Olalekan Alabi Adewusi is the author of The Rage of Love, The Rising Moonlight, Once Upon a Time: Traditional Folklore, Self-Empowerment Handbook for Students, The Catechism of Self-Empowerment. He is an executive member of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA). In this interview with Damiete Braide, he reveals how the failure of Nigerians in the Diaspora to teach their children their dialect and culture spurred him to write The Rising Moonlight.
How and when did you develop your writing skill?
I started writing when I was in primary school. Later, in secondary school, I had good grades in English and Literature subjects which spurred me into writing. If I were to be a science student, I would have studied architecture; but since I wasn’t good in sciences, I had to go to arts because of my love for writing. My mother once told me that when she saw me writing always, she knew that I was going to be an author, and she was happy about it.
What is your first book, The Rage of Love, all about, and what made you to write it?
The book was published in 2012. I wrote the book when I lived in Los Angeles, California, United States of America. The book is on fiction. It is about an African man that married an American lady. In Africa, when you here married to a lady, you have to be nice to your-in-laws, support them and do everything possible to please them, in order for the relationship to be stable and be an envious one. Unfortunately, the man in the book is not liked by his mother-in-law; she is biased. During their relationship, the woman is pregnant and is forced to abort the pregnancy because the man’s mother-in-law does not support the relationship. They went through a lot of challenges which made the man to commit suicide.
Tell us about your second book, The Rising Moonlight, and what led to it?
The Rising Moonlight was also written in the United States of America. The idea was to promote African culture. I visited some of my friends who were Mexicans, and noticed they spoke their dialects to their children but when I visited my African friends especially Nigerians, they never spoke their dialects to their children but English language. It is unfortunate that it makes children not be able to relate to their African culture. Some concerned friends and I, who didn’t like the idea, came together to proffer solution to this problem. That motivated me to promote African culture and how our festivals are celebrated. I want people to understand Africans and change their negative mind set about Africans. Some people still believe civilisation has not gotten to Africa, which is wrong. Africans are educated and enlightened about things in the world. In Africa, we have the village setting with their form of government, which is enviable, but non-Africans still have negative ideas about Africa.
What made you to write Once Upon a Time in Nigeria: Traditional Folklore? Are you trying to promote folklore stories?
The book is written in English language. Africans use folklore to entertain their children because they can learn a lot of things from it. The book talks about a man, who is the friend of Mr. Death. He asks Mr Death why he kills people. Mr Death replies that he doesn’t kill people but it is only when people do something wrong/evil that it takes them away. The man is surprised at his answer, and invites Mr Death to his house. He makes everything available for Mr Death’s visit. He comes around 8pm that evening and hosts Mr Death, who usually carries a bag with him where he has the names of people that he intends to kill. Mr Death visits the restroom and the man opens the bag and sees his name as the first person on the list to be killed the following day. He imagines if Mr Death can come to his house and he entertains him, then why does he want to kill me? He changes the paper where his name is written from the first to the last. Mr Death later thanks his guest for hosting and accommodating him, saying “Because of your goodwill, I have changed my mind, and will start from the last paper on my list and kill the last person.” Thereafter, he disappears from the man’s house. The following morning, the man dies. The story enjoins the reader that, whatever one does, he/she has to be honest and transparent. If the man had not changed the paper, the man would not have died. Although, he was trying to avoid death, unfortunately, he died because of his craftiness.
In trying to promote the culture of Africans, are your books on culture?
No, my books are not only on culture; they are fiction. For me, fiction is an imaginary creation which comes through my creativity. Although, my first book, The Rage of Love, is on African culture, which entertains and educates the younger generation. Presently, I am writing a book on fiction. For me, my books are on romance, because I like to watch how people of the opposite sex react to each another and how things fall in place or apart for them. People whom you love and trust will eventually become your enemy, which is something that I cannot comprehend. That’s why my books are on romance instead of suspense or other literary genre of writing.
As a writer, who has written books on fiction and African culture, do you have any plans of writing poetry?
