Daily Independent (Lagos)
13 October 2008
interview
Before you change your base to live in America, you may need to read the 'Rage of Love.' Most Africans abroad have broken homes because they don't understand Americans, who naturally and culturally do not believe in marathon relationship.
In this exclusive interview with the author of 'Rage of Love' and editor-in-chief of the Ivory Magazine, Olalekan Alabi Adewusi, married to an African-American woman but later separated, told our Correspondent, Yemi Adebisi, his 20 years experience in Los Angeles, hints on how to survive love casualty abroad, government's role in promoting reading culture among others.
Excerpt:
Is Rage of Love your first book?
It is basically not my first book but my first novel. My first book was entitled Self Empowerment Handbook for Students and the second one is entitled, The Catechism of Self-Empowerment. The purpose of writing the two books was to empower people, to give them the opportunity to develop their innermost potentials and to enable them to progress in life.
The Rage of Love is a novel. What is the message you intend to pass to the world with the book?
Basically the Rage of Love is a book crafted when I was in the United States of America, specifically, when I was living in Los Angeles, California. I stayed there for 20 years. I believed that it would be necessary for people to know what is happening about relationship in America. That was the reason I wrote the book.
What precisely is the message in the book?
It is to educate people, most especially our youngsters, who are interested in traveling abroad to further their studies. When you get there, it is a different ball game, especially, when you get into a relationship. It is different from what is happening in our Africa countries.
The major character in the book is a native African immigrant in the U.S.A, who was involved in an African-American woman to be able to stabilise his stay in the America. In U.S.A, you cannot just do whatever you like or continue to live there without having any status. What I mean is that you have to get Green Card or Naturalise or whatever. That way, you can be able to secure a job, work, and travel outside the country and come back. So, the reason is for people to learn more about what is happening there because you have to live in America to be able to understand Americans. Most importantly, when our people get there, they always get involved and they don't know how to handle the situation because they always have it at the back of their minds that they are still in their native African country, whereas the reverse is the case. These people are more advanced and the way they play their romantic game is completely different from what we are doing in our African countries. That is why I decide to enlighten people so that they know how to handle the relationship if by chance they are involved or to advise any of their brothers and sisters living in the United States.
Experience, they say, is the best teacher. During your stay abroad, were you a casualty of love? Was that what spurred you into writing the book based on your practical experience?
I was married to an African-American, though we later separated with no children involved. But, notwithstanding, that is not the reason I wrote the book. The storyline in the novel does not have any bearing with my former wife over there. It is being a writer and a journalist. The book was written out of my own creativity. My wife was telling me, 'Alabi, you are living in United States; there is every tendency for you to go back to your country never to come back again. I want you to write a book at least to be able to educate your brothers and sisters in Africa.' The book is a contemporary fiction.
What is deficient in the love life of the Americans?
In America, the deficiency, basically, is that they don't believe in long time relationship. That is why you see that most of these black Americans don't have fathers because of one thing or the other. They didn't go to America out of their own volition. They were there because of this slave trafficking from Africa. They are short-changed in all departments including their relationships. As a result, it makes them not to believe in relationship. You can imagine, during the slavery days when they have to put the man aside; the wife will be in California and the husband will be in North Carolina or Southern Carolina. It really affected their relationship tremendously and up till today, it is unlike in Nigeria whereby before you get involved in a relationship, you would have to go here and there. You give this and that to the parents. If there were anything in the relationship before it gets to the level of hitting the rock, somebody would come to mend the way so that the relationship will still be intact. It doesn't happen like this in America. There is nobody to talk to. You are the one who is going to be your mentor and counselor. In most cases, they go to foreign person, who is a white man or woman. How do you expect a white man or woman to counsel a black family? It is very difficult. That is why their relationship doesn't last long. In most cases, the children involved always suffer. That is why I say let me write something. When you read the book, you will definitely understand more of what I'm saying.
You entered this book for the 'Nigeria Price For Literature,' but it was not shortlisted. What informed you in the first instance that the book was qualified for such competition that attracts $50,000?
$50,000 is quite a lot of money in Nigeria, but over there it is nothing, anyway. The reason why I entered for the competition was because I believe my story is exclusive and people will begin to learn more about America lifestyle. I didn't know that the NLNG, the sponsor of this award want indigenous stories. I figured out that my book will win but I think I've learnt my lesson. I know what they want. Probably, next time when I enter, who knows? My father used to tell me that 'it is only a dead horse which cannot run.'
How would you assess the committee of this award with the shortlist of the two books, Unbriddled and Yellow Yellow? Were they not biased?
No. The committee was not biased at all. I read the two books that were finally shortlisted for the award. They don't have any bearing with mine. In my own case, it is like they say they want a typical Nigerian musician to compete for an award and then they say Ebenezer Obey, Sunny Ade, late Ayinla Omowura and Yususf Olatunji Baba Legba are all there. And then I am writing about hip-hop with a Nigeria fashion. It is like putting the wrong peg in the wrong hole entirely. So, I am not disappointed at all. At least I have learnt and I am able to know what they want. There is no problem about that.
Who is your publisher and what informed your choice?
It is CSS bookshop. Why I didn't give it to all these publishing houses with no name was because it is a voluminous book and I didn't want a situation whereby there would be lot of mistakes like pages missing and all that. Though it was very expensive but anyway I really enjoyed being there.
Do you think writing a book in the current Nigeria economic dispensation worth it to make it in life?
Well, literature per se, is an art. An art comes out of personal interest. Once you are involved in something, you don't look at the monetary gain only, you look at the interest. I did not write a book because I wanted to amass wealth. I write it because I am interested in it. I am a journalist and editor-in-chief of a magazine. I can make money there but I still figure out that with my experience of living in U.S.A. for several years, I need to bring back home something that people can share. In America, once you write a book, definitely you make money but, here, the economic situation is so rough. It's like they don't appreciate writers. It is the right time for government to do something about writers. There are too many potential writers that need to be encouraged.
What precisely do you want the government to do for the writers?
They should sponsor literary workshops. I attended one in Eket, Akwa Ibom State. They should sponsor promotions. When a book is coming out they need to sponsor it so that people can know. Not only that, it also encourages reading culture. Nigerians don't read and I am not really happy about it. Over there, people read. Whatever you write, people are there to read it. Nigerians should patronise Nigerian writers too. It is when you have the interest that you can patronise people. If you write and people don't buy your book, you will be frustrated. We need to change that mentality. The writers are not happy. Book is part of tourism. Let's encourage the writers. Government needs to do lots of exhibitions to sponsor some of our writers abroad. We need to have exchanged programme, whereby our brothers and sisters living in other African countries need to meet, maybe, annually or bi-annually. For example, Fidelity Bank introduced a literary workshop in honour of Chimamanda Adichie, author of Half of a Yellow Sun. Our government needs to emulate this stand. It is very important. They don't have to leave everything to individuals in Nigeria. The corporate bodies too need to help. In America, once a movie comes out, they talk to the writer who goes to the Hollywood. It is out of that book that they will be able to make their movie. That kind of thing is not happening in Nigeria. Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA)and Nollywood need to have close relationship. They will be able to marry themselves intellectually and expose their ideas, identity and philosophy. An author is a professional. An actor or actress is also a professional. The two of them need to come together and do something tangible to move this beautiful Nigerian country forward.
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