olusegun Ayodele, a renowned Nigerian professor of English.
The upcoming book reading event promises to be an avenue for reading creative works such as poetry, fiction, book sales and signing, contacts with other readers and book writers in all corners of the state of Oyo, the statement added.
Prospective writers who have works in poetry, short stories and novels can also attend to read their works to other writers and readers. Membership forms and certificate of membership will be available at no charge to first timers.
Ibadan Book Club is an initiative of the Nigerian Young Writers Society. It was founded in 2011 by SYNW in order to contribute its own quota to the growth and development of the Reading Culture in the State of Oyo.
The Ibadan Book Club consists of a group of people who meet, meet periodically to discuss the book they have read and exchange those books. Club members encourage each other and learn to read with a critical mind, articulating their opinions about a particular book with others. Certain types of books not available or read receive attention through the book club.
Some of the publications published by Ibadan Book Club are: Olubadan Centennial Anthology: a collection of essays, articles, poems and works of art in honor of Oba (Dr.) Samuel Odulana, Odugade 1, Voices from Oja Oba Market and Finally, Senator Abiola Ajimobi: Memories, Dreams, Reflections of a Mind Always in Motion.

POLY IBADAN HOSTS IBADAN BOOK CLUB APRIL EDITION, SET TO FEATURE EVANS EX-EDITOR, JIDE OGUNLANA AS GUEST WRITER/READER
The Polytechnic Ibadan, an institution of higher learning in Ibadan in Oyo State, Nigeria. Founded in 1970 will on Saturday, April 24, 2021 host the Ibadan Book Club’s monthly Guest Writer Session. The edition is expected to feature Ex- Evans Senior Editor, Jide Ogunlana.
This was contained in a statement jointly issued by the Coordinator and Publicity Secretary of the Club, Ayobami Odunayo and Emeka Emmanuel in Ibadan on Monday.
At the event, Jide Ogunlana is expected to read from his books and share from his publishing experience.
Jide Ogunlana is a Novelist, Editor, Playwright and Professional Publisher, Two of Ogunlana’s plays, Verbal Violence and Clash of the Gods have been successfully staged in the Arts Theatre of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and they are being read at The Polytechnic, Ibadan and some higher institutions in the country. One of his short stories and extracts of his stories have also been published in some editions of ANA Review of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA).
Ogunlana’s storybook, Primrose and the Kidnappers won the 2018 ANA Prize for Children’s Literature. Many of his books have been approved for school use in the current lists of books of Oyo State Ministry of Education.
Other publications by Jide Ogunlana include: Two Plays of Verbal Attack, Esin Amope (Yoruba) The Adventure of Three Wild Boys (published under a pseudonym, Wale Adewale), Primrose and the Kidnappers, Three Strange Stories for Children, Awesu in a Strange House, A Girl Called Corona Sofia and From Marriage to Prison (A Collection of Short Stories).
As an editor, he worked with Evans Brothers (Nig. Publishers) Ltd for some years before establishing his own publishing company where he now works as a writer, a rewriter and an editor. His work with the Evans Brothers as a Senior Editor exposed him to various works of great writers both locally and internationally. As an independent editor, he has edited outstanding works of many popular Nigerian writers such as the prose works of Dr Wale Okediran, the Secretary General of Pan African Writers Association (PAWA) and a former Member of the House of Representatives, the biography of a former governor, the prose work of Diipo Fagunwa, the only surviving child of D.O. Fagunwa and the autobiography of Prof. Samuel Olusegun Ayodele, a renowned Nigerian professor of English.
The upcoming book reading event promises to be an avenue for reading creative works such as poetry, fiction, book sales and signing, contacts with other readers and book writers in all corners of the state of Oyo, the statement added.
Prospective writers who have works in poetry, short stories and novels can also attend to read their works to other writers and readers. Membership forms and certificate of membership will be available at no charge to first timers.
Ibadan Book Club is an initiative of the Nigerian Young Writers Society. It was founded in 2011 by SYNW in order to contribute its own quota to the growth and development of the Reading Culture in the State of Oyo.
The Ibadan Book Club consists of a group of people who meet, meet periodically to discuss the book they have read and exchange those books. Club members encourage each other and learn to read with a critical mind, articulating their opinions about a particular book with others. Certain types of books not available or read receive attention through the book club.
Some of the publications published by Ibadan Book Club are: Olubadan Centennial Anthology: a collection of essays, articles, poems and works of art in honor of Oba (Dr.) Samuel Odulana, Odugade 1, Voices from Oja Oba Market and Finally, Senator Abiola Ajimobi: Memories, Dreams, Reflections of a Mind Always in Motion.

OSOGBO BOOK CLUB SET TO HOST LUKMAN ALAWODE AND AKOBI JOSHUA BAMIGBALE FOR APRIL READING IN OSUN STATE
Osogbo Book Club (IBC), a reading arm of the Society of Young Nigerian Writers (SYNW) has set aside April 17, 2021 to host two Osogbo based writers, Lukman Alawode and Akobi Joshua Bamigbade, in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State.
A statement by Godwin Grace, the Coordinator of the club, said the event would take place at the Center for Global Writers Secretariat, Ona-babaona, Okebaalẹ, Tara Area Osogbo, Opposite Essence International School by 1PM prompt.
Luqman Alawode is the Director of Studies, Initiative for Sound Education, Relationship & Health, Osun state coordinator of SYNW, and a Fellow of World Institute for Peace. He is the founder of Humanity First Initiative and Initiator of War Against Fake News, a global anthology that was targeted at eradication of spread of fake news across the globe. He published his first magazine in 2020 which was tagged: Colours of Humanity, The Requisite to Redeem the Heritage of a Displaced World.
Luqman is a Poet, Short story writer, humanitarian and an anthologist. He is one of the over two hundred (200) global writers that co-authored a book titled Complexion Based Discrimination, a book that sought to eradicate discrimination against skin colour and ethnicity.
Akobi Joshua Bamigbade is a published author and book promoter. Akobi Joshua was born in the sixties in the city of Ile Ife. He attended about three different primary schools before settling down with one finally. This is a result of following his father who was a teacher during his transfers from one school to another. He attended the prestigious and only boys secondary school in Ile Ife, St John's Grammar school founded by a Catholic Reverend Father Clouthier. He furthered his education by studying English and History at College of Education in Ilesa from 1982 to I985. He attended both University of Ilorin for his degree in Language Arts and English Language, the former of which he abandoned after three years before settling for English Language.
He has worked as a teacher of English Language all through his career even when appointed as Principal until his retirement from government service in 2020 after the mandatory years in service.
As a teacher in the 80s, he founded a magazine then called the 'voice ' to encourage creative writing among his students then.
He is a man in love with literary activities and has been involved in different inter-school debates programmes and essay competitions.
He is happily married with children.
The forthcoming book reading event promises to be an avenue of book and poetry reading, Spoken words, book sales and signing, networking with fellow book readers and writers across the nooks and crannies of Osun State, the statement added.
Upcoming writers who have works in poetry, short stories and novels can also attend to read their works to fellow writers and readers. Membership forms and Certificate of Membership will be made available free of charge to the first timers.
Osogbo Book Club is an initiative of Society of Young Nigerian Writers. It was established by the Society in order to contribute its own quota towards the growth and development of Reading Culture in Osun State. Osogbo Book Club consists of group of people who get together, periodically meet to discuss the book they have read, and to exchange such books. The members of the club encourage each other, and learn to read with a critical awareness, articulating their opinions on a particular book with the others. Certain types of books not available or read receive attention through the book club.

OSOGBO BOOK CLUB SET TO HOST LUKMAN ALAWODE AND AKOBI JOSHUA BAMIGBALE FOR APRIL READING IN OSUN STATE
Osogbo Book Club (IBC), a reading arm of the Society of Young Nigerian Writers (SYNW) has set aside April 17, 2021 to host two Osogbo based writers, Lukman Alawode and Akobi Joshua Bamigbade, in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State
A statement by Godwin Grace, the Coordinator of the club, said the event would take place at the Center for Global Writers Secretariat, Ona-babaona, Okebaalẹ, Tara Area Osogbo, Opposite Essence International School by 1PM prompt.
Luqman Alawode is the Director of Studies, Initiative for Sound Education, Relationship & Health, Osun state coordinator of SYNW, and a Fellow of World Institute for Peace. He is the founder of Humanity First Initiative and Initiator of War Against Fake News, a global anthology that was targeted at eradication of spread of fake news across the globe. He published his first magazine in 2020 which was tagged: Colours of Humanity, The Requisite to Redeem the Heritage of a Displaced World.
Luqman is a Poet, Short story writer, humanitarian and an anthologist. He is one of the over two hundred (200) global writers that co-authored a book titled Complexion Based Discrimination, a book that sought to eradicate discrimination against skin colour and ethnicity.
Akobi Joshua Bamigbade is a published author and book promoter. Akobi Joshua was born in the sixties in the city of Ile Ife. He attended about three different primary schools before settling down with one finally. This is a result of following his father who was a teacher during his transfers from one school to another. He attended the prestigious and only boys secondary school in Ile Ife, St John's Grammar school founded by a Catholic Reverend Father Clouthier. He furthered his education by studying English and History at College of Education in Ilesa from 1982 to I985. He attended both University of Ilorin for his degree in Language Arts and English Language, the former of which he abandoned after three years before settling for English Language.
He has worked as a teacher of English Language all through his career even when appointed as Principal until his retirement from government service in 2020 after the mandatory years in service.
As a teacher in the 80s, he founded a magazine then called the 'voice ' to encourage creative writing among his students then.
He is a man in love with literary activities and has been involved in different inter-school debates programmes and essay competitions.
He is happily married with children.
The forthcoming book reading event promises to be an avenue of book and poetry reading, Spoken words, book sales and signing, networking with fellow book readers and writers across the nooks and crannies of Osun State, the statement added.
Upcoming writers who have works in poetry, short stories and novels can also attend to read their works to fellow writers and readers. Membership forms and Certificate of Membership will be made available free of charge to the first timers.
Osogbo Book Club is an initiative of Society of Young Nigerian Writers. It was established by the Society in order to contribute its own quota towards the growth and development of Reading Culture in Osun State. Osogbo Book Club consists of group of people who get together, periodically meet to discuss the book they have read, and to exchange such books. The members of the club encourage each other, and learn to read with a critical awareness, articulating their opinions on a particular book with the others. Certain types of books not available or read receive attention through the book club.

OSOGBO BOOK CLUB PARTNERS WITH IHRAF BOOK CLUB, COMMENCES ADVOCACY IN READING IN OSUN STATE

In a bid to improve learning and reading culture in Osun State, the Osogbo Book Club (an initiative of the Society of Young Nigerian Writers) has partnered with IHRAF Book Club, book promotion platform of the International Human Rights Art Festival in USA to promote dwindling and moribund reading culture in Osun State.

This was contained in a statement jointly signed by Godwin Grace in Osogbo on Monday.

In 2014, 2016 and 2017, Osogbo Book Club in conjunction with the Osun State branch of the National Library of Nigeria under the headship of Mr. Bashir Akanni Salawu and Mrs Felicia Abosede Oyeleke held series of book reading programmes which were sponsored by the Board aimed at reviving and enhancing book reading culture in the state. The programmes also featured arts exhibitions and reading of creative books.
According to the release, “Nigeria has been rated by the World Culture Score Index as one of the countries in the world with the lowest reading culture, while available statistics from National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education shows that 38 per cent of Nigerians are non-literate as four in ten primary school children cannot read for comprehension. Regrettably, this adverse development is an ominous challenge the country seems not to be paying needed attention to.
There is generally a poor reading culture in the country. The rich literacy history the country is famous for is gradually been eroded. Once upon a time, the country paraded the best set of authors and publishers in Africa. Then, reading was an innate affection for both young and old. This reading inclination reflected so much on the quality of leadership and civil discipline that brought pride to Nigerians anywhere in the world.
In Osun State, reading culture has suffered from widespread poverty, ineptitude and a dearth of dedicated quiet reading spaces like libraries. The decline in the standard of education has seriously affected reading ability. And it becomes harder when you have to deal with the many distractions and challenges that come with being an adult and living in a state like Osun State. Perhaps, our socio-economic environment is not reading friendly. The daily struggle for economic survival provides little or no time for people to cultivate a good reading habit.
Equally, high cost of books, particularly imported ones, has contributed to low readership promotion in the country.
Every last Saturdays of every month, Osun state book lovers, voracious readers, writers, artists will now be converging to discuss old and latest books, read to an interesting audience, meet the guest writer and reader and also get their works published in the newsletter of the club.
Osogbo Book Club is an initiative of Society of Young Nigerian Writers. It was established by the Society in order to contribute its own quota towards the growth and development of Reading Culture in Osun State. Osogbo Book Club consists of group of people who get together, periodically meet to discuss the book they have read, and to exchange such books. The members of the club encourage each other, and learn to read with a critical awareness, articulating their opinions on a particular book with the others. Certain types of books not available or read receive attention through the book club.

ANA NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS IN PICTURES
Camilus Chima Ukah – President (ANA Imo)
Farida Mohammed – Vice-President (ANA Niger)
Maik Ortserga (ANA Benue) General Secretary
Freeman Okosun – Asst. Secretary (ANA Oyo)
Stella Touremi – Treasurer (ANA Bayelsa)
Chimankpa Ogbueri – Financial Secretary (ANA Rivers)
Matthew Taiwo – Auditor (ANA Kaduna)
Wole Adedoyin – PRO South (ANA Osun)
Umar Kakamu Aliyu – PRO North (ANA Nasarawa)
Bentex Torlafia – Legal Adviser (ANA Nasarawa)
Charles Iornumbe- Ex Officio 1 (ANA Benue)
Odono Matthew – Ex Officio 2 (ANA Ebonyi)

TRAVELOGUE; A MEMORY OF JOHN MAGUFULI’S TANZANIA BY WALE OKEDIRAN

The road to Bagamoyo from Dar Es Salam is a well laid highway running through several towns and communities with such delectable names as Kawe, Mizimuni, White Sands, Kunduchi, SalaSala, and Bunju among others.

The evidence of a developing landscape was all around with new buildings, towns and access roads sprouting like newly planted corns on a farm. In the far distance, a hovering mist above the early morning sun gave a magical appearance to a handsome but winningly humble country. To protect the small towns from reckless drivers, the speed limit in the towns was 50km/hour.

In addition to the speed limits were warning signs in Ki-Swahili, the official language of Tanzania: as ‘Nenda Pole Pole’ (Go slowly). To effect the traffic regulations were the ubiquitous ‘Askaris’ (policemen) in their immaculate white uniforms at every strategic spot on the way.

As the SUV that conveyed me from Dar (the nickname for Dar Es Salaam) glided through the early morning traffic, the vegetation soon changed from the leafy foliage of the south to swampy fields and sparse vegetation of the north. Soon, the tightly packed buildings of the city centre gave way to suburban scattered buildings.

Before long, we were in Bagamoyo where I savoured encounters with the salty and warm Indian Ocean whose rhythmic and booming waves lulled me to sleep every night as well as delicious freshly caught Tilapia grilled over outdoor charcoal fire.

Actually, my most memorable stay in Tanzania was at the coastal town of Bagamoyo, a distance of about 65 kilometres north of Dar Es Salaam. A town of wonderful beaches, palms and ancient history, Bagamoyo is said to mean ‘’Here I lay down my heart’’ an expression about the despair of slaves brought from the hinterland as they reached the town and for the first time, saw the sea, which must have symbolised the end of all their hopes.

It is easy to fall in love with Bagamoyo with her famous ruins and white lovely beaches that ran along the wide blue waters of the wave tossed Indian ocean. At night, in the distant glow of the moon, I saw fishing boats scattered on the sea like black butterflies on an apple yard as fishermen went for their nightly duties. Once in a while the echoes of their voices and nocturnal activities came to me in my hotel room, not far from the beach.

Sometimes I stayed up far into the night just to watch the boats as they roamed about the fathomless sea without a care for the giant waves, heavy rains and occasional storms that were usually their lot. To see the fishing boats out in the sea with their sails bellowed by the wind under the full glow of the midnight moon, with the voices of the fishermen floating in the midsummer’s night was one of the most magical moments of my travelling experience.

Every morning in the light of day break, I would be at the beach to welcome the heavily laden boats. Their catch was always awesome; sardines, lobsters, kingfish, rock cod, red and blue snapper as well as prawns and squids. I soon made friends with the fishermen who allowed me to pose for photographs with their lovely looking fishes and sold me fresh Tilapia at give- away prices.

I had come to Tanzania, the Swahili land on the invitation of the organisers of the annual ‘Mwalimu Nyerere Intellectual Festival’ to deliver a paper on the conference theme; ‘’The Politician in the rise and fall of Africa’’. The three- day dialogue was expected to explore the quality and nature of politicians in Africa as well as the challenges this category of leaders are facing in the execution of their duties among other issues. The discourse was also expected to determine how the politician in Africa had contributed to the development or underdevelopment of African countries.

And so for three good days the conference was awash with erudite presentations from a diverse array of speakers made up of political scientists, human rights activists, gender experts, as well as former and serving Members of Parliaments.

Speaker after speaker paid glowing tributes to the first Tanzanian President and the father of the Tanzanian nation, Julius Nyerere to whom the conference was dedicated. Expectedly, the politician was at the receiving end most of the time with many paper presenters inundating the audience with gory and unsavoury political scenarios allegedly perpetuated by African politicians as if the people themselves are innocent bystanders.

It was indeed a difficult time to be referred to as a politician and one of my Tanzanian friends jokingly advised me not to introduce myself as a politician but as a writer and physician! Luckily, the audience seemed to agree with the focus of my presentation which was that politics is too important to be left alone in the hands of politicians, as such, the people have to be more responsive and responsible to politics and politicians.

A major highlight of the conference was Prof Patrick Lumumba’s highly entertaining and provocative paper; ‘’’A call for Hygiene in African Politics’’ The presentation by the well- known human rights Lawyer with its eloquence, drama and masterly erudition delivered to a packed audience consisting mostly of students almost brought down the roof.