I can also write poetry, but I have not channelled my energy towards it. Writing poetry is challenging, but I don’t seem to like it like the way that I write fiction. In writing fiction, I express myself and, sometimes, when writing some chapters that is emotional, I begin to cry, because when I want to write about an individual, I put myself in the shoes of that person so that I will be able to write effectively on that subject. I have written some things on poetry but for now, I love fiction. Maybe, in future, I may publish a book on poetry. Hopefully, before the end of the year, I should complete my book on romance. I write in such a way that when people pick up my book to read, they wouldn’t want to drop the book until they finish reading it.
As a writer, do you agree that when novels are voluminous, people will find it difficult to read?
I studied in United States of America (USA), where I read voluminous books at my leisure time. How can an author write a book containing 100 pages or less and claim to have written a book of fiction when it is not poetry? It is when an author writes a voluminous book that the writer will know that he/she has really worked to his/her optimum to achieve the desired aims and objectives in writing. There was a time that I wrote a book of about 1,000 pages, which I am still writing. I don’t believe in writing a novella; rather, I believe in voluminous books that the reader would read and learn a lot of things from that book.
Despite your busy schedule, when do you find time to write?
A writer is like a politician, because they have time to attend to their immediate needs, and they are always attending one meeting or the other. Likewise, it is the same thing with a writer. If you are interested in something, you must create time to fulfil that goal. I write on weekends or in the middle of the night, or anytime that I have a spare time. I use that opportunity to write. Sometimes, it can take me 10 months or more to write a book. I create time to write in a serene environment.
What made you to write Self-Empowerment Handbook for Students? Is it because some youths are not focused in life?
I wrote that book after I returned from USA in 2003. I wasn’t satisfied with the youths with the way and manner that they handled their educational pursuits. I guess, they don’t understand the importance of education, but the advancement of technology has made them not to read. During my stay in school, we took our education serious, and parents were happy with their children who showed interest with their studies. The book educates students on how they should take their studies serious and become useful to themselves, their parents and the society at large.
As a writer, are you driven by passion to write or your aim of writing is to win awards?
Anything that an individual does, he/she should not put money first rather the interest should be the first priority. For example, a student who is going to school knows that, after graduation, money will come which is the ultimate. I write because of the passion that I love to do; but, if awards come my way, I will appreciate it. I want to my readers to learn from my personal experiences and I don’t solely write for awards.
We also know that Inspiration comes from God, does the environment also have any influence on your writing?
Yes, the environment influences my writings. Most of my works were written when I was in America because initially I didn’t write for Nigerian audience. Rather, I wrote for the audience there, but, now that, am back to the country; my writing is for the Nigerian audience.
There is this general belief that Nigerians don’t read, do you agree to this?
If you travel abroad and you go to a bookstore, you will see many people coming to buy one book or another; but, in Nigeria, it is the other way round. If there is a literary function in developed countries, the patronage will be high; but, in Nigeria, the attendance for a literary event is very poor and discouraging. I urge Nigerians to have more interest in literary events and have the passion for them, which is important and it can develop the country literally.
How can reading culture be improved in the country?
The government should create an enabling environment for people to read. I commend the last administration in their efforts in reviving the reading culture through “Bring Back our Book” campaign. Also, our libraries should be equipped so that people can go there to read. The government and corporate organisations should support indigenous writers by buying books and donating them to libraries for people to read. I noticed in developed countries, their government would buy books from writers and put them in libraries, and it has improved the reading habit. The government should support publishing houses in their quest to promote the reading culture.
As a seasoned writer, what is your advice to up-and-coming writers in Nigeria?
One of the main objectives of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) is to encourage up-and-coming writers and even teen writers. Sometimes, young and up-coming-writers are given the opportunity to read their works and corrections are made where necessary during the monthly of ANA. We should support them, because they are the leaders of tomorrow and that is why we have always encouraged them.
There are opportunities for teen writers to participate in literary competitions and the winner goes home with a prize; it is a way of honouring them and showing support to them. Young writers should read works of older writers, and it will make them improve on their writings. They should make it a habit to read. When they read, they get exposed to a lot of areas that will aid them in their writing.