Enyimba, Aba, Warri, Ibadan, they've come from all over the place.
They are doctors, geologists, structural engineers, lawyers, consultants, university undergraduates, and freelance journalists, and they all want to write. Even if Binyavanga and Chimamanda hadn't impressed me, I'd have gained so much just by being in the class. I didn't know so many people wanted to be writers too, or that there were people who would take a series of buses for 2 days all the way from Maiduguri just to meet and learn from established authors.
To be perfectly honest, if the workshop wasn't in Lagos and the email had said to come to Abuja, I would've decided I wasn't going, even though I would've been able to afford a flight there and wouldn't have had to get on one of those Ifesinachi or whatever they're called vehicles just to get there. And if like some of the others who live in Lagos, I didn't have a car, and an okada or danfo was the only way to get to the venue in Ikoyi, I'm not sure I would wade through horrid mud-clogged potholes and the unending, torrential rain we've been having in Lagos, just to sit in a circle in a damp room, talking for hours about my craft.
Does this mean I don't want to be a writer?
No.
But that I am a spoilt brat?
Yes.
The glossy film reel is fading. I am seeing more clearly now.
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11 comments:
Hey! lucky you! wish i could attend! have fun!
Ah, self realisation from the life of others...Nigeria's good for that.
I guess there are many things we want in common with other people. Sometimes the difference in those that succeed and those that don't, lie in who wants it more and how far they are willing to go to succeed. Many other times it's as simple as who you know...
Hey, thanks for the heads-up on Simi Bedfords new offering. I'll be sure to look it up.
I hope u had fun sha...
yay for a nice dose of reality! i miss Lagos. i actually thought yesterday, "i want to be in Lagos right now"...i rarely have those explicit "homesick" (i wouldn't say i get home sick, i just want to be at home, not in a pining oh-why-me sorta way, just a wouldn't-it-be-nice feeling). aaanyho, how goes it so far? does it meet daily or weekly? it'll be nice for you to meet some random everyday pp nigerians no? carpe diem.
this shuda been an email by the way but i stumbled on here first. and do trust, i have ordered Not With Silver, i just hope i'll have time to read it before i start work.
toodles!
http://www.folakeanddeji.com/
U seem to be enjoying ur hols,U in nigeria till ur training contract starts?
Sounds like you had fun
How did your meeting with the great writers go? I find that being in the same room with like-minded people inspires me because we all share a love for writing. Do tell us more about how the event went.
I guess i can still get second-hand class from you..
Did u get to talk with them like one on one??? was there a crowd??
I shld be in Lag Thursday... what u think?
Sounds like an amazing workshop! D'you know if they're doing another one soon?
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