Interview with the author of Desert Roses

We have gone through a lot books this year, but so far, there's something about Desert Roses that made us want to share more about it.

Desert roses is a novel that tells the story of a certain group of people and follows a series of events that lead to the connection of the lives of two remarkable ladies Simi and Lolade.
Simi’s life was a bed of roses and she thought she had a wonderful life already laid out for her. But after the loss of her parents, friends and fortunes, she felt she had lost everything that had guaranteed her a perfect future. As a result, her spirit was shattered and she was thrown into a life of darkness and insecurity.


It was left to Lolade, a youth corps member who found Simi in one of her darkest hours to give her the strength she needed in order to strive against all odds. Using her own experience as a guide, she was finally able to restore Simi’s confidence and regain the perfect future she once thought she had lost. Thanks to her, Simi was able to thrive like a desert rose, rustic and relentless.
 Visit the link to order your copy!

  
Meet the author
We also had the chance to meet the author, Tolani Olorunfemi, and below is our interview with her:
 

QUESTION:  Tell us everything about yourself.

My name is Tolani Olorunfemi Opeyemi, born on 13th of September 1987, a native of Ondo State in Nigeria. I am the first of three Children of my parents. My dad is a retired school principal and my mom is a school teacher. I had my primary school education at Saint Isabel Private School, Ibadan, Oyo State, and my secondary school education at All Saints' College, Oyo State. I later graduated with a B.Sc Microbiology at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. I also studied film producing and production management at PEFTI Film Institute, Lagos, Nigeria. Right now I live and work as a microbiologist in Lagos Nigeria.
I love watching movies, sight seeing and telling stories, and my passion for story telling is channeled through my music, script writing and writing books.
My experience when writing Desert Roses was a wonderful one because it was my very first book also the characters and the events of the story came together nicely to pass across an interesting, inspirational and motivational message. 

QUESTION: We are happy to have you on our blog. I have gone through your book, Desert Roses, and I must say it’s a good read. Can you tell us more about it and what inspired you to write it?

Desert Roses is not your regular book because it's not just meant to relax you but it is also meant to inspire and motivate you, though the book is a friction but the characters and events of the story come together nicely in such a way that can easily relate with it and imbibe at least one important message.

QUESTION: What inspired you to write it?

I wrote this book shortly after I graduated from the university, what inspired me was the need to relieve myself of the anxiety I was feeling  as a result of searching for a Job at that time. "Desert Roses" was actually my escape and it gave me the encouragement I needed to pull through that difficult time and since it work for me I decided to share it with the rest of the world.


QUESTION: This question is definitely for young writers out there. I know a lot of them complain of not being able to complete their book. So can you tell us how you wrote your book, what methods did you use?

It took me about a month to write this book, before then I already had the complete idea of the story on my mind then I took some hours of my day when I block off all forms of distractions and settle down to transfer the idea into black and white. My writing routine usually involves working first with my pen and paper before transferring a somewhat edited version of my notes on to my laptop. Writing a book is definitely a serious business but it doesn't mean it can't be a pleasurable experience my advice to potential writers is to discover the writing style that is most suitable for them and be really dedicated to see their project through.


QUESTION: Do you have unpublished work? Or a book you are still working on?

I definitely want to publish more books in the future although at the moment am more about promoting Desert Roses, but I  also have a particular story that i am working towards publishing next year.


QUESTION: How would sum up the reading culture in Nigeria now?

In my own opinion the reading culture in Nigeria is quite low and I think some of the factors responsible for this is the fact that many people are not interested in reading generally, the low literacy level and few numbers of libraries in Nigeria just to mention a few.


QUESTION: It was definitely nice having you. To surprise our readers, tell us one weird fact about you. Something about you that is almost unbelievable to anyone that knows you.
 
I do talk with myself a lot, I swear I am not crazy! Its  just that as a creative person that I am, I imagine a lot of scenarios which I have to act out most of the time before developing into a project.

Writers to the rescue in absence of consciousness

 
Guests at the May edition of the Abuja Writer Forum’s Guest Writer Session have advanced that writers the world over have in many instances rescued nations by deploying their art towards evoking thought (consciousness), eliciting responses and protesting bad leadership or governance.

