I
have known Seun Odukoya since about 2012. I met him online (and I still only
know him online, even now) on the literary forum, NaijaStories.com. I could not
help but notice him because, first, he was one of the top ranking writers on
the scoreboard, and second, he was one of the best I knew. My interest in his
literary works grew even further after I read his first book For Days and a Night. It was one book I enjoyed
reading so much. But Seun had another way to draw my interest (and I’m sure he
also got the interest of many others-especially women) further: I never saw a
picture of him. I remember spending so much time wondering what he looks like-
that awkward moment when you’re reading Shakespeare and you’re wondering if he
is really human or ghostly, and if he is black, green, red, or white. Anyways,
I was able to catch him on Facebook (thank God for social media), albeit I
still didn’t see a picture of him. The following interview was conducted via
email, as I try to get a bit more personal with him. There is one thing I can
say for sure: Seun Odukoya is one man who likes to say so much by saying so
little. You want to know how? Here is our interview.
FAMOUS
ISAACS: Who is Seun Odukoya?
SEUN:
Seun Odukoya is one guy like that I
happen to know. He is a Nigerian who lives in Nigeria; he is the author of For
Days and a Night, co-creator/writer of Songs About AIDS, writer of
“Learning Curves” TV movie, and author of the recently published novel, Saving
Dapo.
FAMOUS
ISAACS: What inspired you to become a writer?
SEUN:
What inspired me? I don’t know –
whatever it is that is responsible for this, I wouldn’t call it ‘inspiration’.
FAMOUS
ISAACS: How and when did it start?
SEUN:
Ah – it depends. As clichéd as this
might sound, I have been writing since forever. But I started writing seriously
in 2005.
FAMOUS
ISAACS: Would you say you chose the art, or it chose you?
SEUN:
Tie goat for rope. Tie rope for goat-
tell me: what’s the difference?
FAMOUS
ISAACS: Is it a job to you, or a hobby?
SEUN:
It’s more than a job to me – it’s
more than a hobby; even though you can find both those guys in there. It’s how
I pay the bills, so it’s a job; I enjoy doing it, so it’s a hobby, but it’s
more than that to me now. It is my life.
FAMOUS
ISAACS: How often do you write?
SEUN:
I write as often as is possible. I
write something everyday – or at least I try to.
FAMOUS
ISAACS: Are there other things you do apart from writing?
SEUN:
Plenty. Plenty. I sleep, eat, drink,
talk, laugh, cry, walk, fly, snore, scratch my armpits, yawn… Wanna know more?
FAMOUS
ISAACS: (Laughs) No, this would do. What inspires you to write? How does
the muse come?
SEUN:
It’s a habit – and I think that’s
what it has to become for anyone who wants to make anything of it. Far as I’m
concerned – a writer waiting for inspiration before writing is like a farmer
waiting for rain before planting – both of them are on a long thing.
FAMOUS
ISAACS: Did you grow up rich and privileged? Tell us a bit about your
childhood.
SEUN:
Did I grow up ‘rich and privileged’?
Well,
I’d say ‘rich and privileged’ is relative. I enjoyed my childhood – even though
it was rough and unhappy – like almost everyone else’ was, I had a lot of fun.
There were tons and tons of books to read. There was music. There were movies.
There was life. Romance. People fell in love and made fantastic memories. Men
were hardened romantics – back then, you did almost anything to get a girl.
Memories.
Yes,
I enjoyed my childhood. And yes; I grew up ‘rich’ & ‘privileged’.
Only
– those terms are really relative – as I’m sure you know.
FAMOUS
ISAACS: What do you love about writing as an art?
SEUN:
It’s the power of words and how
subjective they are that thrills me. I feel like words are basically vacuums,
the power of a story lies in the ability of the writer to fill his or her words
in such a way that the reader laughs or cries - as the writer desires.
Words
are powerful. With words, worlds are created- and destroyed.
FAMOUS
ISAACS: Your book, For Days and a Night, was an exciting read for many
Africans when it was published, and I personally have it on my list of
favourite reads of 2013. What inspired it?
SEUN:
I honestly cannot answer that
question with a straight face. But it mostly came out of a place of darkness-
depression. I had lost my mum in August 2012, and for a while I couldn’t write.
But then I had to go back to work.
So
me and a couple of friends were discussing at the close of work one day – and
we were wondering what the next thing for us was. And someone said, “Seun,
write a book.”
And
something within me agreed – and like a newly burst water corporation pipe, the
words kept coming. I wrote fifty stories in two weeks.
FAMOUS
ISAACS: That was nice. I’m sure glad you did write the book. But I’m sorry
about the loss of your mother. What are you currently working on? Tell us about
it, and tell us when it hopes to be published.
SEUN:
I just released Saving Dapo –
I can barely sit still in excitement. I’m supposed to go on a long vacation but
I have two other manuscripts to turn in. So I’m still working.
But
I have something coming out in February/March; depends on some things – I can
say. 2015 is a loaded year. Great stuff coming, Lord willing.
FAMOUS
ISAACS: How has writing benefited you? Have you won any awards yet?
SEUN:
Like I said somewhere up there,
writing is how I pay the bills – and I am grateful for the privilege of
getting paid doing what I love to do.
