By Olamide Babatunde
There is always a first time for everyone: undoubtedly this rings true in the accomplishment of Kufre Michael Edet, a junior student of Aguda Junior Grammar School, who has struck a chord with her creative ability to join the list of young writers.
At 12, she earned that spot with the launch of a 67-page novella entitled Chichi the Heroine, which is not a perfunctory feat. Any preteen who works hard at developing a story into a book must possess special traits that need to be nurtured without prejudice for class. Kufre was not born with a silver spoon, but she may end up buying for herself and her family if she continues on the path she has chosen.
Speaking about her achievement during a visit to The Sun head office in Lagos, she minced no words about how she found writing enjoyable and easy to do,” I began writing when I was much younger. I would write short stories, take it to school and church for my friends to read and they enjoyed it.”
Unknown to her parents, this is a talent which they did not think anything of. According to her mother, Kufre had kept at doing what she loves even at her mother’s shop. She would stay with her mother after school hours to help out before going home. On one of such days, an opportunity appeared in the guise of a customer who had asked to see what she was doing. He was impressed and encouraged her to finish the story.
Her hard work finally turned into a beautiful story bearing hope. Driven by passion, Kufre’s mind is made up to offer comfort, nurture greatness and inspire others through her writings. “I would still write by the side but I want to study Mass Communication when I grow up so that I can become a newscaster,” she offered.
Her story, inspired by the life of people around her, is about perseverance, honesty and kindness. These values apparently possessed by herself did not find its way into the moral of story by coincidence. They are crucial to character building in children who later become adults who act based on values they have imbibed. A miss could be a lifelong deficiency speaking, of which the characters in kufre’s book not only highlight how damaging the effects of such can be.
There are questions to answer, an exercise and a moral at the end of each chapter for young readers to go through. Apart from writing She enjoys reading and listening to the news. She is the first child born to a Mr and Mrs Edet Micheal, from Nsit Ubium Local Government, in Akwa Ibom State.