Prof Lumumba who heaped praises on the current Tanzanian President John Magufuli whom he referred to as a ‘breath of fresh air’ for his anticorruption stand, predicted that Tanzania would in a few years’ time become one of the biggest economies in Africa if Magufuli was able to maintain his wonderful governance tempo. Lumumba like several speakers before him also reiterated the urgent need for Africans to de-ethnicise politics. As he put it ; ’the God I worship is a God of diversity’ .

Dar es Salaam with a population of 4.36 million is the commercial capital and largest city in Tanzania. It is situated in the east coast of the Indian Ocean.

The original name of the city, I was told was Mzizima (tremble due to cold) but the city was renamed by its early Arab settlers as Dar es Salaam, ‘The City of Peace’. Although with about the same land size with Nigeria (Population; 201 million) Tanzania with just a population of about 56.9 million people is considered to be a generally laid back country with friendly people and well organised transport, health and educational systems,
Tanzania also has a relatively new capital city, the central city of Dodoma, to which remaining parts of the government are expected to relocate by the year 2017.

Many Tanzanians were eagerly looking forward to the move to the new capital if anything else to reduce the very high rent in Dar es Salaam. ‘’ Dar is very expensive for ordinary Tanzanians due to a high presence of diplomats and expatriates who have driven up house rent to as much as $3,000 per flat in some sections of the city’’ one Tanzanian writer observed.

With an exchange rate of about 2,200 Tanzanian shillings to a dollar, the cost of house rent in local currency can best be imagined. However, other daily needs such as food and transport are not that exorbitant. For a 30- minute ride in the ‘Bajaj’ the Tanzanian tricycle, I paid about 500 shillings while a ride for the same period of time in a commercial bus ‘Dala Dala’ was considerably less.

The Tanzanian President, at the time of my visit; John Magufuli ‘The Bulldozer’ was known to be an anti- corruption czar.

On my second day in Tanzania, screaming newspaper headlines announced the results of some of his many anti- corruption interventions. Commenting on the suspension of the CEO of EWURA, the country’s power generating firm, the Dar Es Salaam based ‘The Citizen’ reported the suspension as a ‘Midnight Drama’.

In its own report of the massive plundering of the country’s mineral wealth as revealed by a Presidential investigating committee, The Tanzanian Guardian observed thus; ‘’Even The Devil Must Be Mocking Us’’.

As The Guardian put it; ‘’ The second presidential probe committee has revealed industrial-scale plunder of mineral wealth from Tanzania to the tune of over 100trn shillings in unpaid tax revenue over 20 years’’.

Coming after several cost savings measures including the May 2017 sacking of the country’s Minister for Mines, Sospeter Muhongo over allegations of improper declaration of mining exports, it was obvious that Magufuli meant business.

Expectedly, it was not all Tanzanians that were happy with the President’s style of government accusing Magufuli of human rights violations.

I later went on a tour of Dar Es Salaam, beginning with the National museum which was established in 1940. At the entrance to the museum was a cubicle containing an array of twisted and burnt steel material.

Above the cubicle was an inscription; IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO DIED ON THE 7TH AUGUST 1998 BOMBING INCIDENT AT THE US EMBASSY IN DAR ES SALAAM.

My guide informed me that the twelve people who died during the bombing incident were all Tanzanians who were visiting the Embassy at the time. Other artefacts and historical pictures in the museum included evidence of the Majimaji war of 1905-1907, beds and gates from Kilwafrom 1760 as well as the photograph of Dr Richard Hiddorf who established Sisal cultivation in East Africa.

Also included was a very massive bed that was said to have belonged to a former Sheikh of Dar Es Salaam. The bed was so big that the Sheikh was said to have who needed the support of a slave to climb it.

There were also photographs depicting the killing of many Zimbabweans through hanging as the evidence to the resistance to the German rule of the 1700s , the war against Uganda between 1977 to 1979 as well as those about the country’s struggle for Independence in 1961/62. Also in the museum was the stuffed version of the lion that was presented to former President Julius Nyerere on his retirement from office in 1985.

From the museum, Idi, the Nigerian Embassy driver drove me to the very congested central part of Dar Es Salam via the city’s main artery, the shop lined Samora Avenue. All the shops were bursting with merchandise which varied from textile, shoes, bags and electronics.

Before long, we were in Kariakoo market with its heavy throng of shoppers preparing for the end of the Ramadan fasting.

The crowd was so thick that movement whether vehicular or human was almost impossible. And as Idi manoeuvred the big SUV through the crowd, he honked and swerved with the dexterity of a veteran driver that he is.

Once in a while, I had the sinking feeling that he was going to hit somebody but luckily, we completed our tour without any bad incident. Later in the evening, His Excellency Ambassador Salisu Umaru and his wonderful team from the Nigerian Embassy, hosted me to a dinner at a posh Chinese restaurant in the highbrow Oysterbay area of the city.

The following day I was at another dinner at the residence of the Vice Chancellor, University of Dar Es Salaam. As scholars, students, diplomats and other guests tucked into the barbecued chicken, potatoes, plantain and fish dinner amidst clinking of wine glasses, laughter, light hearted jokes and merriment rented the air to the background of melodious music under the June starry night.

As the DJ later changed the disc to a popular music by Nigeria’s iconic musician P Square, an electrifying mood suddenly enveloped the night as some of the students at the function immediately took to the dance floor.
Minutes later, lured by the insistence rumble of the percussions and sonorous voice, I soon found myself on the dance floor much to the students’ great delight.

Before long, music, arguably the highest form of art, broke all kinds of barriers as scholars and students, diplomats and politicians, youngsters and the elderly danced the night away. It was a befitting end to the three day ninth ‘Mwalimu Nyerere Intellectual Festival’ in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam.

The following day, I was back in Bagamoyo for a quick tour of the town especially the old part with its narrow streets, hotels and guest houses. I also visited the ruins of the first stone building said to have been built by the first prominent Arab settler in Bagamoyo, Abdallah Selemani Marhabi.

The building which was originally designed as his personal residence had changed hands in the past two centuries from the Arab to the Germans, then to the British and now in the hands of the Tanzanian government. From a slave camp, the building has been used as a prison, government official residence and as a police Post. Sadly, on the day of my visit, it was in ruins.

Also visited were the Arab Tea House, the District Hospital, ruins of the German Customs House, the new church as well as the cenotaph to commemorate the landing of the first Christian missionary to East Africa.

On my way back to my hotel, I branched at the local market where I made some purchases of the local fabric, Kanga and some souvenirs. At the fish market despite my difficulty in understanding Ki -Swahili, I was still able to bargain for two tilapia fishes for 15,000 shillings.

On my last day in Tanzania, I made my way to the beach in Bagamoyo. The morning was warm and clear, the sky blue, so also was the ocean.

Even at that early hour, the beach was already active with joggers, swimmers, lovers and singers and fishermen and traders. Sitting round an abandoned old boat, some fishermen were resting while others were repairing their fishing nets in preparation for another nocturnal trip.

Next to the foamy waves at the shore, a large trawler from Zanzibar was discharging its cargo of gallons of ‘Oki’ vegetable oil. All around me, the seductive sounds of Ki-Swahili floated in the air as labourers waist deep in the shallow water shouted and swam as they herded hundreds of the floating gallons to the beach.

A young man approached me; he wanted me to buy some paintings. I politely declined. Another came, a photographer. I posed with the fishermen and the labourers, my feet in the warm, salty Indian ocean smiling faintly, knowing fully well that my time was up.

In a stretch of the long white sand, a group of boys were playing soccer. Their ball strayed to where I was sitting listening to the ocean. I picked it, tossed it up and kicked it back with an old instep I learnt several years ago. The ball flew into the air in the direction of the boys.

It seemed to have flown in the direction of Addis Ababa, my next destination.

IBADAN BOOK CLUB CONGRATULATES DIIPO FAGUNWA ON HIS BIRTHDAY

Ibadan Book Club (IBC) has congratulated Diipo Fagunwa, the club’s guest writer/reader for the month of February and only heir to the throne of the Late D.O Fagunwa’s literary dynasty over his birthday celebration.

In a statement signed by the Club’s new Coordinator and Publicity Secretary, Ayobami Odunyemi and Emeka Emmanuel on Monday in Ibadan, said the Club joined Diipo Fagunwa’s family, friends and writers in celebrating the only surviving son of the Late D.O Fagunwa, whose father’s contributions to the Yoruba language and literature has brought about great development and transformation to the country’s literary industry.


According to the release, “On the occasion of your birthday, may all the joy you have spread around come back to you a hundredfold. We wish you and your family abundance, happiness, and good health. May you receive the greatest of joys and everlasting bliss. You are a gift yourself, and you deserve the best of everything. Happy birthday.

Ibadan Book Club (IBC) finally lauded Diipo Fagunwa for his efforts in promoting and sustaining the literary legacy of his late father, the Late Daniel Olorunfemi Fagunwa of blessed memory.

IBADAN BOOK CLUB APPOINTS NEW EXCO, ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE
Ibadan Book Club (IBC) has appointed a new executive committee led by Ayobami Odunyemi and Jude Asogwa following approval from the members of the Club. The changes are effective immediately. The task of the newly appointed EXCO is to guide IBC`s strategic direction as the club continues to grow in membership.
The new executive committee members are:
Ayobami Odunyemi, Coordinator
Jude Asogwa, Assistant Coordinator
Ndukwo Mary, Secretary
Emeka Emmanuel, Information Secretary
Gbadeyanka Kehinde, Social/Welfare Secretary
Lanrewaju Babajide, Education Secretary
Akinyemi Jelili, Finance Secretary
Ibadan Book Club continues to grow and seeks to diversify membership to enhance its vision and execute strategic alliances with like-minded organizations in book industry. Their appointments take effect as from 1st of April, 2021.
Ibadan Book Club is an initiative of the Society of Young Nigerian Writers. It was established by SYNW in order to contribute its own quota towards the growth and development of Reading Culture in Oyo State. Ibadan Book Club consists of group of people who get together, periodically meet to discuss the book they have read, and to exchange such books. The members of the club encourage each other, and learn to read with a critical awareness, articulating their opinions on a particular book with the others. Certain types of books not available or read receive attention through the book club.
Few of the publications published by Ibadan Book Club are: Olubadan Centenary Anthology: A Collection of Essays, Articles, Poems and Artworks on Oba (Dr.) Samuel Odulana, Odugade 1, Voices from Oja Oba Market and lastly Senator Abiola Ajimobi: Memories, Dreams, Reflections of A Mind Always in Motion.

AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS ESSAY COMPETITION: IHRAF UNVEILS JUDGES
The International Human Rights Art Festival (IHRAF), organizer of the African Human Rights Essay Competition has announced the selection of two judges for the ongoing Essay writing competition aimed at addressing human rights issues and promoting human rights culture and ethics in Africa.
In a statement made available to newsmen in Ibadan, the Coordinator of IHRAF in Africa, Wole Adedoyin disclosed that they have received outstanding entries from five different countries within Africa. The countries are: Malawi, Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana.
To evaluate and select outstanding entries for the top prizes in the competition, the organizer of the African Human Rights Essay Competition has unveiled two distinguished individuals with diverse experiences and expertise in Essay Writing.
The two selected judges are Izunna Okafor and Tom Block.
Izunna Okafor is an award-winning Nigerian Novelist, Poet, Journalist, Essayist, Editor, Translator, Publicist, Igbo Language Activist and an Administrator who hails from Ebenator in Nnewi South L.G.A of Anambra State Nigeria.
He is graduate from Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, where he studied Public Administration. He also holds O.N.D in Public Administration from the same school.
A published and best-selling author, Izunna has written globally applauded books. He is the author of: 'Ikem's Adventure' (his first book) published in Nigeria in 2012, during his secondary school; 'The Curse of A Widow' (his second book), published in 2013; 'The Faithful Children' (his third book), published in 2014, and received outstanding recognition in the Ezenwa Ohaeto Prize for Young Nigerian Novelists 2015; 'Ajo Enyi,' his debut Igbo novel and fourth book, published in 2015.
With 'Ajo Enyi', he won the 2015/2016 Nigerian Writers Award/Indigenous Writer of the Year; the 2015 Society of Young Nigerian Writers Award/Pita Nwanna Award for Igbo Literature; and also got shortlisted for the 2015 Young Nigerian Writer of The Year, and the 2017 Nigerian Writers Award.
His other books include "African Blood" (A Short Story), "Nzúzù M Egbuo M," (Igbo novel), "Educated Illiterate," and "Teach Me Grammar."
He has been published in many magazines, anthologies, journals, etc, both nationally and internationally; has thousands of articles/essays as well as poems and short stories published online to his credit.
A diglot writer, Izunna writes perfectly in Igbo and English languages and has published widely in both languages.
He has won and been nominated for many awards which include: The Nigerian Writers Award/Indigenous Writer of the Year 2015/2016; Pita Nwana Prize for Igbo Literature 2015; Society of Young Nigerian Writers Award Nigeria; Heritage Icon Award/Young Writer of the Year Federal Republic of Nigeria 2016; Merit Award from the Society of Young Nigerian Writers (2016); Award of Recognition from Students Union Government, Unizik (2017); Nigerian Writers Award/Young Writer of the Year 2015/2016; N.Y.S.C. Essay Competition 2012; SLAM Hero Youth International Award/Innovative Youth of the Year 2016; Anambra Exclusive Youth Choice Award/Youth Writer of the Year 2016; Award of Academic Excellence from The National Association of Public Administration Students (2016); Inspire Award /Outstanding Youth in Academics 2017; NAPAS Academic Icon of the Year 2017; Anambra Campus Award 2017/Campus Writer of the Year 2017; Award of Excellence from the Society of Young Nigerian Writers 2016; Anambra Exclusive Youth Choice Award/Outstanding Youth of the Year 2017; Youth Writer of the Year 2016 NAPAS Essay Competition 2017; Starlett Entertainment Award/Creative Writer of the Year 2016; Young Author Award, 2018;Creative Crew Africa/Young Talent of the Year 2018, among others; Campus Best Writer 2018/Campus Best Journalist of the Year 2018; Best Secretary General of NAPAS (2018);Young Achievers Award/Best Young Writer of the Year 2019; National Light Staff of the Year 2019; Anambra Media Excellence Award/News Reporter of the Year 2019; Recognition Award, Anambra Through A Lens, 2020; He also has numerous Certificates of Merit, Award, Recognition, the most recent of which include:; Certificate of Recognition from the ImpactField Global Initiative (2018); Certificate of Award from the Applex Art and Creative Crew Africa (2018); Certificate of Completion for the SprinNG Advancement Fellowship, 2020; Certificate of Participation, Naija Haiku Poetry Workshop, 2020, among others.
At the age of 21, Izunna was nominated for The Future Award Africa 2016/African Prize For Education, which is one of the biggest and most prestigious African youths awards.
He has been published in many literary magazines, anthologies, websites, and newspapers, and many other platforms.
Aside being a creative writer, Izunna is also an Igbo Language Activist who has played and continued to play great roles in sustaining and promoting Igbo Language and culture. He preaches and takes the 'gospel' of Igbo language and the need for its sustenance to every nook and cranny, ranging from schools to churches, radio/television stations, and to other public places, being part if his own contribution and strategic measures to ensure that the Igbo Language does not go extinct as predicted by the UNESCO in 2012.
He has also been featured in many radio and television stations across the country on this mission.
In addition to these, Izunna is also a renowned journalist and columnist currently working with Anambra Newspaper and Printing Corporation, the publishers of National Light Newspaper, Ka Ọ Dị Taa (which is the only Igbo Language Newspaper in Nigeria) and Sportslight Xtra.
He also writes for Igbo Radio which is an online Igbo Language news hub with its headquarter in Canada, and also freelance for other media/publishing houses, both the online and print media.
Izunna is the Coordinator of Society of Young Nigerian Writers, Anambra State Chapter, which is a literary body that hosts Chinua Achebe Literary Festival, which is an annual literary event held in memory and honour of Late Prof. Chinua Achebe, since 2016.
He is the Editor-in-Chief of Chinua Achebe Poetry/Essay Anthology which is an international anthology annually published in honour of Achebe.
In April, 2020, Izunna was appointed the Project Coordinator, Writers Against COVID-19 Movement. He is the editor of the COVID-19 Poetry/Essay Anthology, titled 'Ripostes of Locked Down Voices', which is the first international anthology of poems and essays on COVID-19.
He is also an alumnus and 2020 Fellow of the SprinNG Advancement Fellowship, being championed by the SprinNG Literary Movement.
He edits and publishes an annual Special Valentine Poetry Collection, which are all available online for free download. During his undergraduate days, he was part of the editorial team of the FAMASSA Magazine.
He is Ambassador of TFA Africa in Nigeria; the ambassador of Read Across Nigeria in Anambra State.
An alumnus of Unizik, he is also a former Secretary General of the National Association of Public Administration Students (NAPAS), as well as the current National Secretary General of the Society of Young Nigerian Writers.
In 2019, Izunna met and discussed literature with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, at a literary evening that climaxed the 2019 Purple Hibiscus Creative Writing Workshop, organized by the international literary figure, Adichie.
Tom Block is a playwright, author of five books and 20+ year visual artist. His plays have been developed and produced at such venues as the Ensemble Studio Theater, HERE, Dixon Place, Theater for the New City, IRT Theater, Theater at the 14th Street Y, Theater Row, A.R.T.-NY and many others. He was the founding producer of the International Human Rights Art Festival (2017), the Amnesty International Human Rights Art Festival (2010) and a Research Fellow at DePaul University (2010). He has exhibited his artwork and spoken about his ideas throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Turkey and the Middle East. www.tomblock.com
The longlist of 15 outstanding entries are expected to be announced on the 10th of April, 2021.

IBADAN BOOK CLUB SET TO HOST BUSAYO FAKUNLE AS GUEST READER/WRITER FOR HER MARCH BOOK READING
Ibadan Book Club (IBC) has set aside this coming Saturday, March 27, 2021 to host Busayo Fakunle as her Guest Writer/Speaker for the month of March.
A statement from Wole Adedoyin, the founder of the Club, said that the event will take place at the Press Council Hall, Beside Olori Hostel, North Campus of The Polytechnic, Ibadan by 12p.m.
Busayo Fakunle is a Phonics consultant, poet, publisher, seasoned English language tutor, an editor, author of children's literary texts and the CEO, Hope Alive Educational Consultancy. Some of his creative works have appeared in both national and international anthologies cum journals of high reputation.

