‘It means more to me to publish my book in Nigeria’

WhAT was your childhood like? My childhood was spent here, initially in Lagos. But most of my childhood was spent in Jos, Plateau State. Then at the age of fourteen, I moved to Nairobi, Kenya. You travel a lot. What was the reason for this? My father was a pastor. He worked with churches and […]

WhAT was your childhood like?

My childhood was spent here, initially in Lagos. But most of my childhood was spent in Jos, Plateau State. Then at the age of fourteen, I moved to Nairobi, Kenya.

You travel a lot. What was the reason for this?

My father was a pastor. He worked with churches and ministered. Initially, I was travelling because of him. Then when I went to the University, I did a joint degree in African History and French, which was what led me to France. When I came back from France, I met my husband, who is from Zimbabwe. So, that’s what took me to Zimbabwe.

Do you see yourself as a global citizen, having moved around a lot?

I do consider myself a global citizen and I consider myself a pan-Africanist having lived in West Africa, East Africa and now having married a southern African, and I also speak French. So, I do feel quite Pan African.

And all this movements, do they affect your writing?

It does. Many of the places I have lived in are reflected in the novel, places I have loved, l places I have lived in.

How exactly does it affect your writing?

I think one of the ways it affects my writing is that when you move a lot, you are often in an outsider position and it enables you to see things in a different light, in the light that others wouldn’t see them. Often people see me as an outsider, I may be not. I’m oyinbo often in this context, I am black in another context, so I think it’s something to be seen differently and also to see the world slightly differently.

Do you think of yourself as a globe trotter?

I currently reside in the US and my husband is Zimbabwean. I spend some time in Zimbabwe. I have a son who is an American citizen but he also regards himself as part of him is American with a passport and he has a Zimbabwean father and a Nigerian mother.

Tell us what inspired you to write In Dependence?

I think, well, I decided to write this novel  because the older I get the more interested  I am in history. And I became interested in my parents’ generation. For the time I started writing, I wasn’t finding a lot of writers that were writing about this period. So I wanted to write a story that in effect I wanted to read. And I wanted to write something of a love story. There are so many stories about war, about crimes, you know, child soldiers, and I wanted to write a different side. Sort of a rebranding, as it were.

Having published your novel in London, why did you decide to have it published in Nigeria?

Because the book being published in Nigeria means a lot to me than it being published anywhere else. I grew up in Nigeria and Nigeria is what formed me, it’s what inspired this novel and I am so excited by the Nigerian press, Cassava Republic. They have done a great job and it has made me happy. I think you can see me smiling. I am very happy to be here in Abuja.

Aren’t you afraid of piracy, that pirates may take advantage of the book?

I wish the book will be successful. But for me, the mere fact that it is available is what is most important to me quite aside from, you know, how many would sell. Obviously, I hope the book would sell a lot, especially for my publishers. I want them to do well.

What do you want to achieve with this novel?

This is a love story to Nigeria. I want to capture something of the feel of the early independence era. There is such a rich history that we have that I feel hasn’t been captured. There’s so much music, so many more stories. So I guess, I am trying to explain some of these stories before they disappear, that’s the main thing I’m trying to do.

There seems to be something of your parents’ experience in the story. Is this your parents’ story?

I think my parents would be grateful I didn’t write their story. It could have been their story, it’s about their time. It’s not their story, but it could have been.

Tell us about what inspires you and how you write? Do you have any specific time in which you write?

In terms of what inspires me: reading, I read. I read a lot of different writings and that is always a great inspiration. In terms of how I write, I write whenever I can. I teach in a university, I’m a mother, so, you know, I am juggling a lot of roles, so I make sure everyday I find a few hours. Some days, I write things, some days, no writing comes. But it’s the discipline of sitting down, and not the writing every day.

So many roles, how do you cope?

Sometimes with difficulty. It’s hard to juggle things and I think all mothers know how hard it is to juggle two different roles but I have a very supportive family, a very supportive husband who enables me to have as much time as I can to do my art. And also the fact that I juggle a lot of things inspires my writing because in my life as  a mother, in my life as a teacher, in my life as a writer, I see different things that feed into my writing.

How much of your Nigerian roots do you knhow?

I am Yoruba. My father is Nigerian. Sadly, I don’t speak Yoruba. I spoke quite a bit when I was younger but it wasn’t kept up. I would like to learn Yoruba properly. It’s a very beautiful language. I am intrigued by various cultures around the world, I find it’s a blessing to me to have been able to experience different cultures. It has enriched my life, my writing.

How long ago were you last in Nigeria?

I last came to Nigeria eight years ago.

How would you compare contemporary Nigeria with the Nigeria in your book?

I think I would have to spend longer to give a proper answer to that question. There are certain things that seem familiar; the laughter and the frustration. Both sides are familiar. I am always interested in music and I was smiling to myself when I was in Lagos over the weekend because it was like I had a soundtrack where I was staying. The noise of generators, I was hearing some highlife music in the background. That, for me, is the epiphany of Nigeria today; the sound of the generator and the sound of music from across the world.