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ABOUT ME
I am a Nigerian male in my mid-thirties. I was born and raised in the south-eastern city of Enugu. I am a graduate of Visual Arts from the University of Port Harcourt , majoring in sculpture; I am also a painter. I had practised as a painter and sculptor for more than ten years before setting that aside for a while to pursue my other childhood passion - writing. I have great drive and ambition for my writing and hope to become one of the greatest storytellers, ever. I love sports, music, drama, and I am addicted to the computer.
I am one of the grandsons of the late Sir Henry I.C. Ikebuaku, Nigeria's first metallurgical engineer and one of the technical arrowheads of the Biafran struggle for independence about forty years ago. I also had educated great-grand parents who were Christians, and my great-grand father had worked closely with early European businessmen in our part of the Niger area, notably the JOHN HOLT Company. This was why my grandfather, his first son, had become the first twin to survive in his home clan, Obosi, after a terrible struggle - which nearly cost lives - to keep him and his twin sister alive, against the wishes of the majority who wanted them cast away, as was the practice at that time. It is from this premise that my story was born.
I am a voracious reader and have always loved books, especially books that tell stories. I have been fascinated by the sheer imagination and creativity with which writers imbue their works since I was a mere boy - much the same way paintings and sculptures fascinated me. And I have been stirred and inspired by many of these books, a rich example being the strength Judith Krantz's MISTRAL'S DAUGHTER had given to my resolve to study Visual Arts in the university.
More than anything else, writing is for me, a means of unburdening my spirit, expressing my values, beliefs and concerns for the future - a relief-inducing exercise. VENGEANCE OF THE GODS - my first attempt at prose - epitomizes all these and it is a story through which I have expressed my affinity with my roots. Its inspiration had come to me as far back as 1996 and had been nurtured in my mind till October of 2004, when I finally began to write it. And when I did, the harvest of riches had not come in showers - it poured... giving me over 882 pages of hand-written material on foolscap paper.
I am currently working on my second novel, which I have tentatively titled, THE CASUALTIES. It is a story that was inspired in part by J.P. Clark's poem of the same title - a poetic referral to the unfortunate tragedy that was the Nigerian Civil War.
MY DRIVE AND AIMS
I hope to become one of the greatest story-tellers, at least of my era, and use whatever that comes from this to aid in the betterment of my people - the African people. I am all too aware of the disadvantaged position of our people in the global scheme of things and feel a great urgency to contribute my quota to bring about a change to that situation, after all, charity they say, begins at home. Besides that, I am of the conviction that unless Africa grows and develops, it will be difficult for her people to be fully accorded the kind of respect they deserve among the peoples of the world, irrespective of their individual achievements. That is to say that the betterment of the whole is more important than that of a few, so concerted efforts should be made to develop and grow the whole. Until that happens, Africans and people of African origins will continue to be treated by many - even if subtly - as if they should be grateful for the opportunities they get to excel outside of the African continent, never mind about the extra effort many of them have to make to succeed.
MY INSPIRATION
Apart from the characters of the Bible, I have also been inspired by some of the Greek philosophers and some of the outstanding characters of the twentieth century. One of the most outstanding of these twentieth century characters in my view was the Honorable Robert Nesta Marley, the great Jamaican reggae icon. Though I do not share his religious faith - he being a rastafarian and me a Christian - his apparent deep concerns for mankind, especially black people, and the poor and oppressed peoples of the world, echoes my own deep-seated sentiments. Beyond the great and evergreen music, the poetic, evocative lyrics of his songs and the words of his interviews aptly expressed these concerns. In my view, no one has done more to stir the consciousness of people around the world to freedom and no one has done more to give our people a sense of pride and self-belief than Bob Marley. His committed value for, and pursuit of spiritual concerns instead of the material, is to me, what being Godly is really about. His self-belief, focus and dogged determination to succeed despite his extremely disadvantaged beginnings motivates me, no matter the odds.
- OBINNA O.J. ANAGWU (joshobi71@yahoo.co.uk)
........... Click HERE to see the synopsis of Vengeance of the gods ................. ..... Click HERE to see excerpts from Vengeance of the gods
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© Copyright OBINNA O.J. ANAGWU, October 2005
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