Busayo Fakunle is the winner of The Poetry Court contest to celebrate Prof. Wole Soyinka’s 81st birthday. He is currently the Public Relations Officer of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Oyo state chapter.

Some of Fakunle’s publications include, Too Big To Be Beaten, Tomi’s Trials, The Blacksmith, Daddy’s Advice, The Faces of Life, I am a good child and My Storybook.
The upcoming book reading event promises to be an avenue for reading creative works such as poetry, fiction, book sales and signing, contacts with other readers and book writers in all corners of the state of Oyo, the statement added.
Prospective writers who have works in poetry, short stories and novels can also attend to read their works to other writers and readers. Membership forms and certificate of membership will be available at no charge to first timers.
Ibadan Book Club is an initiative of the Nigerian Young Writers Society. It was founded in 2011 by SYNW in order to contribute its own quota to the growth and development of the Reading Culture in the State of Oyo.
The Ibadan Book Club consists of a group of people who meet, meet periodically to discuss the book they have read and exchange those books. Club members encourage each other and learn to read with a critical mind, articulating their opinions about a particular book with others. Certain types of books not available or read receive attention through the book club.
Some of the publications published by Ibadan Book Club are: Olubadan Centennial Anthology: a collection of essays, articles, poems and works of art in honor of Oba (Dr.) Samuel Odulana, Odugade 1, Voices from Oja Oba Market and Finally, Senator Abiola Ajimobi: Memories, Dreams, Reflections of a Mind Always in Motion.

MANY OF THE PROBLEMS TROUBLING OUR PEOPLE ARE PREVENTABLE AND CAN BE SOLVED VIA THE RIGHT EDUCATION - DESMOND KOFI AKWAAH

Desmond Kofi Akwaah is the founder and Executive Director of Eaglesworld Innovatives, a nongovernmental organization based in Ghana. In this interview with Wole Adedoyin, he talks about his activism, experience and efforts in promoting sexual and reproductive health education in Ghana.

WA: YOU ARE THE FOUNDER OF THE EAGLESWORLD INNOVATIVES, WHAT ACTUALLY LED TOTHE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE INITIATIVES?
DESMOND: I grew up in a society where you find a lot of social problems confronting the people which most of them are as a result of ignorance. You find many girls drop out of school because of teenage pregnancy. Misconception about HIV and AIDS, and other social, environmental and health issues. With my passion to help solve these problems in my community, I attended workshops and seminars when I was at the university. When I completed university and after my national service, my passion in social entrepreneurship grew. I started developing innovative educational materials on HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) to educate the people, especially, the youth. I realised this vision must be formalized thereby formally registering Eaglesworld Initiatives.

WA: WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST HIGHLIGHT OF THE EAGLES WORLD INNOVATIVES
DESMOND: It was a SRH education for forty (40) senior high school students in Ashanti region of Ghana. It was in partnership with DKT International Ghana. The project was dubbed, " No Yawa, We dey for you". (No Yawa means No Problem. We dey for you is the response). Twenty (20) of the schools had drama in addition to the verbal education and 20 had no drama.

WA: TELL US ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE IN HIV/AIDS EDUCATION AND SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH EDUCATION
DESMOND: Actually I read Agriculture at the university but my quest to help solve these health problems in our society, I learnt a lot about HIV, SRH via seminars, workshops, training programs and reading wide on the subject.

WA: IN WHAT WAY IS YOUR ORGANIZATION CONTRIBUTING TO THE GROWTH OF HIV/AIDS EDUCATION AND SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH EDUCATION IN GHANA
DESMOND: Apart from the fact that my organization engaged in projects directed by Ghana AIDS Commission, we have been developing practical and innovative HIV, SRH educational materials that captures the attention of the youth thereby perfectly sensitising them on the subject.

WA: WHAT CHALLENGES ARE YOU FACING IN YOUR FIELD OF WORK
DESMOND: The challenge has been seeking partnership with likeminded organizations and funding.

WA: WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE AN EXPERT IN HIV/AIDS EDUCATION AND SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH EDUCATION
DESMOND: I know people have gained higher educational certificates in health courses related to HIV and SRH. But I also believe that anyone with the passion for it and ready to learn through books, workshops and seminars can also end up becoming expert in the subject.

WA: AS THE FOUNDER OF EAGLESWORLD INNOVATIVES, WHAT KINDS OF CHALLENGES DO YOU FACE?
DESMOND: My challenge as a founder has been not being able to convince organizations (funders) to support a project that I believe will have a positive impact on the lives of many disadvantaged people when executed.

WA: HOW AND IN WHICH AREAS DO YOU THINK EAGLES WORLD INNOVATIVES AND THE INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS ART FESTIVAL CAN COLLABORATE
DESMOND: At Eaglesworld Innovatives, we are good at developing innovative educational materials to educate people on a subject, therefore, IHRAF being expects in Arts, we believe we can learn a lot from your outfit and also add value (professional) to the works we develop.

WA: WHAT ARE THE THEMATIC AREAS OF THE EAGLESWORLD INNOVATIVES
DESMOND: Now, Sustainable Development Goals- innovative ways by which the knowledge of the SDGs will get down to the grassroots so that no one will be left behind to advance the United Nations (UN) vision of " Decade of Action".

WA: WHATDRIVES YOU AS THE TEAM LEAD AND VISIONER OF EAGLES WORLD INNOVATIVES
DESMOND: The fact that many of the problems troubling our people are preventable and can be solved via the right education.

WA: WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT SINCE THE INCEPTION OF YOUR ORGANIZATION
DESMOND: The SRH education for forty (40) senior high school students.

WA: WHAT MESSAGE WOULD YOU GIVE TO RAPE VICTIMS AND HIV/AIDS PATIENTS
DESMOND: My advice to a rape victim will be to admonish her to let the law deal with the matter if it is accessible, not to allow the pain of rape to destroy her life by being slave to it and do well to encourage other rape victims to live above the pain of rape.
WA: WHAT ARE THE KEY LESSONS YOU HAVE LEARNED SINCE THE INCEPTION OF YOUR INITIATIVE?
DESMOND: I have learnt that the things the enlightened ones see as simple are not that simple for the illiterate folks. Also, I have learnt that to be a good social entrepreneur and to be able to help solve some of these societal problems, you must continue to learn everything including the cultural behavior of the people you want to help, and avail yourself for new ideas that emerge on daily basis.

WA: WHATIN YOUR LIFE HAS BROUGHT OR GIVEN YOU THE GREATEST SATISFACTION OR FULFILLMENT?
DESMOND: Before I registered my organization, I realized the need for the youth to be educated on HIV and AIDS. Since I did not have any job to raise money to fund my passion, I would seek a job as a labourer in construction, raise funds, print some of the HIV educational materials to do the education. One of such passionate works happened at sports stadium when there was inter schools athletes’ competition. I will go to the stadium, distribute the educational materials and verbally educate them. I was always happy when I saw how they were eager to listen and learn. I felt satisfied doing this.

WA: LOOKING BACK, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY? WHATWOULD YOU DO AGAIN?
DESMOND: I would have searched for the right network of organizations that are also in line with our purpose. Seek for every capacity building that came my way. Now is about continuing to learn and to be creative and innovative as much as I can.

IHRAF MOTIVATED ME TO PUT MORE EFFORT INTO MY WRITING - GRACE SUGE

Grace Suge, a Kenyan writer currently based in Eldoret Town. She is the author of ‘Maasai in red’. In this chat with Wole Adedoyin, she shares details about her writing career and her latest book.

WA: PLEASE KINDLY INTRODUCE YOURSELF
SUGE: My name is Grace Suge, a Kenyan writer currently based in Eldoret Town.

WA: HOW AND WHERE DID YOU HEAR ABOUT IHRAF AND IHRAF PUBLISHES?
SUGE: I had written several short story pieces and was exploring ways to get them out there. So I subscribed to submittable and that was where I got to know about IHRAF.

WA: WHAT IS THE TITLE OF YOUR WORK THAT GOT PUBLISHED ON IHRAF PUBLISHES?
SUGE: Two of my pieces have gone on to be published on IHRAF; i. Tessellated woman; ii. Laibon’s prophesy

WA: DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN IHRAF’S LAST YEAR END SARS COMPETITION
SUGE: No

WA: DOES WRITING ENERGIZE OR EXHAUST YOU?
SUGE: Writing energizes me and it is my greatest stress reliever.

WA: WHAT ARE COMMON TRAPS FOR ASPIRING WRITERS?
SUGE: Expecting that their works would get accepted for publication the few times they submit. In reality, one would get a lot more declines before their works would get a home. Also expecting considerable financial returns at the beginning of their careers which is not always the case.

WA: HAVE YOU EVER GOTTEN READER’S BLOCK?
SUGE: Yes, especially when I was a full-time banker and a young mother. Getting myself to concentrate on reading a book proved futile.

WA: DID YOU EVER CONSIDER WRITING UNDER A PSEUDONYM?
SUGE: No. I express my individuality in my writing so I don’t find it necessary to hide my true identity.

WA: DO YOU TRY MORE TO BE ORIGINAL OR TO DELIVER TO READERS WHAT THEY WANT?
SUGE: I try to be original and artistic in my writing. I have learned that writing what comes from within me will always find an audience out there.

WA: DO YOU THINK SOMEONE COULD BE A WRITER IF THEY DON’T FEEL EMOTIONS STRONGLY?
SUGE: No. We harness our emotions to come out with a great piece of writing. In other words, we have to relate with what we write for it to appear realistic, for us to create relatable characters and the readers will ultimately get to relate with the characters as well.
WA: WHAT OTHER AUTHORS ARE YOU FRIENDS WITH, AND HOW DO THEY HELP YOU BECOME A BETTER WRITER?
SUGE: I am a fairly new author and I haven’t made that many physical friends in the industry. But I am literary friends with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Chinua Achebe, Ngugi Wa Thiongo, and many African writers whose books I have gotten to read and enjoy. As I said earlier, a piece of work always captures the writer’s individuality. You can most certainly get to interact with a writer through her/his works and ultimately get better in yours. Currently, I am best friends with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. We are nearly of the same age and we tackle nearly the same themes in our writing. She preceded me in the industry and my having read her books partly motivated me to write my first novel ‘Maasai in red’ which I have published on kindle. More is to come.

WA: WHAT WAS AN EARLY EXPERIENCE WHERE YOU LEARNED THAT LANGUAGE HAD POWER?
SUGE: When I was in primary school, aged 10-12 years, my insha (Swahili word for composition) writings were always the best in my class and they would be read out in front of the pupils as a sample of what they ought to have written. I mastered my Kamusi (Dictionary) and from it mined some peculiar literary words which I would creatively use to come up with unique Insha pieces. My teachers nicknamed me ‘mhenga wa Kiswahili’ which means ‘a sage or ancestor’ of the Kiswahili language. In other words even my teachers believed I was trusted to give sound advice even though I was just but a child. I became one to fear.

WA: WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT MAGAZINES FOR WRITERS TO SUBSCRIBE TO?
SUGE: The New Yorker, Granta.

WA: HOW MANY UNPUBLISHED AND HALF-FINISHED BOOKS DO YOU HAVE?
SUGE: One

WA: WHAT DOES LITERARY SUCCESS LOOK LIKE TO YOU?
SUGE: As a fiction writer, I concoct stories that capture what is in my heart, what comes to my mind, what I read, and what I experience in my interactions with others. When these stories radiate with someone else out there, I count myself successful.

WA: WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO MARKET YOUR BOOKS?
SUGE: Online and through organizations like IHRAF

WA: WHAT KIND OF RESEARCH DO YOU DO, AND HOW LONG DO YOU SPEND RESEARCHING BEFORE BEGINNING A BOOK?
SUGE: I do extensive research on a subject before I put pen on paper. Before I wrote my first novel ‘Maasai in red’, it had taken me six months to research and read numerous books about the Maasai people, about the advent of colonialists and the Christian missionaries in Kenya before I gained enough confidence to write. It also helped that I lived for some time with the Maasai in Narok town.
WA: DO YOU VIEW WRITING AS A KIND OF SPIRITUAL PRACTICE?
SUGE: Yes. When I am stressed and depressed, I write to enable me to heal.

WA: FINAL ADVICE FOR IHRAF PUBLISHES
SUGE: Mine is only to thank IHRAF for promoting new writers like me. ‘Tessellated woman’ was my first piece of writing after a long while and getting it published the first time I submitted it to IHRAF motivated me to put more effort into my writing. Now I have a book, one year on.

I WILL ORDINARILY NOT ADVICE ANYONE TO TAKE UP WINNING OF LITERARY PRIZES AS A GOAL OR AN OBJECTIVE TO PURSUE - TERSEER SAM BAKI

Terseer Sam Baki is a great lover of the Arts, a passionate poet, editor and all round writer. He is the author of the celebrated poetry collection, 'Euphoria of Sophistry' (2nd Runner up, ANA Poetry Prize 2015). He was one of the judges of the EndSARS National Poetry Competition, 2020 and a coeditor of the EndSARS Poetry Anthology. He has published in several other literary anthologies. Terseer Sam Baki is the immediate past General Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, Benue State chapter. He holds a bachelor's degree in English Education and is presently researching for a master's degree in Language Education, all at the Benue State University, Makurdi. In this interview with Wole Adedoyin, he talks about his writing and experience as one of the EndSARS National Poetry Competition Judges.
WA: FROM YOUR ENDSARS EXPERIENCE, WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE A JUDGE?

TERSEER: Being a judge for a literary contest in the caliber of Society of Young Nigerian Writers, SYNW, and the International Human Rights Art Festival, IHRAF's ENDSARS National Poetry Competition had been many things to me. It had been one of the most fascinating and exhilarating experiences I've had in recent times. Being a judge of that prestigious competition of such magnitude was to me an irresistible opportunity to feel the creative pulse of the Nigerian youths in their expression of literary and creative energies. Having watched the youths come out in their numbers, defiling ethnic, religious and political differences to speak out in one strong and unequivocal voice against police brutality, assault and battery, I was sure to find a rich and solid collection of literary pieces among those entries. Nigerian youths were clearly passionate, well coordinated and articulate about their resistance to the human rights abuses perpetuated by men of the Nigeria Police, and we all know that poetry thrives better on such powerful emotional issues. Their determination to ensure that their voices were heard loud and clear was unmistakable. It was therefore, a rare privilege and honour to be one of the first readers of that epoch making collection of poetry. Most importantly, reading those power laden entries with the intention of picking out the best among them entailed that one had to do an intensive reading of those entries, paying close attention to every printed word, expression and so forth. Finally, I wish to add that as a serving security officer, reading those entries provided a firsthand opportunity to get direct feedback and an assessment of how the security and law enforcement agencies are generally perceived by the average Nigerian tax payers whom all security agencies are meant to serve. At the end of the day, a fraction of the entries was published. Not everyone had the opportunity to see all the poems that were received, but I was privileged and honoured to see and read everything sent to the organisers of the competition. That alone is not something to take for granted.

WA: EVERY YEAR THERE SEEMS TO BE MORE LITERARY PRIZES APPEARING: WHY DO YOU THINK THIS IS? DO WE NEED SO MANY?

TERSEER: In my opinion, the proliferation of literary prizes in Nigeria in itself should be a good development. The population of Nigeria has grown significantly from less than fifty million people to more than two hundred million people from post independent Nigeria to the present day Nigeria. Secondly, the level of awareness and education has also grown tremendously. Therefore, one should naturally expect an increase in the number of things like this. If the objective and the standards set by organisers of such literary prizes are for quality and the advancement of literature reading and writing, I have no problems with that. But if the intention is for the manipulation and exploitation of vulnerable upcoming writers and literary enthusiasts, then I have a problem with that. Literature is a veritable tool for liberation of a people, firstly, from ignorance and secondly, from oppressive and suppressive tendencies. Therefore, the closer that the literary art is brought to the people, the better for us all.

WA: AS SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN A JUDGE, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ANYONE SUBMITTING A POEM TO A PRESTIGIOUS POETRY AWARD? ANY FAUX-PAS WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?

TERSEER: My advice to anyone submitting poems or any other literary work for a contest that would lead to the award of a prize, is first of all to understand what literature or creative writing is all about. Again, one must first of all aspire and strive to be a creative writer. One must read widely as well as study all relevant concepts, theories, conventions and principles surrounding each genre of literature. In addition, every organiser of literary contest have their entry or submission guidelines clearly spelt out in their advertorial or call for entries. And so, the beginning of the journey into success or failure sometimes starts from adhering or neglecting those entry requirements as publicised by organisers of each competition. Having said all of this, I wish to add that venturing into creative writing with the sole aim of winning literary prizes and awards is perhaps one of the biggest mistakes anyone could ever make. I advice people who wish to take up creative writing, especially the younger ones, to do so because they have great love and passion for the art of writing. Write because you have the flair for writing. Don't write because of the financial benefits that come with wining writing contests and selling your publications. That's not to say that making money from one's art is totally wrong. Wining competitions and making money should be the last things to think of after every other important thing I've earlier mentioned here is in place. So, read, read and read have a good grasp of the art and craft of writing before embarking on putting pen to paper.

WA: WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE END SARS OUTSTANDING POEMS?

TERSEER: Hmm, they're many. It's a difficult choice to make, honestly. It's like asking a mother to pick her favorite child. The level of creative dexterity demonstrated by Nigerians and of course, non-Nigerians who sent in over a hundred entries for the EndSARS Poetry Competition in 2020 was simply amazing. There is Chukwu Sunday Abel's "Split Green Flag", Nwokeabia Ifeanyi John's "How our Lights were Put Off", Godstime Nwaeze's "Bermuda Triangle" and a whole lot of others. As a matter of fact, all ten shortlisted entries and many others not on the shortlist actually won my heart and can favourably be tagged my favorite EndSARS outstanding poems because anyone of them at that level could have emerged the overall winner.