I
did win an award a couple of years ago – The Chistell International Short Story
award. I think it was in 2011.
Let
me share something crazy with you: I got the award; plus a cheque for a hundred
dollars. Guess what I did with the cheque.
I
FRAMED IT AND HUNG IT ON MY WALL.
Crazy-
no!
FAMOUS
ISAACS: Also tell us please, who are your mentors? What do you love about them?
SEUN:
I don’t have ‘mentors’, so to speak.
But I do have people I look up to and admire, people whose work ethics and life
I respect.
As
far as writing goes, I’m a fan of Stephen King, Cyprian Ekwensi, James Hadley
Chase, Louis Lamour. Those are largely my writing influences.
FAMOUS
ISAACS: As an African, tell us, how has Africa influenced your writing?
SEUN:
Well, that’s the thing. What exactly
do you mean by ‘Africa’? Correct me, but it seems as though every time someone
mentions ‘African writer/writing’ the first thing that comes to mind is
poverty, illiteracy, prostitution – a story cast in a largely-negative
environment. It seems as though that’s what the world out there expects to read
from here; and when you write something else, they say it’s ‘unrealistic’.
I
never actually lived in a mud hut, so I cannot write about that. I did sleep in
a hut once – on a trip to some village somewhere in the country’s mountainous
regions but that’s about it. I have issues with people who cater to a perception
the world out there has come to expect of Africa and related things.
I
live in modern day Nigeria; I have a Facebook account, I have Twitter, I know
how to Skype, email, Whatsapp – and these are the realities that confront my
characters EVERY DAY. I use an Android phone – as I am sure almost every
Nigerian on Facebook/Twitter does. I write about these things – so does that
make my writing ‘un-African’?
FAMOUS
ISAACS: It sure doesn’t, but that’s how the modern Africa in which you grew up
has influenced your writing, and it’s a good one. Do you ever think about what
people are going to think of you, your work, and you in relation to your work?
SEUN:
Of course I do. After all, whatever I
create is meant to be consumed by other people – so as much as I can, I have to
take them into consideration. I think about it – but I don’t allow it stop me.
I create – then I worry about the audience.
FAMOUS
ISAACS: Seun Odukoya is also a blogger, hun?
SEUN:
Yes, I blog about EVERYTHING. Short
stories, opinions, poetry, books and movies review, music reviews – EVERYTHING.
I
don’t gossip sha o – but it’s not that there’s something ‘wrong’ with
it.
FAMOUS
ISAACS: At what time of the day do you write?
SEUN:
When it’s writing time.
FAMOUS
ISAACS: What is your favourite and worst experience so far…as a writer?
SEUN:
As it is with every other part of
life; it has its ups and downs but it’s still a wholesome experience. You
cannot take one without the other. Sure, there are and will continue to be
moments that stand out – but I am grateful for it all.
FAMOUS
ISAACS: Exactly why do you write?
SEUN:
Because I can.
FAMOUS
ISAACS: Let’s get your take on this one question I always love to ask every
writer I know: Are writers born, or are they made?
SEUN:
That’s like the chicken or the egg
question. I think good writers are born; great writers are made. And what I
mean by that is – talent is the cheapest commodity of success in my opinion.
What sets a great talent apart from everyone else is focus. Determination.
Discipline. Hard work. And no one is born with those qualities. We
learn/acquire them.
But
in my opinion – the best writers are those who have the talent AND train the
muscle.
FAMOUS
ISAACS: Where can people go to stalk you and your works?
SEUN:
Stalk me ke? Hehehehe! Okay. I’m on
Twitter - @seunodukoya. Just mention me and I got you. The blog is there too –
http://seunodukoya.wordpress.com.
FAMOUS
ISAACS: What are three most important things in your life?
SEUN:
Ah. I cannot honestly answer that
question because the moment I saw ‘important things’ plenty stuff jumped into
my head and started crowding for expression. But let me just say; the Christian
faith as exemplified by Jesus; the memory of my mother; and art (I use the term
collectively).
I
honestly do appreciate the time Seun Odukoya invested in this interview.
Personally, I am still hungry. But this hunger can wait until I have finished
reading my copy of his novel, Saving
Dapo, and then I’ll be back to dig deeper. But, obviously, Seun Odukoya is
one writer to look out for. Like he has said, 2015 is a loaded year. Let us
wait and watch to see what delivers from his cooking pot this year. For now,
you can visit his blog to read his poems and short stories, one of which is
“How I Missed It”, recently featured on this blog HERE. Seun Odukoya’s For
Days and a Night is available for FREE download on his blog. His novel, Saving
Dapo, is available at www.konga.com too for your reading pleasure- only this
time it’s not free- but neither is it beyond the might of your wallet. But you
can also get your copies at the following bookstores:
Glendora
Bookstores at Ikeja City Mall, Lagos
Patabah
Bookstores at Shoprite Surulere, Lagos
Terrakulture
at 1376 Victoria Island, Lagos
Thank
you for visiting TAWKA DiARiES.
This interview was conducted by Famous Isaacs.
Copyright ©2016 by TAWKA DiARiES, All Rights Reserved
