Deprivation forced me
into writing –Tunji Oyewole who says George Orwell is
his idol
By SEGUN FATUROTI, Ile-Ife
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
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•Tunji
Oyewole |
| The Sun News
Publishing |
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When suddenly, Tunji Oyewole became an orphan at the age
of 16, he eventually became a child under the tutelage of
some foster parents. Unfortunately, his care weighed little
on the scale of his guardians’ attention, hence, the
trauma of his parents’ demise quickly sunk into his
subconscious, giving him a sense of inferiority and lack of
confidence. However, the harsh conditions he encountered under
his guardians turned out a blessing in disguise as he quickly
regained a platform for his self-discovery. But the writer
shared his experience with Daily Sun recently, noting how
deprivation prepared him for greater fortunes in the art of
writing:
Life under foster parents
I was subjected to all manners of maltreatment. But as I grew
up, my parents’ demise stirred my conscience and also
raised my consciousness. It dawned on me that I had to make
the best out of the precarious situation. It was during those
turbulent periods that I learnt, in a very hard way, how to
write down my memories. For instance, there was a time I could
not sleep for three days. I was 13 years old then. During
those three sleepless nights, I composed 10 emotional poems
amid tears and gnashing of teeth. That was how I started writing
poems. So, in a way, I became a poet by fate.
Works to date/inspiration
Now 42 years old, Oyewole has written 125 poems to date. He
is an avid reader and a consummate writer. His penchant for
writing has made him to write Our Teacher Is Hungry and Our
Journey (both poetic drama works). His words: The spirit is
alive and kicking in me. The little time I spent on the job
was revealing, challenging and interesting. In fact, I have
a deep-rooted desire to find my way back to journalism soonest.
Reading and writing
I have an ecliptic background and I read a lot. Such readings
me to write. Before I left secondary school, I was already
familiar with the works of some great writers like James Ngugi
Wa Thiongo, Camara Laye, Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, T.M.
Aluko, Amos Tutuola, Ola Rotimi, Williams Shakespeare and
a host of others. I also sharpened my pen in poetry writing
through the works of great poets like Wole Soyinka, T.S Eliot,
J.P. Clark and so on. In a general sense, books and writers’
documents are priceless treasures to me. I value knowledge
a lot. Without being immodest, I know the unquantifiable joy
that creeps up in me the very moment I succeed in wangling
my way through acquisition of new knowledge, especially upon
reading a new book. So, the books I read inspire me a lot.
And I write better when my heart is loaded.
Background
I hail from Ope compound in Ile – Ife, Osun State. I
attended three primary schools and one secondary school. I
later attended Plateau School of Accountancy and Management
Studies, Jos in Plateau State; where I bagged a diploma in
Mass Communication. That was in 1991. I later attended Lagos
State University for my Bachelor’s degree in English.
I worked for Cradle Newspaper, an Ile – Ife based local
tabloid for two years before I called it quit.
Life as a Journalist
Athough Oyewole is currently a non-academic staff of Federal
Polytechnic, Ede, he said his interest in journalism is still
intact. "As a professional journalist, I am professionally
bound to remain a journalist for life. It is my God-given
vocation."
Satire as a form of writing
Satire is a specific literary genre. I like it so much that
my two works are satirical. Although satire is often comic,
the main objective is not merely to evoke laughter but to
use the laughter for a corrective purpose. As a satirist,
one usually cannot speak openly, rather, one chooses means
that can allow him utter the unspeakable truth with impunity.
A satirist’s viewpoint is ultimately that of a realist
who penetrates the society for a didactic purpose. In a general
sense, satires contain hidden truth, and it is this truth
that gives the satirist the license to attack with impunity.
Taken to a comparative level, a satirist in a novel or a drama
text is doing the work of a cartoonist in a newspaper. Both
of them use wit to ridicule or expose vice or folly through
the use of stylistic techniques that may include irony, mockery,
name-calling or exaggeration.
Fundamentally, satirists are critics, always finding faults,
giving judgements and appealing to peoples’ conscience.
George Orwell is a perfect example of a satirist. He is my
role model.
Frustrations as a writer
Oyewole is the incumbent treasurer of the Association of Nigerian
Authors (ANA), Osun State branch. He said the position has
enabled him to know that upcoming writers will have to go
the extra mile; "Right now, the situation is not encouraging
at all. Meanwhile, the only antidote for survival is to work
very well and continue writing while believing that one day,
one will reach the promised land."
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