WA: WHICH POETRY COLLECTIONS ARE YOU READING AT THE MOMENT?

TERSEER: There are tons of poetry collections currently on my shelf, waiting for me to devour, and I'm very eager to. I'm presently and regrettably not reading any literary pieces now, not because I don't like to. This is because of my academic work. At the moment, I'm deeply engrossed in putting together my dissertation as one of the conditions I need to fulfill to the Benue State University's department of Arts and Social Sciences Education, for the award of a Masters degree in Language Education. Amongst those collections I've mentioned are people’s unpublished manuscripts I'm meant to edit for publication and so forth.


WA: IS THERE ANYTHING ABOUT A POEM THAT WOULD MAKE YOU INSTINCTIVELY SWITCH OFF FROM READING IT?

TERSEER: Yes. If the first few lines of anything worth calling a poem fail to grab my interest poetically, I lose interest in it. The truth is that any piece that fails to deploy language appropriately isn't worth the name of a poem. Poetry is not prose, and so, poetry must be rich in devices like metaphor, figures of sound such as rhymes, rich diction, and originality of ideas and so forth. In all of these, any piece of poetry must be sensible, linguistically fresh and enticing and must have a message for its readers.

WA: WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES YOUR HEART SOAR A LITTLE WHEN YOU READ A NEW POEM?

TERSEER: If and when a poem appeals to any of my senses and/or emotions. You see, a good poem must make the reader feel something them through the poem's effective deployment of words and language. Instead of getting me irritated by its lack of depth, penmanship and lack of good craftsmanship, anything worth calling a poem at all should either create some mental pictures in me or evoke some emotional stir in me. The presence of any one of these is okay, but the absence of all of these is certainly unacceptable by me and I believe this applies to all true poetry enthusiasts and artists.

WA: WHILE JUDGING ENDSARS POETRY COMPETITION WAS THERE A TIME YOU DIDN’T READ BEYOND THE FIRST LINE OF AN ENTRY AND DISMISS IT IMMEDIATELY?

TERSEER: That terrible urge to dismiss some entries just after I started reading the first few lines was certainly there. But people are gifted differently, and so, in order to ensure fairness and justice, I made sure I read everything to the end, no matter the nightmare in it. I do this with the hope that perhaps, some contestants would prefer to save their best for the last. That's why the job of a judge of a literary contest is such a difficult one. The judge passes through psychological torture sometimes in attempt to read some poorly written entries to the last lines.

WA: WHICH PRIZES HAVE YOU SEEN EMERGING RECENTLY THAT YOU THINK WILL HAVE A BIGGER PROMINENCE IN NIGERIAN LITERARY SCENE?

TERSEER: The thing with literary bodies and literary contests and prizes is not really in the level of media gimmicks adopted by their organisers. It's not about the level of what I refer to as 'whitewash' arrangements. The staying power lies on the soundness of the foundation upon which such literary prizes stand. We have seen many platforms offering one from of literary prize or the other fizzle and peter out every now and then. But like the saying goes, by their fruits, we shall know them. In Nigeria, some individuals, obscurity, rode to some level of prominence on the benevolent wings of the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA. For some selfish and unclear reasons, some would hurriedly dump the Association to set up some mushroom literary bodies touting one literary prize or the other. These are the sort of mushroom literary bodies you see on and off every now and then like the phenomenal Nigerian NEPA. But that is not to say that there are no promising literary prizes with genuine intentions and high prospects of bigger prominence in the Nigerian literary scene. A few of them actually come to mind, such as the recent collaborative efforts between the Society of Young Nigerian Writers, SYNW and the International Human Rights Art Festival, IHRAF who successfully organised the 2020 EndSARS National Poetry Competition.

WA: DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THOSE ENTERING COMPETITIONS ARE INFLUENCED TOO MUCH BY THEIR IDEAS OF THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE JUDGES AND WRITE TO THE DETRIMENT OF THEIR POETRY?

TERSEER: True, that possibility cannot be ruled out completely. In a desperate attempt to seek to impress judges, contestants are sometimes misled into overstretching themselves artistically. You see, art is meant to be a free expression of one's creative and imaginative ideas and impression about any given subject matter. One is supposed to be as real to oneself as possible. Seeking to impress unduly leads to disastrous consequences. There's tendency to put oneself under an undue pressure thereby putting one's natural poetic flow in serious jeopardy. It is always better to write at the dictates of one's heart than in an attempt to please a judge.

WA: HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOU AS A JUDGE TO FIND A NEW VOICE?

TERSEER: Besides being a judge of a literary contest, I've been actively involved in managing a literary organization, the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, through which literary awareness, reading and writing campaigns have vigorously been pursued. These campaigns are generally aimed at among other things, the discovery of new talents in creative writing. As a judge I found myself doing same thing in a different manner. You see, the harvest is much, but the labourers are few. There is still so much to write about. So many gaps to fill in the literary space and few writers are available to carry this out. Again, there are many more budding talents to be uncovered and brought to limelight. The Nigerian literary scene still yearns for new voices to take over from the established giants of the older generation of writers. So, as a literary enthusiast, I'm elated whenever I come across a promising young writer with the potential to redecorate Africa or Nigeria on the world map of literature.

WA: DO YOU IMAGINE THAT READING LOTS OF POETRY FOR A COMPETITION LIKE THIS WILL HELP WITH TEACHING POETRY?

TERSEER: Reading lots of poetry as a judge of a poetry contest actually provides the opportunity to directly assess how well the contestants understand what poetry entails. Instead of requiring them to answer questions on aspects of good poetry, they turn in pieces of poetry for a direct assessment. This form of assessment is very useful in the teaching and learning of poetry. It serves both as an assessment of learning and an assessment for learning. It provides a good opportunity to know areas of strengths and those of weaknesses of the learners (contestants) which puts the teacher (judge) in a better position to know what next line of action to adopt.

WA: ANY ADVICE FOR POETS HOPING TO WIN FUTURE PRIZE?

TERSEER: I would ordinarily not advice anyone to take up winning of literary prizes as a goal or an objective to pursue. I would rather strongly advice aspiring writers to take time to hone their creative skills by being voracious readers of good texts. It is only through serious reading of literary texts that one gets to understand the basics of what good writings are. Aspiring writers also need literary appreciation skills to understand some of the literary concepts, conventions, theories and principles of literature and creative writing. When one has gotten a good grasp of these, only then can one think of indulging in creative writing. If one decides to enter for a writing competition, one should do so to seek for validation or assessment of one's writing. In summary, setting out to write to win prizes is what I seriously discourage writers from indulging in.

WA: TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND

TERSEER: Well, I hail from Ikurav-Tiev 1 in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State. I grew up partly in urban areas and partly in rural areas. My primary education wasn't stable as I attended about five primary schools at different points in time across three states of Nigeria, namely, Benue, Imo and Ondo. My love for the literary Arts started as far back as when I was in primary five. Before I finished my primary education, I had already developed a strong love for reading stories. At that time, I didn't even know there's something called literature whose preoccupation was nothing other than stories. I got to secondary school and was excited to find out that there's a subject that dwells squarely on stories, and since then, my love of stories has never dwindled. At a point in time, I would stay indoors and read all day and night till all of me hurt. I'm presently in my mid forties. There wasn't much of the television for me to spend time watching while growing up and so, most children at that time got their entertainment through hardcopies of books. That helped a great and I guess that's what has shaped the most part of my life. I get confused whenever people say literature is difficult. I don't see the difficulty in reading and enjoying stories around the world. Fast forward, I'm professionally trained to teach language and literature. I'm the award winning author of "Euphoria of Sophistry", a poetry collection approved by the Benue State ministry of education for use in senior secondary schools. I write, I edit and counsel people on the art and science of reading and writing. I'm a senior public servant with the federal ministry of interior who is happily married with five beautiful children.

WA: ANY TYPICAL/COMMON MISTAKES THAT NEW WRITERS TEND TO MAKE?

TERSEER: I think the commonest mistake that new and emerging writers make is to set their minds on winning prizes. The second is being in a haste to publish. The third is trying to copy others' style of writing. Of all these common mistakes, I think rushing to publish is the worst of them all and should be avoided if one intends to come out of press in the grandest of styles.

WA: WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT A PIECE OF WRITING AND WHAT MAKES YOUR HEART SINK?

TERSEER: I'm usually spell bound by any piece of writing if the style of the writer is so captivating and I am also able to relate to the events of the story and there is so much suspense such that I find it difficult to eat until I've finished reading the very last page. My heart sinks when characters that I admire or have pity for in stories are made to suffer untold hardship from beginning of stories to their end without any form of compensation. A good example is Abu Bakir in Cyprian Ekwensi's "An African Night Entertainment."

WA: WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE WRITERS AND WHY?

TERSEER: I have read so much such that it's hard to say exactly who my favorite writers are. I love Suemo Chia, Isidore Okpewho, I love Ayi Kwei Armah, Chuma Nwokolo, Peter Abrahams and Wilbur Smith to mention just a few. All these writers have left indelible marks on me and they all have unique styles that are just peculiar to them.

WA: WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?

TERSEER: I'm a public servant at the moment and so there are a lot of things I wish I could do but I just can't do now. I hope to retire into full time literary engagements. I hope, wish and pray that I have time to complete many of the manuscripts, mine and those of others that I had started work on but I’ve been compelled to abandon for years, I hope to start a literary agency and publishing outfit. I hope to be able to assist people live their dreams of writing and publishing with less hassles.

WA: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A NEW WRITER STARTING OUT?

TERSEER: Read widely, know the basics of the art, join literary groups, don't ever be caught without a pen and a writing pad, keep a diary and make entries in it daily, be true to yourself, believe in yourself, tell yourself that you are the best and believe that to be true, write from your heart and don't be in a mad rush to publish.

WA: HOW SHOULD OUR MEMBERS APPROACH YOU IF THEY WANT TO?

TERSEER: I blog and I'm very active on social media, especially on Facebook. I blog at https://terseersambaki. my email is terseersam@gmail.com. You can tweet at me on @baki_ter and on Facebook, I'm Terseer Sam Baki. I also run the Facebook page "Pen & Pad Africa." Anyone can reach out to me through these platforms.

GIBRAN WAS NOT ONLY A TALENTED WRITER BUT HE WAS ALSO A WORD STYLIST – PEN LEBANON PRESIDENT AND SECRETARY

The PEN Lebanon, a non-governmental, non-political and non-profit organisation was founded by several Lebanese writers. Since inception, it has never fallen short of its mandates which is promoting literatures of Lebanese and also defending of the freedom of expression and thought as specified in Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

However, in this dual Chat with Wole Adedoyin of the Kalil Gibran Society of Nigeria, Iman Humaydan, a University Professor and President of PEN Lebanon shares a heart rendering conversation about PEN Lebanon, Khalil Gibran and which was graciously translated by Marie Tawk who also is a writer and translator. Incidentally, Marie hails from the home village of Gibran and she is one of his avid readers as well. She is also Secretary, PEN Lebanon. This interview is run concurrently as Marie Tawk provides us the English narration from Professor Iman Humaydan.


WA: PLEASE KINDLY INTRODUCE YOURSELVES
IH: I am Iman Humaydan. A Lebanese Writer, Researcher, University Professor, and President of Pen Lebanon. I am also a Board Member of Pen International.
MT: Marie Tawk: I am a Writer and Prominent Translator from French into Arabic.


WA: TELL US ALL ABOUT PEN LEBANON
IH: Pen Lebanon was founded in 2012. It is an affiliated center to Pen International. Its main aim is to promote literature and defend the freedom of speech. Its main activity is to promote literature on different platforms and in Secondary Schools, Cultural Clubs, through organized readings of literary texts and fruitful discussions.


WA: HOW IS PEN LEBANON PROMOTING THE WORKS OF LEBANESE WRITERS?
MT: Through our reading programs, Lebanese writers visit schools invited by Pen Lebanon. They read their texts in front of the students. These visits help writers to be known by the young generation and at the same time, help students to get to know the writers and to be encouraged in writing their own texts and express themselves freely through discussions and writings. At present, we are translating poems of very young Lebanese poets that have never been translated before. This is part of a plan to promote them and make their creative writings popular. We are organizing a zoom poetry event to take place and introduce these poets to the public.


WA: WHAT MAJOR SUCCESSES HAVE YOU HAD SINCE BECOMING THE PRESIDENT OF PEN LEBANON?
IH: The literary visits that we, all members of the Pen Lebanon have been organizing to remote schools in Lebanon, as well as the continuous support to young writers. Now, because of the crisis in Lebanon and because of Covid 19, the schools have been shut down for a while now. We are planning to organize poetry events online.



WA: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE KHALIL GIBRAN TO SOMEONE WHO HAS NOT READ ANY OF HIS WORKS?
IH: Gibran is local and international. His work can be described as influenced by his local atmosphere, ie.Bsharri, as well as by the international atmosphere that affected him as a writer and artist.
The Prophet, as a book is embedded in Philosophical atmosphere, has gone beyond geographical and historical frontiers. Its human value talks to all times and all places. Nevertheless, this ‘Internationalism’, if we can say, could not make us forget the hidden effects and traces of the first place of Gibran. There, where he listened for the first time to the singing of Birds, the sounds of Animals, the howl of the wind, the roar of the storm, the running water in little streams, the whisper of the air, and the pattering of the rain on the house roofs of Bsharri. We cannot see the Northern part of Lebanon but in the eyes of Gibran. He has this complexity and richness of dimensions. Gibran is very Lebanese, but at the same time he is international. The Lebanese writer Mikhail Naimi, who knew Gibran very well, wrote ‘‘we cannot see the writings of Gibran but embedded is a Lebanese character. In his sentences we see the Snow, the Water sources, the Valleys, the light that penetrates the Valleys, the Fog of early mornings etc….’’.
We, as readers of Gibran, agree with Naimi, as we cannot see the Mountainous North of Lebanon but in the eyes of Gibran. Mikhail Naimi also said ‘‘if you want to feel and smell your land, and know your country, you must read Gibran’’. From this narrow local place (Bsharri), Gibran went very far to the international scene. In this sense Gibran is a talented multi-dimensional writer. Gibran was not only a talented writer but he was also a word stylist.

MT: On the other hand, he is an international citizen. In his writings he called for the internationalization of religion and values. He was able to be local and international at the same time. Reading ‘The Prophet’, one can feel the human values, as this book goes beyond time. You can read it at any time and it stays contemporary at any time. Gibran was able to be the son of Mar Sarkis (an area in his village), and the son of no one. He wrote once: ‘The whole earth is my homeland and the world is my family’. He is the international citizen, the restless who is searching in vain for a shelter that makes him feel satisfied. He is the stranger, the philosopher in a continuous search for beauty and human reality, who is never satisfied with what he finds. Gibran is the ‘outsider’ in the sense of Albert Camus word and book title ‘l’etranger’.


WA: IF READERS WOULD LIKE TO READ KHALIL GIBRAN’S BOOKS, WHAT BOOKS WOULD YOU RECOMMEND?
IH: The Broken Wings, and, Sand and Foam.


WA: GIVE US THREE "GOOD TO KNOW" FACTS ABOUT PEN LEBANON
MT: It includes multi linguistic writers. The majority of its active members are women writers. It never accepts financial support from Lebanese political authorities!

WA: WHAT MAKES YOU EFFECTIVE AS THE PRESIDENT OF PEN LEBANON?
IH: This should be left to other Pen members to answer. If I have to say something, it is that I try to be effective.


WA: WHAT ARE YOU READING RIGHT NOW? ARE THERE ANY AUTHORS (LIVING OR DEAD) THAT YOU WOULD NAME AS INFLUENCES APART FROM KHALIL GIBRAN?
IH: I am currently reading The Books in my Life, by Henri Miller, and I am also reading the Boxes of Desire (Arabic novel written by Abbass Beydoun, a member in Pen Lebanon). There are many writers (dead and alive) whom we read and whose work is important. For example, to mention few Lebanese here: MIkhail Naimi, Maroun Abboud who reminds us of Gibran’s atmosphere too. And other international writers as for example, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Paul Auster, Toni Morrison, Wole Soyinka, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.


WA: WHICH OF KHALIL GIBRAN’S BOOK INFLUENCED YOUR LIFE — AND WHY?
MT: His early writings. They are full of passion, of social criticism, of freedom of spirit, and of images that make you feel you are living the story and its place. Mainly The Madman, and Sand and Foam. We read them in the age of adolescence and they were important to us because they introduced revolutionary ideas. These books helped us to understand the negative social effects on the free souls and to believe that humans were born free. Undoubtedly, The prophet affected us too, as well as The Broken Wings.
In the Broken Wings, Gibran criticized the Lebanese society. In The Prophet, he introduces an international body of values that can be adopted in any place in the world. In all of his books, he internationalized the human values and founded the culture of peace and of openness. He is a revolutionary spirit searching for more than one reality. He was free, really free.



WA: WHICH CHAPTER OF THE PROPHET WAS THE MOST PERSONALLY INTERESTING TO YOU? WERE THERE ANY FACTS OR THEMES THAT YOU WOULD HAVE LIKED TO INCLUDE, BUT KHALIL GIBRAN DIDN'T MAKE INTO THE BOOK?
IH: The Chapter on Love. Gibran topics went into philosophical directions. He covered many subjects and themes. However, he did not tackle the topic of sex, gender and gender relations; neither he went profoundly into the concrete practical meanings of social justice. And lastly, he did not talk about aging. But a good writer never writes about everything.

WA: WHAT ARE YOUR THREE FAVORITE BOOKS BY KHALIL GIBRAN —AND WHY?

MT: We already mentioned above 3 titles of books beside the Prophet. Here add, also the book ‘The Storms’. I suggest them because of their human values, and because they carry very important messages on the innate freedom of human beings. They are the religious and social authorities that make human beings prisoners of the traditional frustrating norms and habits.


