‘Without book reading, you are a genius to yourself’

Bookshelf: When and how did you start writing?Dr. Seyi Adigun: Of course I did not start writing from childhood like many other writers, but along the line, growing up in Shonga, a Nupe town in Kwara State, something happened to me. It was a quiet and remote town that had peasant farmers. I had a […]

Bookshelf: When and how did you start writing?
Dr. Seyi Adigun: Of course I did not start writing from childhood like many other writers, but along the line, growing up in Shonga, a Nupe town in Kwara State, something happened to me. It was a quiet and remote town that had peasant farmers. I had a quiet childhood there compared with what was obtained in the urban areas. There were very few people and houses around and we were well removed from the hustle and bustle due to the town lay-out. I was therefore introduced from that time to this relative solitude, then the lush and flora of the environment which had a forest. I was about three years old when we got there. My Daddy was an educationist, so what was not in shortage was literature of different colours. The human element, that is, children to play with, was not in abundance apart from my siblings. In the elementary school we grew up in, there was the language barrier and thus there was limited fun because I could not speak the local dialect while the children did not understand English. So school time was little fun. Much of the teaching fell on the shoulders of my parents with the books around. That was how I was thrust into literature, having to read to entertain myself. Again the electronic media now isn’t what we had then in the 1980s, so there was not much of electronic media companionship. All we had were the books. The themes of the books ranged from religion to politics, creative writing, the text books, science books and so on. That was how I picked interest in reading. However, the trigger was a particular poem by the English poet, John Keats, ‘Ode to a Nightingale.’ I was around the age of 10 and it moved me to put down some lines. So most of the poems that featured in my first collection were those I wrote while in Junior Secondary School (JSS) III up to Senior Secondary School (SSS) III and my 100 level days in the University of Ilorin.
Bookshelf: Did anyone mentor you at some point?
Adigun: I have not had the privilege of direct mentorship but rather was inspired by the works of others such as John Keats which led to my walk into poetry.
Bookshelf: If you had a shelf with space for three books, what would you have there?
Adigun: That’s a hard question and yet not too hard. Apart from ‘Ode to a Nightingale,’ I would have to look for my copy of ‘The Labyrinth’ by Christopher Okigbo and secure it on the shelf. It is a great classic; then the classic work of Niyi Osundare, ‘High of the Heart.’    
Bookshelf: Is there a relationship between any of your four collections of poetry?
Adigun: I regard ‘Prayer for the Mwalimu’ (published in 2009) and ‘Princess of the Harmattan’ (2013) as one and the same book. The latter is not a new episode per se but more like a continuation. Anyone who reads the first would remember the character in the next, the theme also and the sound of the two ‘offerings’ flow. They also accomplish the same in terms of message delivery and the manner in which it was delivered.
Bookshelf: So what do you have up your sleeves right now?
Adigun: I am presently working on a collection with my hammer and chisel and can’t define it yet. All this so I can remould it into its real image. The over-riding title is ‘There is nothing I own that is serious.’ Over the next couple of months I would continue to explore what the muse is coming up with, and hoping to do justice to it. When it comes out raw it becomes only noise. I like to read it aloud, get reactions, so I do not present a contorted work.
Bookshelf: Do you enjoy book readings?
Adigun: Yes, I enjoy a good book reading.
Bookshelf: How do you view book readings?
Adigun: It should not be something a writer should do without. It presents an opportunity for peer review through exchanges. It makes you check yourself. When a poet writes a line, he or she may feel it is the greatest verse ever written until it is exposed to others. The poets will engage themselves and you may need to go back to it or be further inspired, because sometimes as a writer you reach dry land where nothing seems to be coming out again. The muse is silent. Sometimes going to a book reading is enough to get you back on track. It gives one the opportunity to write above mediocrity. When you are just alone, you are a genius to yourself. Again, for the public, it is an opportunity for them to meet the writer and engage them directly especially in a country where book buying that does not have to do with educational pursuit is very low. Therefore it is not just about promoting the writers, but the ideals they represent against the backdrop of challenges our society is facing. For these reasons one would want to encourage book readings.
Bookshelf: Can you tell us about this local and international reading tour that you are about to embark upon?
Adigun: As the chairman of ANA Abuja chapter, I then had a radical idea about how the literati should conduct its affairs in the face of obvious dislocation of governance in our society. I was convinced that it would be out of place for us to be too close to those in governance in trying to get our house ahead. I however, canvas that writers should be actively involved in governance, but only as individuals. Unfortunately, we are unable to achieve that. I remember when we hosted the ANA convention here in Abuja. It was a very low episode that was poorly organised. Some of the issues that we speak about are social matters that affect the citizenry that would need us to stand clearly on the opposite side. We eventually had to depend on funding from government and let go our role as a force of social conscience. I want to use this reading tour to showcase that we can do our own thing. That even without a kobo in his pocket, an author can make changes in society. The idea I am still working on is to get to read my work in as many locations in Africa as possible without any form of liaison with government. This is the only way our tongue would be free of what is inside of us.
Bookshelf: So which of your works would you read on this tour?
Adigun: I would be reading mainly from ‘Princess of the Harmattan,’ then snippets from my previous works. Then also introduce my upcoming collection by reading some part of it.
Bookshelf: Where are you getting sponsorship from?
Adigun: I am partnering with Aroja Concepts and seeking corporate support from organisations that have similar interests. I would muzzle my own resources and also from friends. So it depends on how all these work out. What we are also looking at concerning the places we picked for the tour is the importance of their locations to the region. We intend to reach out to writers from there to participate. The intention is for other writers to read at the event and so give it an international colouration, especially those that border on Africa. It is to create a kind of movement or network of writers to work together, help Africans think and generate solutions to the myriad of challenges confronting us through the use of their craft. So that is what I hope this reading tour would achieve. It actually started last year but we went on a long break due to logistics considerations. It was initially supposed to be in sequence, but that could not be. So we are now going to commence as we see fit. We intend to do our best to get the work done.  
Bookshelf: So what words do you have for upcoming writers?    
Adigun: Despite all the challenges they should keep writing so their ideas do not dry up and also strive to be change-makers.