This year, 2015 ends in a few days. Officially. Religiously. Some of us, feel downcast, demoralised and some, satisfied. Some, really achieved a lot of things. Me, I achieved everything I thought of, to achieve. They all came to fruition. However, I realised that to achieve anything, you don’t have to talk about it. YOU DO! Just start. Don’t think about the consequences. Everything has a result: negative and positive. Just set out on something. Fail or succeed. There are things to learn from everything.
Last week, during Afropolitan Vibes, 2 time Grammy award winner, Olalekan Babalola was in tears backstage when he narrated a story about Wole Soyinka to me and told me how the Nobel Laureate spoke about me to him. And said to him, ‘Connect with Onyeka. Keep in touch with him.’
I have shared this picture of me and Professor Rafique Ullah Khan (of the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh) when I was 18. People don’t believe it is me. That is me. I transformed completely; that was taken in 2006 at the International Writers’ Festival in India. I left Nigeria when I was 18, but the story I want to share is about how I continued to fail to succeed and how Soyinka is my Favourite Person of 2015.
Cliche? Oh well, first time I met Soyinka was when I was 16. I already shared this story with you people. You can read it here if you have time.
In September, while attending the Cusco International Book Fair in Peru, where my book, Quemado (Spanish for Burnt) was launched, I got sick and was diagnosed of Lumbago. Few days later, I was in India, after which I was confined to a wheel chair each time I had to travel through the airports and then, a walking aid.
I had started filming The House of Nwapa documentary. Some people wanted me to back out and wait until I got better. I laughed. What if I never got better? What if the people I wanted to interview start dying? What if? I asked myself these questions and I started travelling from one part of Nigeria to another. From Lagos to Owerri to Oguta, to Aba, down to Port Harcourt and then to Abeokuta to interview Soyinka who had called me.
In Abeokuta, Soyinka showed me grace and kindness. He hosted me in his house and laughed with me and answered all my questions.
I don’t let my dreams linger too long. I go after them.
Next month, I will be 28. But I feel I have lived for a long time, because I have almost gotten to that point where I have stopped dreaming, but letting things happen on their own.
Do me a favour. Share with me your Favourite Person of 2015. How did this person become one?
Onyeka Nwelue is an Assistant Professor of African Literature and Studies at the University of Manipur, Imphal and Visiting Lecturer of African Studies at the University of Hong Kong. He is currently on the Jury of the Woodpecker International Film Festival in India and his latest book is Hip-Hop is Only for Children.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
– See more at: https://www.thetrentonline.com/onyeka-nwelue-what-do-you-want-to-be-remembered-for-the-trent-voices/#sthash.I25pMXfi.dpuf