WA: WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT YOUR READERS TO KNOW ABOUT PEN LEBANON AND YOUR FUTURE PROJECT ON KHALIL GIBRAN?
IH: It is important to found Pen centers all over the world. We founded Pen Lebanon because we want to have our voices heard and our works read. Pen Centers in the world enhance cultural and literary exchange and this is a very good initiative that writers all over the world need. What a pleasure now to find ourselves writing about Gibran and about our center to Gibran Society in Nigeria. This is what Pen centers do: Openness towards the other, a value that Gibran himself believed in. We hope to continue promoting literature and freedom of writing and expression. Actually, Gibran’s work is a part of the yearly education program for schools.


WA: WHAT MESSAGE WOULD YOU GIVE TO KHALIL GIBRAN READERS AND LOVERS?
MT: The world is in a health crisis; Lebanon is not only in health crisis but also taken hostage by vicious military powers who do not believe in peace nor in an independent Lebanon. We need Gibran today more than ever, as his writings be a light to our dark times. He was among the first who wrote on peace in its spiritual and philosophical dimensions. We call every person who works for peace to read him again and to read him always. Khalil Gibran writings can be a constitution for human values.

A WRITING CAREER IS MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT - ALEXANDER NDERITU - DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL OF PEN KENYA CENTRE
Alexander Nderitu is a Kenyan writer, poet, playwright and critic. He is the Deputy Secretary-General of PEN Kenya Centre and a Regional Managing Editor for the global news portal TheTheatreTimes.com. He has authored four e-books: When the Whirlwind Passes (novel), The Moon is Made of Green Cheese (poetry); Kiss, Commander, Promise (short stories); and Africa on my Mind (YA novel). In 2017, Business Daily newspaper named him one of Kenya’s ‘Top 40 Under 40 Men’. In 2020, he was a finalist for the Collins Elesiro Literary Prize. In this chat with Wole Adedoyin, Alexander Nderitu talks about his life, writing and latest book.
WA: TELL US ALL ABOUT YOUR WRITING BACKGROUND- WHAT YOU’VE WRITTEN, WHAT YOU’RE CURRENTLY WRITING.
AN: My writing journey truly began when I was a teenager. My high school essays were often read out to the rest of the class. I was always destined to be a writer. I was literally born on UNESCO’s World Book and Copyright Day/Shakespeare’s birthday; April 23rd. At the age of 22, I released my first novel, When the Whirlwind Passes. It was Africa’s first e-novel. I have since authored three more books: Kiss Commander Promise, Africa on my Mind and The Moon is Made of Green Cheese. I have also penned numerous poems and articles over the past two decades. They have been published and translated all over the world. One poem, Someone in African Loves You, has been broadcast by the BBC and translated into several languages. I also write stage plays, the most recent being a biography of Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai. It’s titled The Talking of Trees. Wangari Maathai and I hail from the same region of Central Kenya and she’s a major inspiration to me.
WA: WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT A PIECE OF WRITING?
AN: Style, mostly. But also unique ideas and high concepts. I want to be taken on a mental journey and, hopefully, learn a thing or two.
WA: WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE WRITERS AND WHY?
AN: This is actually a more difficult question than one might assume. I have been an avid reader since childhood. My preferences in genre and authors have changed over time. I also write in different genres, and I have ‘heroes’ in each one. But when I first resolved to be a novelist, my inspirations included Ian Fleming, Frederick Forsyth, Agatha Christie, Mary Higgins Clarke and Robert Ludlum. As you can see, those were bestselling authors in the crime/espionage genres. I love espionage books and films. There are two spy tales in Kiss Commander Promise, which is a collection of short stories.
WA: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A NEW WRITER STARTING OUT?
AN: Read widely. Research thoroughly. Dare to be different.
WA: WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO WRITE?
AN: Emotive issues. Inspirational people. Big ideas. Injustices around the world. Beauty. It’s a whole range of things. Writing is my favourite method of communication. I’d rather write down a message than express it verbally.
WA: DO YOU HAVE A WRITING ROUTINE? A PLACE THAT’S SPECIAL?
AN: When you write for a living, it’s hard to be choosy. Apart from my own writings, I am also a professional editor and ghostwriter. I write at home, in the office, and sometimes on my phone when I’m travelling. I mostly write at night, when the world is quiet and the temperatures are cool. Copious amounts of coffee are consumed when I’m writing at home!
WA: HOW, WHEN AND WHY DID YOU FIRST START WRITING?
AN: When I was around 14, I created my own comic strips inspired by such graphic characters as Flash Gordon, The Phantom, Modesty Blaise, and Batman. I created the characters, drew the cartoons with a pencil or biro, and wrote the text. They were quite popular amongst my classmates. When I was in secondary school, I started writing poetry, mainly inspired by the books such as Adventures in Poetry for African Schools, Song of Lawino, and Poems From East Africa. I was about 15 years old.
WA: WHAT WAS THE FIRST PIECE YOU EVER HAD PUBLISHED?
AN: I believe it was a poem titled The World is Upside Down which was published in the East African Standard in the early 2000’s.
WA: DO YOU ADDRESS PARTICULAR THEMES OR ISSUES IN YOUR WRITING?
AN: I do my research and look for creative ways to bring the message home. I rarely write just for the sake of writing; there’s usually something I’m trying to say or an issue I’m trying to highlight. It’s not merely entertainment. I keep wondering if I’m getting the message across. A recent short story of mine, title A Body Made For Sin, was published online by IHRAF Publishes. It was inspired by a true-life murder mystery of a Nairobi campus girl. In the real-life legal drama, the culprit(s) got away scot free. In my version, just was served. Alice Walker once said, ‘Activism is my rent for living on the planet.’ Ditto that. I pay a lot of rent by addressing real-life injustices through my writings. Live From Garissa, another short story, was published in the UK by One Million Project. Harvest of Blood, one of my favourite tales, was about the Rwanda Genocide and was published in Israel by IFLAC. I am currently working in two more collections of short stories, 10 tales per book. I hope this doesn’t come off as arrogant but my current mission is to say in a short story what other writers say in an entire book.
WA: HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED SENDING YOUR WRITING OUT INTO THE WORLD?
AN: Excited and a bit nervous! Luckily, my first review – for my first novel – was a great one. A few years later, I discovered a global writers’ hub called Authorsden.com. This was way before social media sites like MySpace and Facebook came into existence. On Authorsden, one would post their poems, short stories or book excerpts and receive comments from peers all over the world. The vast majority of comments were positive and very exciting to read!
WA: WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR IDEAS FROM?
AN: A very wide range of places – nature, people, incidents, news items, other books, music, film, television series and so on. Some probably come from what Carl Gustav Jung called ‘the collective unconscious’; a mental repository that all humans share the same way we share our ancestral DNA. Maybe some people are better at tapping into this vast ethereal sea than others. Don’t get spooked. I am a very grounded guy. I don’t believe in crap like money rituals and miraculous healing. But I don’t close my mind to whatever knowledge might be out there. I like to explore ideas.
WA: HOW DID YOU GET YOUR PUBLISHER?
AN: I started with self-publishing. As I grew in the industry, I started submitting various writings to publishers calling for entries in various genres. Now I have an agent who resides in New York so in future I will submit manuscripts through him.
WA: TELL US WHAT KIND OF RESPONSES YOU GET FROM AUDIENCES\ READERS.
AN: I receive generally positive feedback from critics and generally enthusiastic praise from fans. In fact, just this morning, a reader posted a copy of herself holding a copy of When the Whirlwind Passes and describing me as ‘the greatest author of all times.’ Some years ago, an aspiring writer posted on Facebook that he read my non-fiction document, ‘Changing Kenya’s Literary Landscape’ ‘pole pole (slowly slowly) like The Bible’ because he ‘didn’t want it to end’. It was the best compliment I had ever received.
WA: HOW CAN PEOPLE FIND OUT MORE ABOUT YOU?
AN: I am on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Wattpad and Twitter. A large number of my writings are available on smartphones globally via the Worldreader app which is freely available on Google Play.
WA: TIPS, TRICKS, THINGS TO PASS ON TO DEDICATED WRITE?
AN: Start writing as early as possible. A writing career is marathon, not a sprint. Utilize the Internet and especially social media in order to find writing opportunities. Seek an agent through whom you can submit your manuscripts to publishers.
WA: ANY TYPICAL/COMMON MISTAKES THAT NEW WRITERS TEND TO MAKE?
AN: Self-published writers tend to cut out editors and cover designers in order to reduce costs. Published work should always pass through an editor.
WA: WHICH OF YOUR BOOKS WERE THE MOST ENJOYABLE TO WRITE?
AN: When the Whirlwind Passes was the easiest to write. Everything just clicked. The moon is Made of Green Cheese contains some poems that I am very proud of. My favourite play is Hannah and the Angel. It has a lot of humour and elements of Hip-Hop culture, which I like.
WA: TELL US ABOUT YOUR FIRST PUBLISHED BOOK? WHAT WAS THE JOURNEY LIKE?
AN: In 1998, I read a Daily Nation newspaper article about an Italian fashion baron who was murdered in cold blood. The trial of his murder suspects exposed the soap-opera-type lifestyles of the rich and famous and the constant machinations that take place behind closed doors. I felt it was a great story and it inspired me to write a similar family saga based in Africa. It’s titled When the Whirlwind Passes. I published it online first, having heard about emerging e-book trends in the West. It became Africa’s first purely digital novel. It is now available as a paperback and has gone through 3 editions, complete with cover changes. The Daily Nation’s Saturday magazine described it as ‘brilliantly written.’
WA: What is the key theme and/or message in the book?
AN: I would rather readers figured that out for themselves.
WA: Where can we find you online?
AN: www.AlexanderNderitu.com
ABOUT HIS LATEST BOOK:
In 2001, When the Whirlwind Passes became Africa's first purely 'digital novel'. Over the next decade or so, it remained the continent's most-downloaded e-novel. Inspired by a true story, the novel follows the life of a ghetto princess who marries a wealthy fashion baron, and the circumstances that turn their whirlwind romance into the murder case of the decade.

IBADAN BOOK CLUB INTERVIEW SERIES

BOOKS ARE MEANT TO CHANGE LIVES – FOLUKE SIJUWOLA FALAYI, IBC GUEST WRITER/READER OF THE MONTH
Foluke Sijuwola Falayi has written over twenty (20 books). Some of her titles include: The Slaves in the Palace, Flub, Bond, Ugo and Ify at Christmas, The Little Prince and The Sluggish Servant, The Rainy Day, Ada in Port Harcourt, Trouble in the Exam, The Last Penny, The Pride of Parents, A Night at Edet’s House, One Two Three Poetry, Beans for Supper, Akeju’s Turnaround, The Gift from Ibadan and Sam Goes to College. In this interview with Wole Adedoyin, she shares with him brief facts about her life and writing career.


WA: WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START WRITING?
FSF: I will just say it is providence, to cut a long story short.

WA: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING?
FSF: I have been writing since my secondary school days, informally anyway.

WA: WHEN DID YOU START WRITING?
FSF: I started writing officially over a decade ago. My debut book was published in 2008. I started writing that particular book in 2004.

WA: HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A WRITER?
FSF: No, initially, I didn’t want to. I was afraid I won’t be able to make a living out of it.

WA: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A NEW WRITER, SOMEONE JUST STARTING OUT?
FSF: If you desire to be a writer, you must have passion for the art. It is the passion that will propel and keep you going before any proceeds. You must also master the craft, writing is a craft. You must be an avid reader. Know the genre you are writing about.

WA: HOW DO YOU HANDLE WRITER’S BLOCK?
FSF: I take time off.

WA: HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE YOU WRITTEN?
FSF: I have written over twenty books.

WA: WHAT IS THE MOST SURPRISING THING YOU DISCOVERED WHILE WRITING YOUR BOOK(S)?
FSF: The more you work on your manuscript the finer it gets. Never rush your work.

WA: WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER?
FSF: I have favourite characters not just one.

WA: DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE CHARACTER THAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN? IF SO, WHO? AND WHAT MAKES THEM SO SPECIAL
FSF: I love Tonye, a female character in Sam Goes to College. I love Atikah, a little female Hausa girl in Repose- they are prototypes of what is right, what every female should be. They stand for equality, they are knowledgeable and frown at any form of relegation.
Reverend Moses/Obinna in the Reverend’s Daughter exemplifies fairness, integrity, reformation and discipline our society needs.
Sanni, in The Headmaster’s Boy, Tomobi in Unbending Steel,Ete in A Night at Edet’s House- they are male architypes of patience, hard work and endurance. Nothing comes cheap in life.

WA: WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION?
FSF: I get inspirations anywhere and everywhere. God, the giver of all gifts lavishes it on me without restrain.

WA: WHERE CAN READERS PURCHASE YOUR BOOKS?
FSF: Through me and our marketing team.

WA: WHERE CAN READERS FIND OUT MORE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR BOOKS?
FSF: Through our website and email address: jedsweetha@gmail.com. https://jedidiahsweetha.com.ng

WA: HAVE ANY OF YOUR BOOKS BEEN MADE INTO AUDIOBOOKS?
FSF: We are yet to make audio books.

WA: IF SO, WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES IN PRODUCING AN AUDIO BOOK?
FSF: We have not gone into that, therefore we have not experienced any challenge in that line.

WA: WHICH OF YOUR BOOKS WERE THE MOST ENJOYABLE TO WRITE?
FSF: I find all my books pleasurable to write perhaps for the passion I have for it.

WA: TELL US ABOUT YOUR FIRST PUBLISHED BOOK?
FSF: My first book was published in 2008. It is entitled Bond. It raises a question of time healing old wounds. It tells a story of love, grief, repentance, restoration and forgiveness. It has many literary elements for a first time author which made reviewers in different states, ministries of education approved it to be read for years.

WA: WHAT WAS THE JOURNEY LIKE?
FSF: The journey has been interesting, exciting and full of encounters just like any other profession.

WA: WHAT, IN YOUR OPINION, ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF GOOD WRITING?
FSF: Study the grammar of the language; word classes, figures of speech and the rest. Study your genre and understand the point of views.

WA: WHO'S YOUR FAVORITE AUTHOR OF ALL TIME?
FSF: I have favourite authors not just one author possibly because of my first course of study; English and Literature, the themes, imagery and symbols inherent in some of the books I studied in school. The books I read as a university undergraduate was innumerable; Nigerian Literature, African Literature, American Literature, European Literature and other kinds.
I will mention some of my authors and books of all time: Buchi Emecheta’s Second Class Citizen and The Joys of Motherhood, Wole Soyinka’s Kongi’s Harvest, The Lion and the Jewel, A Play of Giants and others. Femi Osofisan’s Midnight Hotel. I read Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart as a little girl. I remember, I read it over and over and proceeded to read his, No Longer at Ease, A Man of the People and Arrow of God. Amos Tutuola’s The Palmwine Drinkard, Niyi Osundare’s Selected Poems, Festus Iyayi’s Violence, Elechi Amadi’s The Concubine, Zaynab Alkali’s The Still Born, Ayi Kwei Armah’s The Beautyful Ones Are Not yet Born, Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s The Grain of the Wheat, The Trials of Dedan Kimathi,Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus and Americanah, these are some of my favourite works and authors.
Foreign works and authors like- Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, Charles Dickens’ Hard Times, Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness,James Baldwin’sGo Tell It on the Mountain, Jane Austen’s -The Pride and Prejudice and the first English Literature Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. I celebrate these authors, the dead and those who are still living.

WA: ON YOUR LATEST BOOK TITLED “REPOSE”, CAN YOU SHARE WITH US SOMETHING ABOUT THE BOOK.
FSF: My latest work is entitled- Repose. It promotes female education. It talks about gender equality. Female children must be educated. They have right to education.

WA: WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR THE STORY?
FSF: I got inspired while I studied and prepared for my postgraduate exam in Feature Writing. There was an article I read and I couldn’t go on reading until I made a sketch of flashes coming to my mind on a little brilliant Hausa girl. She loves education, doing well in school but her father has another plan; to give her out in marriage due to ignorance and financial gain.

WA: WHAT IS THE KEY THEME AND/OR MESSAGE IN THE BOOK?
FSF: Female education and a child’s right to education.

WA: WHAT DO YOU HOPE YOUR READERS TAKE AWAY FROM THIS BOOK?
FSF: Shun ignorance and embrace knowledge. Education is light; get it for it is a candle that shines into what you do. Be determined to succeed. Refuse to stay in darkness. Be an agent of positive change in your sphere of life and everywhere you find yourself.

WA: WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TITLE?
FSF: After a man’s desire or goal has been met there comes a rest, repose.

WA: HAS A BOOK EVER CHANGED YOUR LIFE?
FSF: Yes, books are meant to change lives.

WA: WHAT GENRES DO YOU LOVE?
FSF: The three genres of Literature, I love them.

WA: ARE THERE ANY GENRES YOU DISLIKE?
FSF: No.

WA: WHAT AUTHOR (WHO IS STILL LIVING) WOULD YOU DEARLY LOVE TO MEET?
FSF: Any of the authors I mentioned earlier who is still alive.

WA: DO YOU LIKE TO DISPLAY YOUR BOOKS ON A BOOKSHELF OR KEEP THEM IN A VIRTUAL LIBRARY?
FSF: Both are okay by me.

WA: DO YOU PREFER FLASH FICTION, SHORT STORIES, NOVELLAS, OR NOVELS?
FSF: A writer must be versatile without any preference.

WA: WHAT BOOK CAN YOU RECOMMEND TO ME?
FSF: I will recommend Born for the Riverside and other Radio Plays by Ayodele Ojurongbe.

WA: WHEN DID YOU LAST VISIT A LIBRARY?
FSF: I was there in year 2020. Every author ought to have library at home.

WA: HAVE YOU EVER HAD A CRUSH ON A BOOK CHARACTER?
FSF: Yes.

