Why my novel is a mirror for readers – Othuke Ominiabohs

Othuke Ominiabohs is the author of ‘Odufa’, a novel that has received remarkable attention across the country. Here, he talks about why his book is a mirror for readers, his choice of prose over poetry, how he started writing, and more. Bookshelf: Your debut novel, ‘Odufa’ seemed to have drawn quite some attention in literary […]

Othuke Ominiabohs is the author of ‘Odufa’, a novel that has received remarkable attention across the country. Here, he talks about why his book is a mirror for readers, his choice of prose over poetry, how he started writing, and more.

Bookshelf: Your debut novel, ‘Odufa’ seemed to have drawn quite some attention in literary circles. Did you expect that?  
Othuke Ominiabohs: Yes, I did, because I delved into a topic that exists but is not talked about so much, which is violence in relationships. I expected some ruckus, so I am not surprised.
Bookshelf: So where exactly did this narrative come from?
Ominiabohs: It came from, part experience and part observation. There are some scenes in the book that I wrote, using my experience and a whole lot of others I gathered from people I have seen, things I have heard and read, life generally.
Bookshelf: There was a kind of juxtaposition of cultures, Northern and Southern Nigeria, Kano and Port Harcourt. You are from the South, have you been to Kano?
Ominiabohs: Yes, I lived in Kano for a little over a year. I even did my National Youth Service there. So some of my experiences were, naturally, found in the work.
Bookshelf: What did you hope to show through the juxtaposition of the cultures?
Ominiabohs: In the South where I grew up, we have this fixed mind-set about the north. And if you noticed, those ideas are in the book, in the scene where Anthony asked Odufa about the north and she describes the buildings. He used to think the north was a small place packed full with dark-skinned men wearing jalabias. So, a lot of southerners have not been to the north and see it in negative light. I wanted to throw light on that, not necessarily to correct it, but to show it the way it is pre-conceived by southerners.
Bookshelf: Was it a major decision for you, writing this book, or did you wake up and decide to tell a story?
Ominiabohs: It was a major decision. Like I said, I have had some experiences I wanted to share and I felt this was a topic that wasn’t really talked about or given necessary attention. I wanted to read a book that had this intense, youthful love portrayed by characters. A famous writer once said if you want to read a particular story or book and can’t find it, write it yourself. So I decided to write this work. I also decided to make it my first work because I wanted something everybody can relate with. Almost everybody has loved at some point in their lives and been heartbroken. These are some of the things I considered.
Bookshelf: Is there any moral in the novel? If there is it, what is it?
Ominiabohs: That’s not a question I can give a ready answer to. I see myself as a painter. I paint with words. So imagine an artist splashing paint on canvas. You don’t expect him to tell you the moral of his painting, instead, it’s left for you, the person appreciating the artwork, to say what you see in the work. So I cannot tell you if there are morals or what they are, rather it is for each individual to draw something different from my work. I see ‘Odufa’ as a mirror where you can only see what you carry within you. It carries the qualities you have. 
Bookshelf: Your book has been described as chauvinistic. What do you have to say about that?
Ominiabohs:  ‘Odufa‘is a book that, as a friend described it, social realists will appreciate. I simply carried what is and painted it. I didn’t portray what it should be like. In reality, in relationships, the man wants to be the man. He has his ego. If Anthony’s character appeared chauvinistic, well, that shows you what men are like in relationships. I am sure some people will agree with me that men want to be seen as the bosses.
Bookshelf: There were scenes where Anthony read out love poems to Odufa. Do you intend to come up with an anthology?
Ominiabohs: I don’t like to call myself a poet, but my friends insist. I have an anthology I published last year. I actually started writing poetry, but after a while, it became insufficient to convey what I wanted to convey. But I have plans to release more of poetry in the future.
Bookshelf: There were times when Odufa, the title character, and Anthony performed ablutions. Readers will want to be clear. Were they Christians or Muslims?
Ominiabohs: A lot of readers got back to me on that. The dictionary describes ablution as washing up. It is an English word that simply means ‘to wash up’. Maybe because Muslims use it often, it has become like a Muslim word, but it is not. I actually used it on purpose. I got that word when I read Ken Saro Wiwa’s Prison Diary. I liked the usage of the word. He kept using it when he wanted to clean up. 
Bookshelf: You plan to make a trilogy of ‘Odufa’. Was that the original plan?
Ominiabohs: Well, I thought about the possibility, but it was concretised when my readers cried foul at the end of the book. Almost everybody wanted more. So the book two is set for release sometime next year.
Bookshelf: What do you hope to achieve?
Ominiabohs: I want to throw light on abusive relationships, health challenges people face in Nigeria, as exemplified by Anthony’s misdiagnosis. Also, the role and power of tradition in our relationships and the influence of our parents, peer pressure and so on.
Bookshelf: How did you start writing, generally?
Ominiabohs: I think I had always been an emotional child. My father studied English Language, so he made sure we were well-read. He bought a lot of books and therefore my childhood was filled with books. At some point in my life I had a lot to say and started writing poetry. In the university I had friends who would pay me to write poems for their girlfriends. In my final year, I had read so many books and while my mates were buying clothes, I was buying books. I had over 500 books in my library.
I noticed I always communicated better in writing. I wrote my first short story and that was the beginning. Actually, ‘Odufa’ was first a play in 2014. That year, the Wole Soyinka Prize was supposed to be for prose, but at the last minute they changed it to drama to celebrate Wole Soyinka’s eightieth birthday. I had already prepared ‘Odufa’ to enter for the prize. I had never written a play before, but I felt I had nothing to lose and so adapted the manuscript into a play. That was how I was shortlisted. After that I tried to get a publisher. Nobody was forthcoming, so in partnership with a press in Port Harcourt, it was published. It was not a traditional publishing company, but I was able to convince the owner to give it a try.
Bookshelf: And it paid off?
Ominiabohs: Yes it did, everybody was talking about it. 
Bookshelf: What do you have up your sleeves at the moment?
Ominiabohs: I have a different book coming out this year, by September, titled ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens’. It’s about what’s going on right now in Nigeria, the Niger Delta crises, Boko Haram, and a little bit of the past, the Civil War. I tried to fuse in the three most rocking happenings in Nigerian history.