For now no more love writing for me, if I do please Blog Police should arrest me!!
I'll be writing more of a diary kind of thingy interspaced with a lil creative something (I think!) poem, writeup or verse. Don't get bored and leave your comments!
Parts of my childhood (Part 1)
I’ve always been a dreamer right from childhood, built this dream world around me where I was queen surrounded by her subjects. Maybe it was the influence of books that where scattered round me or the stories from my Parents and older siblings, about their experiences, hobbies, friends and aspirations.
I saw first hand where no dream, wrong dreams, late dream could get you. Had examples all around, still do.
I still dreamt on, some silly, outrageous and stupid and some that still burn a fire deep down in my heart. Looking back I realised that most of my dreams are still in dreamland, pushed far beyond by the hustle and bustle, quest for survival and higher earning power based on the pressures of the society and peers and largely determined by what the society interprete as success.
I remember when I was really young, maybe 7 – 8, I would sneak the keys to one of my elder sister’s room, lock myself in and curl up reading the then Quality and Classique magazine. She just moved in from Ibadan and buying and reading of magazines was her hobby and still is! So she had lots and lots of Nigerian and foreign mags. Classique was my favourite Nigerian Mag and MEE my best and favourite columnist,( she was also a writer, television hostess, had a charity foundation too. in my personal opinion, I guess would compare her writing with Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City without the sexual innuedoes)she was fantastic!
I saw Warri first through her eyes as she captured me with her simple writing that made me fall ih love with her. She was and still is my role model. Her collection of her columns in Quality Magazine and then Classique Magazine was like a bible that I read ever so often. I felt like family when reading about her life or any of the social issues of that period. her signature smile and side gapped tooth was a huge attraction for me and funny enough i have that same side gapped tooth!
Well it was with much sorrow when I heard she died, I was a member of the Press club in my secondary school and suggested her as our Guest in the Annual Press Club day. Unfortunately before we could write the letter we heard she had passed on, a fibroid operation that went wrong. I felt pained and hurt. I remember the Teacher in charge of Press Club consoling me.
She really made a huge impression on me literary and still does. Her writings were fluid, simple and captivating. So sad that she’s been forgotten by many people, if she had been alive maybe she would have been Nigeria’s Oprah Winfrey.I wonder what happened to her Sunshine Foundation and her pretty daughter and younger sister she so fondly wrote about in her columns. Maybe I’ll just google and find out more about them.
Those where the times I discovered African writers like Chinua Achebe, Flora Nwapa, Buchi Emecheta, Amos Tutuola, Wole Soyinka, Okot P’Bitek, Ngugi Wa Thiong , Mariama Ba, Ayi Kwei Armah, Efua Sutherlands,Ferdinard Oyono, Peter Abrahams, Ezekiel Mphalele, so many African authors, novels and books I can’t even remember. My favourite book then was ‘The African Child ‘ by Camara Laye, was captured by a lilttle boy's observation of his surroundings. there where some books I could barely understand at that young age and many filled me with fascination and interest.
I guess that was where my love for writing and words started, my elder brother was also an aspiring playwright at that time so there was a wide array of African dramas and poetry books when growing up. Then i wanted to be a poet, writer, never told anyone when asked about career choice. Felt it ashamed about it kind of i think. Everyone talked about being a doctor, lawyer, engineer and liltle Hopeful could never mention that to her family never! i wonder how i would have been chastised by my parents and family.
Funny how I and my best friend in Primary 4 , 5 would buy small jotters sold for I think a naira then and write up stories. We would challenge ourselves or brain storm a storyline or idea and develop it. i wonder if I can still find my short stories and poems written at such a young age. then I had a dream of becoming a poet and a writer to be reckoned and quoted. There was a lull in senior secondary school because I had to change schools and environment. That trait was forgotten till sometime in university. That was a link that I never understood even while I majored in English Language& Literature in University.
Have a Happy New Month.
(to be continued)