WA: HAS A BOOK EVER MADE YOU LAUGH OUT LOUD?
FSF: Yes, a couple of times.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS ESSAY COMPETITION: DEADLINE: 31ST OF MARCH 2021
PRIZES TO BE WON:
Nelson Mandela Prize: $100
Thomas Sankara Prize: $75
Omoyele Sowore Prize: $50
AND Seven Honorable Mentions will be awarded
TOPIC: HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE AND VIOLATIONS IN AFRICA
The African Chapter of the International Human Rights Art Festival (IHRAF) is currently accepting submissions for its 2021 African Human Rights Essay Competition. The scope of the submission must directly relate to this year’s topic: Human Rights Abuse and Violations in Africa.
In Africa, the idea of human rights is a comparatively recent phenomenon. Contributing to the establishment of human rights system in Africa are the United Nations, international law and the African Union which have positively influenced the betterment of the human rights situation in the continent. However, extensive human rights abuses and violations still occur in many sections of the continent. Most of the violations can be attributed to political instability (as a consequence of civil war), racial discrimination, corruption, post-colonialism, economic scarcity, ignorance, illness, religious bigotry, debt and bad financial management, monopoly of power, lack/absence of judicial and press autonomy, border conflicts, unauthorized intrusion of privacy, establishment of laws barring specific of free expression, criminal defamation laws that are usually indistinct, restrictions on freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and association, corruption of government officials, lack or absence of independence and neutrality in the judiciary, gross domestic violence against women, prohibition of same sex activities, sexual abuse on LGBTI persons, and human trafficking.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Language Medium – English
Genre – Essay
Theme – Human Rights Abuse and Violation in Africa
Essays should be between the minimum of 1000 and the maximum of 1500 words.
Entries will be judged based on originality of thought, depth of analysis, clarity of expression, spelling and grammar and conformity to contest rules. Participants also have the flexibility to choose any subject related to this topic, however, the scope of the submission must directly relate to this year’s topic or it will be disqualified.
Entrants are advised to send the following information alongside their entries
i. Name
ii. Age
iii. Gender
iv. Country
v. Address
vi. Phone Number
vii. Where you heard about the Call for entries
viii. Short Profile about yourself.
ix. Permission to publish your poem/essay (in one or two paragraphs)
x. Name of school or university if any
Entrants can be from any African country
Permission to publish your work among the shortlisted entries.
Title of your mail should be addressed as “AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS ESSAY COMPETITION”
All entries must be submitted to: ihrafnigeria@gmail.com and also copy societyofyoungnigerianwriters@gmail.com.
Deadline for Submission is 31st of March, 2021.
Any signs of plagiarism will disqualify the entrant.
Organizers’ decision is final
OTHER BENEFITS
Award of Certificates of Participation to all Entrants.
Award of Certificates of Excellence to only the shortlisted entrants.
Only shortlisted work(s) will be published in e-book format
Automatic membership into African Chapter of the International Human Rights Art Festival
For more enquiries contact: Wole Adedoyin +2348072673852 (woleadedoyin@gmail.com) or Tom Block (tom@ihraf.org)

OVER $200 UP FOR GRABS AT AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS ESSAY COMPETITION FOR YOUNG ESSAYISTS
The African Chapter of the International Human Rights Art Festival (IHRAF) has urged African essayists and writers to participate in the ongoing African Human Rights Essay Competition with the theme, Human Rights Abuse and Violations in Africa.
In a press statement issued and signed by Wole Adedoyin, President of the International Human Rights Art Festival- African Chapter (IHRAF Africa) called on essayists to lend their voices on human rights abuse and violation in their respective countries in Africa.
Entries are only expected in essays from budding and established essayists and writers within and outside Africa from African Essayists and Writers. Intending entries should focus exclusively on the theme, ‘Human Rights Abuse and Violations in Africa’ and only works relating to the theme will be accepted for the competition.
According to the Press Statement, “In Africa, the idea of human rights is a comparatively recent phenomenon. Contributing to the establishment of human rights system in Africa are the United Nations, international law and the African Union which have positively influenced the betterment of the human rights situation in the continent. However, extensive human rights abuses and violations still occur in many sections of the continent. Most of the violations can be attributed to political instability (as a consequence of civil war), racial discrimination, corruption, post-colonialism, economic scarcity, ignorance, illness, religious bigotry, debt and bad financial management, monopoly of power, lack/absence of judicial and press autonomy, border conflicts, unauthorized intrusion of privacy, establishment of laws barring specific of free expression, criminal defamation laws that are usually indistinct, restrictions on freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and association, corruption of government officials, lack or absence of independence and neutrality in the judiciary, gross domestic violence against women, prohibition of same sex activities, sexual abuse on LGBTI persons, and human trafficking.
The scope of the submission must directly relate to this year’s topic: Human Rights Abuse and Violations in Africa.
This year’s prizes will also be awarded in the names of the following African human rights defenders:
Nelson Mandela Prize: $100 - Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. Mandela spent 27 years in jail, much of it on Robben Island, fighting against Apartheid.
Thomas Sankara Prize: $75 - Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara was a Burkinabé military officer and socialist revolutionary who served as the President of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987. A Marxist–Leninist and pan-Africanist, he was viewed by supporters as a charismatic and iconic figure of revolution and is sometimes referred to as "Africa's Che Guevara". Sankara launched programs for social, ecological and economic change. His foreign policies were centred on anti-imperialism, while he rejected aid from organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, Sankara welcomed foreign aid from other sources but tried to reduce reliance on aid by boosting domestic revenues and diversifying the sources of assistance. His domestic policies were focused on preventing famine with agrarian self-sufficiency and land reform, prioritising education with a nationwide literacy campaign and promoting public health. Sankara built scores of schools, health centers, water reservoirs, and nearly 100 km of rail, with little or no external assistance. Total cereal production rose by 75% between 1983 and 1986.
Omoyele Sowore Prize: $50 - Omoyele "Yele" Sowore is a Nigerian human rights activist, pro-democracy campaigner, former presidential candidate, and founder of an online news agency Sahara Reporters. On 3 August, 2019 Sowore was arrested by the Nigerian State Security Service for alleged treason after calling for a protest tagged RevolutionNow. His 2019 detention of 144 days without charge attracted the protest of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ). Omoyele appeared at the first International Human Rights Art Festival, in NYC on March 3, 2017.
To participate, read the below guidelines
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Language Medium – English
Genre – Essay
Theme – Human Rights Abuse and Violations in Africa
Essays should be between the minimum of 1000 and the maximum of 1500 words.
Entries will be judged based on originality of thought, depth of analysis, clarity of expression, spelling and grammar and conformity to contest rules. Participants also have the flexibility to choose any subject related to this topic, however, the scope of the submission must directly relate to this year’s topic or it will be disqualified.
Entrants are advised to send the following information alongside their entries
i. Name
ii. Age
iii. Gender
iv. Country
v. Address
vi. Phone Number
vii. Where you heard about the Call for entries
viii. Short Profile about yourself.
ix. Permission to publish your poem/essay (in one or two paragraphs)
x. Name of school or university if any
Entrants can be from any African country
Permission to publish your work among the shortlisted entries.
Title of your mail should be addressed as “AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS ESSAY COMPETITION”
All entries must be submitted to: ihrafnigeria@gmail.com and also copy societyofyoungnigerianwriters@gmail.com.
Deadline for Submission is 31st of March, 2021.
Any signs of plagiarism will disqualify the entrant.
Organizers’ decision is final
OTHER BENEFITS
Award of Certificates of Participation to all Entrants.
Award of Certificates of Excellence to only the shortlisted entrants.
Only shortlisted work(s) will be published in e-book format
Automatic membership into African Chapter of the International Human Rights Art Festival
For more enquiries contact: Wole Adedoyin +2348072673852 (woleadedoyin@gmail.com) or Tom Block (tom@ihraf.org)

IBADAN BOOK CLUB SET TO HOST FOLUKE SIJUWOLA FALAYI FOR HER MARCH BOOK READING
Ibadan Book Club (IBC), has set aside March 27, 2021 to host Foluke Sijuwola Falayi as her Guest Writer/Speaker for the month of March.
A statement from Wole Adedoyin, the founder of the Club, said that the event will take place at the Press Council Hall, Beside Olori Hostel, North Campus of The Polytechnic, Ibadan by 12p.m.
Foluke Sijuwola Falayi’s books have received starred reviews in national dailies. She bagged a BA in English from the University of Ado Ekiti. She also read Mass communication at the National Open University of Nigeria School of Postgraduate Studies. Her books are recommended and approved by ministries of education in some south west states of Nigeria. She is a celebrated author whose books have been greeted with great éclat, read and used as part of curriculum books. She hones her writing skills by attending writer’s conferences, seminars and training globally. She lives with her family in Lagos Nigeria.
Foluke Sijuwola Falayi has written over 20 books. Some of the books written by the author are: The Slave Girl, Flub, Bond, Ugo and Ify at Christmas,The Little Prince and The Sluggish Servant.
Others are The Rainy Day, Ada in Port Harcourt, Trouble in the Exam, The Last Penny, The Pride of Parents, A Night at Edet’s House, One Two Three Poetry, Beans for Supper, Akeju’s Turnaround, The Gift from Ibadan and Sam Goes to College.
The upcoming book reading event promises to be an avenue for reading creative works such as poetry, fiction, book sales and signing, contacts with other readers and book writers in all corners of the state of Oyo, the statement added.
Prospective writers who have works in poetry, short stories and novels can also attend to read their works to other writers and readers. Membership forms and certificate of membership will be available at no charge to first timers.
Ibadan Book Club is an initiative of the Nigerian Young Writers Society. It was founded in 2011 by SYNW in order to contribute its own quota to the growth and development of the Reading Culture in the State of Oyo.
The Ibadan Book Club consists of a group of people who meet, meet periodically to discuss the book they have read and exchange those books. Club members encourage each other and learn to read with a critical mind, articulating their opinions about a particular book with others. Certain types of books not available or read receive attention through the book club.
Some of the publications published by Ibadan Book Club are: Olubadan Centennial Anthology: a collection of essays, articles, poems and works of art in honor of Oba (Dr.) Samuel Odulana, Odugade 1, Voices from Oja Oba Market and Finally, Senator Abiola Ajimobi: Memories, Dreams, Reflections of a Mind Always in Motion.

YOUNG AFRICAN WRITERS SHOULD READ, WRITE, LEARN AND STRIVE TO BE SUCCESSFUL – MBIZO CHIRASHA
Mbizo Chirasha is a Zimbabwean poet, an internationally acclaimed Performance poet, Writer and a senior fellow of the International Human Rights Art Festival (IHRAF). In this Interview with Wole Adedoyin, he shared with him facts about his life, writing and literary activism
WA: TELL US ALL ABOUT YOUR WRITING BACKGROUND, WHAT YOU’VE WRITTEN, WHAT YOU ’RE CURRENTLY WRITING
MC: I have been writing for the past 27 years. I am intrigued by the panorama of hills in my country, the mismatching of seasons, the poetry slam of birds in the mornings and the jam session of rock rabbits and mother-monkeys at country dawn, quite compelling. I was later attracted to the bustling and hustling in city squares, the echo of slogans and hushed beat of election campaign songs and again the nerve-tilting presidential speeches. Wail of motorcade sirens, hushed suffering of the masses under the grind of poverty as the ruling elite got possessed by seven legions of corruption, nepotism, tyranny and political violence. Nevertheless, despite
those and other ailments, Africa boasts of geographical, natural and mineral abundance, the ambiance brought by the flora and fauna. The sweetness of dialects from Xhosa, Kamba, Karanga, Kikuyu, Igbo and more. Africa is the home of Nyiragongo, Inyangani, Kirinyaga,
Kilimanjaro, White Nile, Blue Nile, Nzere Rivers, Garurep, Limpopo. So my writings are dipped in my experience from the country dawns of my umbilical cord to the hustle of Harare City Squares, to the political landscape and up to the African traditions and cultures. I am a born griot who graduated into Spoken Word Poet, Page Poet, Author, Anthologist and Literary Artivism Diplomat. As of now, I am writing my 800 paged Memoir, I call this process, a revolutionary adventure and I have experience much at my tender age that have to be read, archived and learnt by all students of life..

WA: WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT A PIECE OF WRITING?
MC: I am excited by the change my writing can bring to any reader, the beauty of realizing the value of pen, word and paper. The gift of educating my readers, my people and global community at large through written words that speak differently than everyday talk but circling around ideas, processes and thoughts that are in reality of our daily lives.
WA: WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE WRITERS AND WHY?
MC: I have loved a lot of writers from Russia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, British, Irish Writers and more. I have to mention Famished Road by Ben Okri, there are some great stuff there, I loved how the author used powerful lyrical expression and bold verbiage to depict African Myth, the paradox of African tradition, the engaging drama of Africa wizardry and witchcraft written in beautiful and flowery taste.

WA: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A NEW WRITER STARTING OUT?
MC: The most important aspect is writing what you know best, writing things you are familiar with, read voraciously to be able to find and master your voice, that voice that shapes you into the writer you become. Read, Write and keep focused.
WA: WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO WRITE?
MC: I am inspired by several things, village life, country side terrains, village rituals, festivals, politics, political history, African kingdoms and anthropologies
WA: DO YOU HAVE A WRITING ROUTINE?
MC: Not exactly, I usually write great pieces when I am staying alone than living with crowds, so I always write in my closet. This is very important because you are able to listen to the voices coming to your writing psyche. It’s a place that’s special?
WA: HOW, WHEN AND WHY DID YOU FIRST START WRITING?
MC: I listened to my father’s stories, he was a great storyteller, I read a lot of Shona and English folktales/ stories at tender age, I started writing readable messages 27 years ago
WA: WHAT WAS THE FIRST PIECE YOU EVER HAD PUBLISHED?
MC: I can’t remember, they are many and I have done a thousand of things, I remember publishing short opinions in the Gweru Times as back as 1996, some poetry in the Motto Magazine and some poetry in the Writers Scroll, a budding Writers Association of Zimbabwe journal. Quite a while.
WA: HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED SENDING YOUR WRITING OUT INTO THE WORLD?
MC: I was happy. It was a beautiful and wonderful step. It changed my mind set. It gave me that energy and strength to forge ahead.

WA: HOW DID YOU GET YOUR PUBLISHER?
MC: Some of my publishers approached me while I wrote to others. Everything we do must be guided by faith, determination, tenacity, focus and due diligence. Social media is enabling people to access each other quickly and collaborate in various creative/ book writing projects.
WA: TELL US WHAT KIND OF RESPONSES YOU GET FROM AUDIENCES\ READERS.
MC: Responses from my readers are always brilliant and encouraging; I have so far built a very vibrant writing and reading lovers’ community.

WA: HOW CAN PEOPLE FIND OUT MORE ABOUT YOU?

MC: https://miombopublishing.org/mbizo-chirashainternational/

WA: TIPS, TRICKS, THINGS TO PASS ON TO DEDICATED WRITERS?
MC: Read, Write, read, write and focus. Learn and strive to achieve positive results

WA: ANY TYPICAL/COMMON MISTAKES THAT NEW WRITERS TEND TO MAKE?
MC: Hurry editors, hurry and bring on half baked writings, hunt for fame

WA: WHICH OF YOUR BOOKS WERE THE MOST ENJOYABLE TO WRITE?
MC: My forth coming memoir

WA: TELL US ABOUT YOUR FIRST PUBLISHED BOOK?
MC: Good Morning President (2012)
WA: WHAT WAS THE JOURNEY LIKE?
MC: The writing journey requires a lot of hands on, determination and it’s always steep like any other process.

WA: WHAT IS THE KEY THEME AND/OR MESSAGE IN THE BOOK?
MC: Political Poetry, Human Rights Matters, Protests Poetry
WA: TELL US ABOUT THE POETRY EXCHANGE BETWEEN GIRL CHILD CREATIVITY CONCEPT OF ZIMBABWE AND THE SOCIETY OF YOUNG NIGERIAN WRITERS (SYNW)
MC: That was great; such projects have to be done always to promote diversity and integration among writers of different nations.

ONE WHO ASPIRES BECOMING A WRITER MUST HAVE THE EMOTIONAL MUSCLE TO WITHSTAND SEVERAL "NOS" FROM PUBLISHERS - CHUKWU SUNDAY ABEL
Chukwu Sunday Abel is a fiction writer, a journalist and an on air personality. He is also the first Prize Winner of the 2020 Creators Of Justice Literary Award organized by the International Human Rights Art Festival (IHRAF). In this Interview with Wole Adedoyin, he shared with him details about his life and writing career.
WA: PLEASE, KINDLY INTRODUCE YOURSELF.
CSA: Chukwu Sunday Abel is a journalist and a writer; the 2020 Creators Of Justice Literary Award First Prize Winner, a Runner up in the Victoria Literary Festival, Canada. My Literary works have appeared in anthologies and magazines across four continents.
WA: HOW AND WHERE DID YOU HEAR ABOUT IHRAF AND IHRAF PUBLISHES?
CSA: I heard about IHRAF through a newsletter. The newsletter was delivered to my email. Among the items of news in the newsletter was call for submissions from IHRAF for its 2020 Creators Of Justice Literary Award. This award, my short story: "Less Human" eventually won the first prize.
WA: WHAT IS THE TITLE OF YOUR WORK THAT GOT PUBLISHED IN IHRAF PUBLISHES?
CSA: It's "Less Human"; it won the first prize for 2020 Creators of Justice Literary Award for Short stories category.
WA: DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN IHRAF'S LAST YEAR END SARS COMPETITION?
CSA: I did participate in IHRAF ENDSARS National Poetry Competition. I was happy that my poem: "Green Split Flag" made the shortlist and later designated "Notable Contribution" as well as published in the anthology alongside with other beautiful collections.
WA: DOES WRITING ENERGIZE OR EXHAUST YOU?
CSA: Writing is an inexhaustible forte to me. I am always motivated to write, to make my voice heard; I write to right, this is evident in so many of literary works published in magazines and anthologies across four continents.
WA: WHAT ARE THE COMMON TRAPS FOR ASPIRING WRITERS?
CSA: The most common trap for emerging writers is “not a good fit for us" from Editors of magazines. This tends to make aspiring writers discouraged, consequently, lazy. Also, prioritizing monetary gains at the expense of making one's voice heard is another pitfall for emerging writers.
WA: HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIENCED READER'S BLOCK?
CSA: In have not experienced reader's block.
WA: DID YOU EVER CONSIDER WRITING UNDER A PSEUDONYM?
CSA: I have never considered writing under a pseudonym.
WA: DO YOU TRY MORE TO BE ORIGINAL OR TO DELIVER TO READERS WHAT THEY WANT?
CSA: Most of my literary works are reflections of the past or unfolding events in my home country and the sociological, political and environmental issues affecting Africa. My writings are tailored to right; hence, I consider myself a satirist who writes to right rather than to entertain.
WA: DO YOU THINK SOMEONE COULD BE A WRITER IF HE DOESN'T FEEL EMOTIONS STRONGLY?
CSA: Becoming a writer is hugely dependent on the will to do so. One who aspires becoming a writer must have the emotional muscle to withstand several "No's" from publishers.
WA: WHAT OTHER AUTHORS ARE YOU FRIENDS WITH, AND HOW DO THEY HELP YOU BECOME A BETTER WRITER?
CSA: Popular Nigerian authors such as Chika Unigwe, Helon Habila have been a great influence on my development. Chika Unigwe in particular has been pivotal in my growth as a writer. Sometime ago, when my manuscript received a traditional publishing deal from Europe books, she advised me on how to go about it.
However, the writer whose literary works have greatly impacted me is late Buchi Emechata.
WA: WHAT WAS THE EARLY EXPERIENCE IN WHICH YOU LEARNED THAT LANGUAGE HAD POWER?
CSA: My mum was a profound story teller. She told us simple stories that were compelling because of her choice of words. I will say she taught me the immeasurable power inherent in language.
WA: WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT MAGAZINES FOR WRITERS TO SUBSCRIBE?
CSA: No magazine is actually less important than the other. It depends on the writer's or reader's interest and liking. I will recommend IHRAF publishes, Granta, Afreada, the Preachy, Brittle paper, Strange Horizon, The Sun Magazine, etc.
WA: HOW MANY UNPUBLISHED BOOKS HAVE YOU FINISHED?
CSA: At present, I have two completed novel length manuscripts. Of the two, one is forthcoming 2022.
WA: WHAT DOES LITERARY SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE TO YOU?
CSA: Literary success to me is the gratification that comes from one seeing one's literary works in worthwhile places as well as getting commendation; this to me, is Literary success.
WA: WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO MARKET YOUR BOOKS?
CSA: I am not interested in self-publishing, hence I have not thought about marketing my books without the assistance of the publisher.
WA: WHAT KIND OF RESEARCH DO YOU DO, HOW LONG DO YOU SPEND RESEARCHING BEFORE BEGINNING A BOOK?
CSA: Every writer has his niche of writing, the aspect he thinks his literary skills best fit in. I am a fiction writer and fiction writing is hugely dependent on the writer's creative inventions and instinct. There is often little researching in fiction writing.
WA: DO YOU VIEW WRITING AS A KIND OF SPIRITUAL PRACTICE?
CSA: To me, writing depends on one's imaginative and creative ability. I don't think it has something to do with religiosity and spirituality.
WA: FINAL ADVICE FOR IHRAF PUBLISHES.
CSA: First, I have to commend IHRAF Publishes for its notable contribution in fostering human rights globally. Its increasing presence in Africa is not only timely but long awaited.
I enjoin IHRAF not to relent in giving voice to the voiceless.

IHRAF CALLS FOR ENTRIES ON HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE AND VIOLATIONS IN AFRICA
The African Chapter of the International Human Rights Art Festival (IHRAF) has urged African essayists and writers to participate in the ongoing African Human Rights Essay Competition with the theme, Human Rights Abuse and Violations in Africa.
In a press statement issued and signed by Wole Adedoyin, President of the International Human Rights Art Festival- African Chapter (IHRAF Africa) called on essayists to lend their voices on human rights abuse and violation in their respective countries in Africa.
Entries are only expected in essays from budding and established essayists and writers within and outside Africa from African Essayists and Writers. Intending entries should focus exclusively on the theme, ‘Human Rights Abuse and Violations in Africa’ and only works relating to the theme will be accepted for the competition.
According to the Press Statement, “In Africa, the idea of human rights is a comparatively recent phenomenon. Contributing to the establishment of human rights system in Africa are the United Nations, international law and the African Union which have positively influenced the betterment of the human rights situation in the continent. However, extensive human rights abuses and violations still occur in many sections of the continent. Most of the violations can be attributed to political instability (as a consequence of civil war), racial discrimination, corruption, post-colonialism, economic scarcity, ignorance, illness, religious bigotry, debt and bad financial management, monopoly of power, lack/absence of judicial and press autonomy, border conflicts, unauthorized intrusion of privacy, establishment of laws barring specific of free expression, criminal defamation laws that are usually indistinct, restrictions on freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and association, corruption of government officials, lack or absence of independence and neutrality in the judiciary, gross domestic violence against women, prohibition of same sex activities, sexual abuse on LGBTI persons, and human trafficking.
The scope of the submission must directly relate to this year’s topic: Human Rights Abuse and Violations in Africa.
This year’s prizes will also be awarded in the names of the following African human rights defenders:
Nelson Mandela Prize: $100 - Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. Mandela spent 27 years in jail, much of it on Robben Island, fighting against Apartheid.
Thomas Sankara Prize: $75 - Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara was a Burkinabé military officer and socialist revolutionary who served as the President of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987. A Marxist–Leninist and pan-Africanist, he was viewed by supporters as a charismatic and iconic figure of revolution and is sometimes referred to as "Africa's Che Guevara". Sankara launched programs for social, ecological and economic change. His foreign policies were centred on anti-imperialism, while he rejected aid from organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, Sankara welcomed foreign aid from other sources but tried to reduce reliance on aid by boosting domestic revenues and diversifying the sources of assistance. His domestic policies were focused on preventing famine with agrarian self-sufficiency and land reform, prioritising education with a nationwide literacy campaign and promoting public health. Sankara built scores of schools, health centers, water reservoirs, and nearly 100 km of rail, with little or no external assistance. Total cereal production rose by 75% between 1983 and 1986.
Omoyele Sowore Prize: $50 - Omoyele "Yele" Sowore is a Nigerian human rights activist, pro-democracy campaigner, former presidential candidate, and founder of an online news agency Sahara Reporters. On 3 August, 2019 Sowore was arrested by the Nigerian State Security Service for alleged treason after calling for a protest tagged RevolutionNow. His 2019 detention of 144 days without charge attracted the protest of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ). Omoyele appeared at the first International Human Rights Art Festival, in NYC on March 3, 2017.
To participate, read the below guidelines
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Language Medium – English
Genre – Essay
Theme – Human Rights Abuse and Violations in Africa
Essays should be between the minimum of 1000 and the maximum of 1500 words.
Entries will be judged based on originality of thought, depth of analysis, clarity of expression, spelling and grammar and conformity to contest rules. Participants also have the flexibility to choose any subject related to this topic, however, the scope of the submission must directly relate to this year’s topic or it will be disqualified.
Entrants are advised to send the following information alongside their entries
i. Name
ii. Age
iii. Gender
iv. Country
v. Address
vi. Phone Number
vii. Where you heard about the Call for entries
viii. Short Profile about yourself.
ix. Permission to publish your poem/essay (in one or two paragraphs)
x. Name of school or university if any
Entrants can be from any African country
Permission to publish your work among the shortlisted entries.
Title of your mail should be addressed as “AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS ESSAY COMPETITION”
All entries must be submitted to: ihrafnigeria@gmail.com and also copy societyofyoungnigerianwriters@gmail.com.
Deadline for Submission is 31st of March, 2021.
Any signs of plagiarism will disqualify the entrant.
Organizers’ decision is final
OTHER BENEFITS
Award of Certificates of Participation to all Entrants.
Award of Certificates of Excellence to only the shortlisted entrants.
Only shortlisted work(s) will be published in e-book format
Automatic membership into African Chapter of the International Human Rights Art Festival
For more enquiries contact: Wole Adedoyin +2348072673852 (woleadedoyin@gmail.com) or Tom Block (tom@ihraf.org)

https://ihrafafrica..com/2021/03/ihraf-calls-for-entries-on-human-rights.html

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS ESSAY COMPETITION
TOPIC: HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE AND VIOLATIONS IN AFRICA
The African Chapter of the International Human Rights Art Festival (IHRAF) is currently accepting submissions for its 2021 African Human Rights Essay Competition. The scope of the submission must directly relate to this year’s topic: Human Rights Abuse and Violations in Africa.
In Africa, the idea of human rights is a comparatively recent phenomenon. Contributing to the establishment of human rights system in Africa are the United Nations, international law and the African Union which have positively influenced the betterment of the human rights situation in the continent. However, extensive human rights abuses and violations still occur in many sections of the continent. Most of the violations can be attributed to political instability (as a consequence of civil war), racial discrimination, corruption, post-colonialism, economic scarcity, ignorance, illness, religious bigotry, debt and bad financial management, monopoly of power, lack/absence of judicial and press autonomy, border conflicts, unauthorized intrusion of privacy, establishment of laws barring specific of free expression, criminal defamation laws that are usually indistinct, restrictions on freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and association, corruption of government officials, lack or absence of independence and neutrality in the judiciary, gross domestic violence against women, prohibition of same sex activities, sexual abuse on LGBTI persons, and human trafficking.
PRIZES TO BE WON:
Nelson Mandela Prize: $100
Thomas Sankara Prize: $75
Omoyele Sowore Prize: $50
AND Seven Honorable Mentions will be awarded
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Language Medium – English
Genre – Essay
Theme – Human Rights Abuse and Violation in Africa
Essays should be between the minimum of 1000 and the maximum of 1500 words.
Entries will be judged based on originality of thought, depth of analysis, clarity of expression, spelling and grammar and conformity to contest rules. Participants also have the flexibility to choose any subject related to this topic, however, the scope of the submission must directly relate to this year’s topic or it will be disqualified.
Entrants are advised to send the following information alongside their entries
i. Name
ii. Age
iii. Gender
iv. Country
v. Address
vi. Phone Number
vii. Where you heard about the Call for entries
viii. Short Profile about yourself.
ix. Permission to publish your poem/essay (in one or two paragraphs)
x. Name of school or university if any
Entrants can be from any African country
Permission to publish your work among the shortlisted entries.
Title of your mail should be addressed as “AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS ESSAY COMPETITION”
All entries must be submitted to: ihrafnigeria@gmail.com and also copy societyofyoungnigerianwriters@gmail.com.
Deadline for Submission is 31st of March, 2021.
Any signs of plagiarism will disqualify the entrant.
Organizers’ decision is final
OTHER BENEFITS
Award of Certificates of Participation to all Entrants.
Award of Certificates of Excellence to only the shortlisted entrants.
Only shortlisted work(s) will be published in e-book format
Automatic membership into African Chapter of the International Human Rights Art Festival
For more enquiries contact: Wole Adedoyin +2348072673852 (woleadedoyin@gmail.com) or Tom Block (tom@ihraf.org)

IHRAF IS MY PATHFINDER - BUWASO IBRAHIM RAZACK, UGANDAN POET-IN-EXILE

Buwaso Ibrahim Razack is a Ugandan poet-in-exile, also a Spoken Word Artist. In this Interview with Wole Adedoyin, he shared with him few facts about his writings, project and human rights struggle.

WA: HOW DID YOU GET STARTED AS A POET?

BIR: Unnnhh , maybe the same way I started calling out mama and dada when I was a toddler hahahaha, I started by speaking what’s on my mind without fear or favor, believing I am the best and greatest of all times, standing on the truth. Also I write and practice every day. Practice makes perfect. Writing needs constant practice. This takes me where I am today.

WA: HOW DID YOU GET INTO SPOKEN WORD?
BIR: Nature got me into spoken word; I can also say it’s a calling. Calling to show the world lightness, truth, honesty and transparency. I have already made a name through it. My desire to fight for human rights, speak the truth to the people in power and my thirst for a better world got me into Spoken Word.
WA: WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT PEOPLE MISS IF THEY ONLY READ POETRY, DON’T HEAR IT SPOKEN?
BIR: They miss out a lot, they miss seeing the real images, action, hardness, softness, sweetness, rhyming, rhythms that always accompany every delivery while rendering such lines. Poetry is life and my life also depends on it. Everything about me is poetry. Spoken Word makes poetry lively. It makes it interesting and meaningful.
WA: DID YOU HAVE TO TRAIN AT ALL TO GET THE FLOW OF SPOKEN WORD POETRY?

BIR: Hahahaha, I did not attend any Spoken Word training school and there is no such where I am presently. My spoken Word talent is natural. I did not go to any school to learn it. I practice every day and through that I became a Spoken Word Master. My Spoken Word rendering style actually makes me unique among my colleagues.

WA: HOW DO YOUR POEMS DEVELOP? PLEASE GUIDE US THROUGH THE STAGES OF A POEM
BIR: As I mentioned above, poetry is what I do every day. It’s a day to day affair. I write whenever I feel like writing. I can write about anything and my writing depends on tones. The tones can be hard, soft, revolutionary and lyrical. I always follow some rules and guidelines whenever I’m writing a poem. The rules always help my Spoken Word rendering.

WA: I HEARD YOU ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON A REFUGEE REHABILITATION PROJECT; CAN YOU SHED MORE LIGHT ON THE PROJECT?
BIR: Yes, I am the Founder and currently the CEO of the International Refugees Rehabilitation Initiative which is basically into Refugees Rehabilitation and Management. Also into care and maintenance of refugees in camps, organizing vocational training for refugees, orientation for resettlement, and an extensive tracing service to find lost relatives. We hope to work with human rights lawyers, writers, NGOs, business and religion institutions in order to achieve some of our aims and objectives.
WA: WHAT HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR HUMAN RIGHTS STRUGGLE SO FAR?
BIR: I can summarily say the freedom of the masses is the basic reason why I’m into activism. Millions of Africans are suffering due to bad leadership and negligence by their elected leaders. Though they always blame their failures on Mistakes. Majorly, mistakes committed by them while they were in power. I have been able to use poetry to address this and other issues affecting the growth and development of Africa and Africans in general.
WA: WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH IHRAF?
BIR: IHRAF has been at the forefront of making silent voices heard to the whole world through her IHRAF Publishes. The platform has helped to make many voices heard and known to the rest of the world. It has really helped me in person in making my struggle known to the world. IHRAF is my pathfinder.
WA: HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO FIT WRITING IN WITH OTHER DEMANDS ON YOUR TIME?
BIR: Like I said, writing is what I do every day. Though I have some specific hours which I have set aside for writing. Writing is my passion. I write anywhere I found myself. I am always with my pen and paper. Whenever the ideas come, I put them down on papers.

WA: WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A SPOKEN WORD POET?

BIR: It takes nothing but being real, being you and believing in yourself. Constant practice is another vital element which must be taken into consideration as a Spoken Word Artist.
WA: TELL ME ABOUT YOUR FIRST TIME PERFORMING
BIR: It was quite funny and a lovely time. I was five years old then. You know being a kid; my act was very funny and humorous.
WA: WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE LIVING POETS?
BIR: Shonda Buchanan. Shonda Buchanan is an award-winning poet and educator. She is also the author of Who's Afraid of Black Indians? and Equipoise: Poems from Goddess Country and editor of two anthologies, Voices from Leimert Park and Voices from Leimert Park Redux. She has been my mentor and a literary friend.

WA: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUNG PEOPLE INTERESTED IN PERFORMANCE POETRY?
BIR: Upcoming Spoken Word Artists should believe in themselves. Their watchwords should be transparency, honesty and truth. They should continue writing and face any challenges that confront them.
WA: WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE?
BIR: I have social media handles and currently building my own app where all my writings and social activities will be found. My current social media handles are:
*Rich kidd thats facebook
*BlackboyGu thats Twitter
*Blackboy __ivyoffical

WA: HAVE YOU, OR WOULD YOU, DO AN ALBUM?

BIR: Yes like any other Spoken Word Artists, I have a couple of Performance poetry skits but yet to be premiered for public consumption.

THE STORY OF WORLD POETRY HAS BEEN TOLD TO-DATE THROUGH 100TPC- MICHAEL ROTHENBERG – CO-FOUNDER, 100TPFC

Michael Rothenberg is an American poet, songwriter, editor, artist, and environmentalist. In 2011, Rothenberg and his partner Terri Carrion co-founded 100 Thousand Poets for Change. 100 Thousand Poets for Change is a global poetry and arts movement with an emphasis on peace, justice, sustainability and education. In this Interview with Wole Adedoyin, he shared with him full details about his movement, 100 Thousand Poets for Change (100TPFC) and his writing career.

TELL US ABOUT 100 THOUSAND POETS FOR CHANGE (100TPC.org)

100 Thousand Poets for Change was initially conceived by Michael Rothenberg and Terri Carrion in March, 2011, as a worldwide set of events to take place simultaneously on September 24, 2011. Literary event organizers volunteered to host associated events in their own cities or schools. On September 13, 2011, the city of Santa Rosa, California, declared September 24, 2011, to be "100 Thousand Poets for Change Day," and Stanford University offered to archive all documentation and audiovisual records of the event posted on the 100TPC web site.

Ultimately, 700 events in 550 cities in 95 countries took place on September 24 of 2011 in conjunction with 100TPC, and the event was described by Stanford University as “the largest poetry event in history.” Considering the series of events to be a success, Rothenberg and co-founder Terri Carrion decided to pursue non-profit status for 100 Thousand Poets for Change and establish an annual event in September of each year.

In 2018, 100 Thousand Poets for Change added a literacy initiative, "Read A Poem To A Child." A .pdf of children's poetry collected by Florida State University Libraries was made available as a free download. The poems in the .pdf were selected from The John MacKay Shaw Collection, which consists of books, works of art, manuscripts, catalogs and ephemera related to childhood. The collection includes bibliographies, biographies, literature, poetry, and criticism. Over 2,000 individuals and organizations permitted in this initiative.

Although the worldwide 100TPC event is scheduled for the last Saturday of September each year, it currently takes place year-round. “Read A Poem To A Child” runs for the week up to and including the global day to allow for school participation.


TELL US ABOUT TERRI CARRIÓN, CO-FOUNDER OF 100TPC. WHAT IS HER ROLE IN ALL THIS?

MR: The creation of 100TPC was a true collaboration with Terri Carrion. The creation of the movement would have beenimpossible without her. Terri has been a key force in formulating the ideas of the movement and defining our mission. Terri works actively on social mediareaching out to new organizers. Terri also maintains the 100tpc.org website facilitating documentation and posting news of events, also expanding the poster gallery which is one of the most inspirational features of the website. The logo design we have all become familiar with is Terri’s creation. Also, important to note that Terri is bi-lingual, her first language is Spanish, and she has made it possible for 100TPC to communicate with Spanish-speaking literary communities in the early years of our creation; and along with Pilar Rodriguez Aranda, one of our earliest organizers in Mexico, Terri has initiated communications with organizers in Central and South America. You really should interview Terri.


WHAT ACTUALLY LED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE 100TPC.ORG MOVEMENT?

MR: Things were pretty depressing around the world. We had two wars going on and a heartbreaking oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. I grew up in Florida, on the Gulf Coast. I spent most of my formative years there, around the Everglades, so it really hurt me. I had this sense of personal death. Terri and I were doing many benefit readings for the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. We helped organize poetry and music events around Northern California and Los Angeles but the overall response to that was very weak. I thought everyone’s attention would turn to the Gulf Coast oil disaster, so I was extremely depressed when the national response was just as weak and the whole country did not rise in protest of the policies that led to this disaster. Then, Fukishima. It seemed the message was clear but still everyone went back to doing whatever they were doing. Business as usual. There was the Arab Spring; there was Madison. There were some good things happening, signs of hope, but I was really feeling down. Did we need more major disasters to prove that things had to change? I mean, the Gulf oil disaster was the worst environmental disaster in the history of the United States, where was the outrage? I was saying to someone on Facebook, “there ought to be 100 thousand poets for change,” and the person said, “that’s a good idea.” It was almost like a challenge. Oh yeah, right. It’s a good idea. The chance of getting poets engaged really seemed hopeless. But I said to myself, okay one more challenge. I’m gonna put down the gauntlet. I set up an event page on Facebook and it read, “Do you want to join other poets around the USA and across the planet in a demonstration/celebration of poetry to promote serious social, environmental, and political change? And I invited all my Facebook friends. I honest to God didn’t think anybody was going to respond. But they did.

100 THOUSAND POETS FOR CHANGE, WHAT KIND OF A CHANGE ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?

MR: The first order of change is for poets, writers, musicians, artists, activists to get together to create and perform, educate and demonstrate, simultaneously, with other communities around the world. This will change how we see our local community and the global community. We have all become incredibly alienated in recent years. We hardly know our neighbors down the street let alone our creative allies who live and share our concerns in other countries. We need to feel this kind of global solidarity. It will be empowering.

And of course there is the political/social change that many of us are talking about these days. There is trouble in the world. Wars, violation of human rights, ecocide, racism, genocide, gender inequality, homelessness, the lack of affordable medical care, police brutality, religious persecution, poverty, censorship, animal cruelty, the list goes on and on.

It appears that transformation towards a more sustainable world is a major concern and could be a global guiding principle for 100 TPC events. Peace also seems to be a common cause. War is not sustainable. There is an increasing sense that we need to move forward and stop moving backwards. But we are trying not to be dogmatic. We hope that together we can develop our ideas of the “change/transformation” we are looking for as a global community, and that each local community group will decide their own specific area of focus for change for their particular event. All we ask is that local communities organize events about change within the guidelines of peace and sustainability.

CAN YOU SHARE WITH US THE STRUCTURE OF 100 THOUSAND POETS FOR CHANGE?

MR: 100TPC was founded in Guerneville, California but, most organizational tasks are done by individual organizers of local events. Event organizers in individual cities volunteer to create an event in association with 100TPC. Then we publicize the event through the web site, social media outlets, and conventional press releases. The relationship between most local organizers and the 100TPC headquarters remains informal, conducted primarily through e-mail. Organizers do not become officers or employees of 100TPC. Organizers can communicate with each other through the 100 TPC Organization & Communication Hub, a Facebook group available to 100TPC event organizers, where they are encouraged, but not required, to work together and to learn about each other's events to help develop event ideas. Local organizers, then, have full control over the style and structure of their events—their only obligation is to register their event with the main 100TPC web site. Some event organizers have free events; others charge an entry fee and donate proceeds to charity that is determined by the local organizer. The Hub is also an important place to make creative contacts for international translation and publication.
Most 100TPC events take place in September. Each year, the last Saturday in September is named "100 Thousand Poets for Change Day" and publicity is focused on that date. Some organizers choose to create 100TPC events on different days throughout the year and 100TPC will register and publicize those events regardless of when they take place.

The concept of "Change" in the name 100 Thousand Poets for Change refers to social change, but is otherwise broadly defined and dependent on the definitions of individual organizers or poets. 100TPC events do not necessarily share political or philosophical orientation. The 100TPC web site describes the "change" as having only to fall "within the guidelines of peace, justice and sustainability."

AS THE CO-FOUNDER AND PROMOTER OF 100 THOUSAND POETS FOR CHANGE, WHAT KINDS OF OBSTACLES DO YOU FACE?

MR: First of all, there are a lot of things going on in people’s lives, I understand. We are worried and busy. There’s the economy and jobs. There are activities, organizations and things people are already involved in that take their attention. There is just so much any one of us can do. But what I’m suggesting is that people look at 100TPC as a way of organizing a coalition that has an arts base to it; that pulls all the other local concerns together under one international umbrella. That together we can do what we are already doing but have the impact of community strength.
And some people ask me, “Where is PEN? Where is Poets & Writers and where is the American Academy of Poets? Why aren’t they supporting 100 Thousand Poets for Change in a more aggressive way?” I don’t know how to answer these questions. Everyone can’t do everything. But we do look to our more prominent poetry organizations to connect with this movement. We should be building alliances not empires. Of course, maybe they don’t know about 100TPC. We always need to do more outreach.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT OF 100 THOUSAND POETS FOR CHANGE (100TPC)?

MR: The very fact that anybody cares about this movement is an empowering achievement. The very fact that we have gathered in global unity is a major achievement. The very fact that your group, Society of Young Nigerian Writers is talking with us about change in an achievement.. We have brought mimes, musicians, painters, photographers, dancers, ecologists, teachers, students from around the world together to share their energies, their creativity, their work, their translations, their books, their visions, their dreams, this is an achievement. Have we changed the world? I think this sharing is change and is a catalyst for expanded awareness that facilitates change. Poets and artists from around the world are getting to now each other like never before and do not have to rely on huge corporate institutions to facilitate exchange. 100TPC is a cultural exchange platform available to everyone, free and unhindered, this is an achievement that I am grateful for, Every time someone writes me and says they want to participate, I am empowered and grateful. Over the years people who didn’t participate in previous years sign up so the community expands. The successful addition of “Read A Poem To A Child” as a 100TPC initiative shows that we are growing and expanding perspectives and functions we had not imagined. We hope Society of Young Nigerian Writers can be a force to lead the way towards expanding perspectives and opening more channels for sharing of creative inspiration.


WHY DO YOU THINK THAT POETRY AND CHANGE GO TOGETHER?

MR: When I first moved to California from Florida in 1975, I opened a tropical plant nursery and got very involved in the environmental movement. I worked with other organizers to get both Sweeney Ridge and Mori Point included in the national parks system. I served as a planning commissioner in my town as a result of my activism. That didn’t last very long because I wasn’t comfortable working within the system but I was willing to try anything. I had a mentor, Amy Meyer, who worked for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. She taught me a lot about activism. But prior to moving to California, I already believed that being involved in the world was part of my job as a poet. I learned from other poets as I was coming up. When I was in high school Allen Ginsberg was running around protesting war, and obviously I was of that protest generation. I understood from the poets of my day that poets knew all about the world and cared all about the world. This was the language of a great deal of poetry of my day and I never questioned it. Poets have been willing to go to jail for survival of the planet, to end war, to defy censorship, to speak about human rights. This made sense. The very act of creating poetry transforms reality, even when it isn’t overtly political, and therefore by its very transformative nature poetry is change. Michael McClure was very influential to me. His Meat Science Essays opened my eyes immensely to nature and ecology and the multiplicity of expressions possible through poetry. Lawrence Ferlinghetti was outspoken and spoke clearly about the world in an eye-opening way, his voice was for me a clarion call when I was a young man. And I loved the Romantic poets and they were activists, they were engaged poets, there is a tradition of engagement in poetry so 100TPC is part of a tradition.

As poets, we’re supposed to be well read. Reading expands the mind and that expansion is change. We’re supposed to know all about rocks and stars, about nature and culture, about many languages and many countries and peoples and existences. That awareness is change. We’re supposed to know about all of the arts, all kinds of artists, all kinds of schools of artists, not just our own. Awareness of a multi-cultural, multi-generational, global art is change. Poets are supposed to know about many things. Knowing is change. At least that is what I was taught growing up as a poet. For me, this is what it’s about to be a poet. Change is what a poet does. Poets get involved.

TELL US ABOUT THE ARCHIVING PROJECT AT STANFORD. WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THAT?

MR: One of the goals of this movement is to tell the story of the planet today. How we write, how we create, how we see the world. And what we dream and what we desire. There needs to be a record, a history. Stanford came along and volunteered to archive everything—the blog, the website, everything, through the LOCKSS program. They felt 100TPC was an historical movement and had a history worth saving. They got the Archive Foundation involved. And so all the text, video, audio, posters, comments from individual event location blog pages on the 100TPC is archived.

There is a story of world poetry that has been told to-date through 100TPC. If you sat down and read it all, you might have the most complete record compiled of world poetry ever. Where else will you see 500 cities represented, through poetry, posters, community reflections all in one place? And there is the 100 TPC YouTube Channel where there are hundreds of videos of poetry readings and other events from all around the world, from September 24th, 2011 and beyond, available for viewing! For a historian, for an academic, for a librarian, anybody who is interested in the history of the world, this is huge. I’ve always found the libraries to be very cool. In recent years, Florida State University, where I am the Florida State University Libraries Poet in Residence, has stepped up to expand our archiving capacity and recently put on an exhibit which discussed a lot of what 100TPC is about. The story continues.

WHAT DOES IT REQUIRE TO ORGANIZE AN EVENT FOR 100 THOUSAND POETS FOR CHANGE

100 Thousand Poets for Change will help organize by local region, city, or state, and find individuals in each area who would like to organize their local event.

If you are an organizer for your community this means that first you will consider a location for the event and begin to contact people in your area who want to participate in the event. Participation means contacting the media, posting the event on the web, in calendars, newspapers, etc., reading poems, doing a concert, performing in general, supplying cupcakes and beer (it’s up to you), demonstrating, putting up an information table, inviting guest speakers, musicians, etc., organizing an art exhibit, and documenting the event (this is important, too), and cleaning up, of course.

Organizers and participants will create their own local event as an expression of who they are locally. Do they want a concert or a jam session, candlelight vigil or a circus, a march or a dance, poetry reading in a cafe or on the subway, do they want absolute silence, a group meditation on a main street; it’s up to the local organization.

However, groups should try to hold some part of the event, if not all of it, outdoors, in public view (not required). The point is to be seen and heard, not just stay behind closed walls. It is also important that the event be documented. Photos, audio, videos, poems, journals, paintings! Documentation is crucial. The rest of the 100 Thousand Poets for Change want to hear what you have to say about change and enjoy your creativity too! The documentation will be shared through our 100TPC blog/website where groups can share and announce event information on their own blog page, as well as post photos, videos, poetry, art, and thoughts. But an event doesn’t have to involve tons of people. It can be just you (the organizer) and your pet, on a street corner, with a sign. Just let me know what you are planning!Every effort counts!

Each local organization determines what it wants to focus on, something broad like, peace, sustainability, justice, equality, or more specific causes like Health Care, or Freedom of Speech, Homelessness, or local environmental or social concerns that need attention in your particular area right now, etc. Organizations will then come up with a mission statement that describes who they are and what they think and care about. When the whole event has taken place all the mission statements can be collected from around the world and, I hope, worked together into a grand statement of 100
Thousand Poets for Change. In 2020, organizers from 100TPC have gotten together to discuss compiling a history of 100TPC through the gathering and publishing of essays by participants and organizers, hopefully this book will continue to spread the word of 100TPC and peace, justice and sustainability.

Thank you to Society for Young Nigerian writers for joining with us!

IBADAN BOOK CLUB HOLDS READING TODAY FEBRUARY 27, RELEASES THE REVIEW OF DIIPO FAGUNWA’S BOOK “IFEWUMI, THE TRAVAILS OF INULAYEWA”
Ibadan Book Club (IBC) has finished preparations to host the only surviving son of the late Yoruba literary sage, D.O. Fagunwa, Mr. Diipo Fagunwa today February 27, 2021, in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State.
A statement by Wole Adedoyin, one of the conveners of the reading said the event will take place at the Race Course Amphitheatre, Opposite Recreation Club, inside Adamasingba Stadium by 12PM prompt.
Uncle Diipo, as fondly called by his fans, is a fantasy writer like his late dad. He is the founder and Chief Executive of Elderly Care and Support Services (ELCASUSE). He was formerly a lecturer in the Department of Continuing Education, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
Diipo Fagunwa is also the author of a book titled, “Ifewumi, the travails of Inulayewa”. He is going to read from the book.
BOOK REVIEW: “IFEWUMI, THE TRAVAILS OF INULAYEWA”
Reviewer: Tunde Fagbenle
The story of Ifewunmi the protagonist of Dipo Fagunwa’s new book, IFEWUNMI, is one long encyclopaedic narrative of life and man’s foils and foibles, dreams and ambitions, successes and failures, love and malevolence; and, at the end, the triumph of goodness and innocence over evil machinations and man’s inhumanity to man.
The story is long and winding because of Dipo’s ambitious attempt to cover almost all imaginable circumstances of life and their contradictions in his biblical preachment of values for the reader to borrow a leaf or two from.
Although written in English but the book is essentially Yoruba folklorist in an unmistakable voice of Dipo’s late father, the iconic pacesetting Yoruba author Chief D. O. Fagunwa of blessed memory.
Early in the book Dipo regales us with a eulogy to palm-wine reminiscent of the late dramatist, Kola Ogunmola’s Palm-wine Drinkard, that ran for 3 pages and ends with this ode:
“The friend of ages, the balmy drink of time
The lathery imbibe of generations to come
You have my respect.
Non-drinkers are simply suffering.”
Dipo continued: “Palm-wine was my best friend, but meat toasted my throat. Tilapia seduced my spirit but catfish was jealous because mackerel was around so I prostituted with stock-fish who pitched its tent with pepper-soup. If you saw me you would want to be my friend. I was in another world. I was happy, contented and fulfilled.”
Replete with English rendition of Yoruba poetry, proverbs, and parables, Dipo demonstrates his mastery of Yoruba language and competence at their narratives in the English language. Describing the mood on the day Oroowole (Ifewunmi’s father) died:
“It was a day sadness took over our lives and men looked morose
and spent; children cried and their parents wailed; women banged
their heads against walls and men rended their clothes in public.
Pets were sad and refused to eat; dogs could not bark, fish went
down the deep, chickens could not come home to roost and goats
of the neighbourhood walked around with their heads bowed in
sadness. They had lost their stubbornness. Everyone was sad and
it was not difficult to know that a nobleman had gone and a gem
was lost. That was the day the cock crowed after a great man, the
valiant hunter went to the wild but never returned and the elephant
hunter held his gun but could not fire. Oroowole travelled on that
day to the land beyond, a place of no return where elders meet and
mortals are not allowed to engage with them except in dreams.”
Such is the captivating, even if at times salacious, language of IFEWUNMI, story of a lovesick hero that traverses the world (his world) in search of his kidnapped lover who is under the evil spell of his deranged friend turned foresworn enemy who is on perpetual run with his captive in an unending chase full of breath taken misses and maddening ironies.
Dipo has showed himself a master of improvising names that depicts the character:
“I am Inulayewa, a native of Ilakose. My father, Olowo Igbo…
My mother was Itunu Okan. She was from the home of Inurere.
My mother’s elder sister was Itelorun the wife of Igbadun from
the homestead of Suuru…My grandfather was Ifoya, the husband
ofIfedaru from the home of Aibale Okan where Inunibini is the
head of the family. Ifedaru had two children for Ifoya. The first
was Olowo Ibinu who was the husband of Idamu Aye and the
second was Olowo Igbo who was my father…”

Such apronym technique dominates the story such that almost no single character bears a name that does not take from his or her personality. And so you have such names as Kogberegbe, Ilenikuwa, Idamuaye, Folafoko, Inudidun, Ajedubule, Inulayewa, Mojereife, Ahonnirowa, Ajokomande, Agabagebe-obirin, Oyeparapo, Imodotun, Ogbonsayeko, Ikaseyi, Esandetan, and so on and so forth. The names are deep Yoruba contrivances that thankfully for non-Yoruba speaking readers are translated (explained) in the glossary at the end of the book.
The story is an epic of the proportion of the Greek classic Hercules or D. O. Fagunwa’sIrinkerindoNinu Igbo Elegbeje. Indeed it is tempting to conclude that D.O is speaking from the grave through his son, Dipo, but in the English language.
Today’s book reading event promises to be an avenue of book and poetry reading, Spoken words, book sales and signing, networking with fellow book readers and writers across the nooks and crannies of Oyo State, the statement added.
Upcoming writers who have works in poetry, short stories and novels can also attend to read their works to fellow writers and readers. Membership forms and Certificate of Membership will be made available free of charge to the first timers.
Ibadan Book Club is an initiative of Society of Young Nigerian Writers. It was founded in 2011 by SYNW in order to contribute its own quota towards the growth and development of Reading Culture in Oyo State. Ibadan Book Club consists of group of people who get together, periodically meet to discuss the book they have read, and to exchange such books. The members of the club encourage each other, and learn to read with a critical awareness, articulating their opinions on a particular book with the others. Certain types of books not available or read receive attention through the book club.
Few of the publications published by Ibadan Book Club are: Olubadan Centenary Anthology: A Collection of Essays, Articles, Poems and Artworks in honour of Oba (Dr.) Samuel Odulana, Odugade 1, Voices from Oja Oba Market and lastly Senator Abiola Ajimobi: Memories, Dreams, Reflections of A Mind Always in Motion.