In his presentation, the Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria, Marcelino Cabanas Ansorena, who traced the evolution of literature in Spain as well as its contribution to the social development of the country, noted that writers the world over help motivate social consciousness particularly in certain unfavourable circumstances.

The ambassador, therefore, drew an analogy between the Spanish and the Nigerian literature, saying that the two evoke consciousness towards societal ideals.

“For example, in Spain for instance after Civil War, the writers made the Spanish society conscious of the circumstances in which we were living, especially the misery that we were living and the difference between the well-being of economy of the European countries.

“I think that also Nigerian writers are doing so. They make society conscious of the impact of for instance the situation in the Northeast wreck by the Boko Haram insurgents. I’ve read a lot of books about that and I see that it’s very important,” Mr Ansorena noted.

In her contribution, Habiba Alkali-Nur, the author of ‘The Pantom Army’, told the untold narratives of terror and destruction caused by the insurgency in the North-eastern part of Nigeria.

Mrs Alkali-Nur said she actually started writing as a form of mental therapy to try and get over the fear that was endemic in her and also in the entire atmosphere of the North-eastern part of the country in the early days of the insurgency, 2009.

“It was more like a diary collection at the time so later on it started materialising into a book and so most of the events where written in real time and the events are real life events and everybody who once lived in Maiduguri would attest to that,” she said.

Speaking on why she put her experience into writing, she said: “I needed to capture what happened and freeze it in time. If I now go back and read the book, I myself get surprised at some point because sometimes while some shooting were going on I was on my computer typing. That’s how I wrote the book.

“My sister told me she couldn’t read pass the prologue as soon as she started reading she started crying because she remembered every single thing we went through. I just felt that these stories needed to be told,” she said.

On his part, Foluso Adedoyin Agoi, popularly known as Folu Agoi, who is a creative writer, poet and literary critic, read from his new poetry collection, ‘I Know The Smell of My Lover’s Skin’ in which he romanticised his ideal woman.

Mr Agoi, however, pointed out that he is yet to find such woman with a blemish-less character and immaculate body mass, especially having experienced joys and sadness, conquests and capitulations in the hands of love.

One of his poems read: “I seek a woman
A real woman
Not a walking shadow …
“I seek a woman
A real woman
Not a mere piece of gorgeous flesh …
“I seek a woman
A real woman
Not a pretty bimbo …”

Asked whether he is by nature a romantic human being, Mr Agoi dribbled out of the question, saying that he didn’t like talking about his private life in public. He, however, confessed that his inspiration comes from the environment in which he lives.

Norway to digitise books in Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba

The Norwegian Ambassador to Nigeria, Kjemprud Jens-Petter, said on Wednesday that the National Library of Norway was interested in digitising literature books published in Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.

Jens-Petter told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that the agreement to digitise the literature books would be signed between the National Libraries of Norway and Nigeria, this month.

“We hope that this month, an agreement will be signed between Norway and Nigeria to digitise all written materials in Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba languages.

“And this will be a monumental development in our two countries’ relations.

SEE ALSO: Malaysia raises money from citizens to pay off $251bn national debt

“We have done this in Norway and wish to share our technology with other countries, including Nigeria,’’ he said.

According to him, the National Library access and use the literature of Norway and it is interested in digitising and making available for public use, books published in foreign languages.

Jens-Petter said the Norwegian National Librarian, who was particularly interested in the preservation of Nigerian literature, now also believes in and recognises the brilliance of Nigerian students.

The Ambassador said that the National Library of Norway had been in communication with the National Library of Nigeria in making the literature digitisation in Nigeria a reality.

“The National Library of Nigeria wishes to make its collection of books available in digital format, for easier and wider access by users.

“The high-tech facilities we have in Norway has the capacity to offer such digitisation which will give the Nigerian National Library the opportunity to make its literature easily accessible to the population.

“We can also offer some of the literature to people of Nigerianorigin who have found their way to Norway,’’ he said.

The National Library of Norway was established in 1989. Its principal task is “to preserve the past for the future.’’ The library is located both in Oslo and in Mo i Rana.

The digitisation agreement is the first entered into by two national libraries.

The project is to serve as a model for other countries, and help create a fully-fledged African digital library.

The costs for the project are to be shared; the Nigerian Library of Nigeria is to be responsible for collecting the works, while the National Library of Norway will carry out the digitalisation, with transportation costs to be borne by the Norwegian Embassy in Nigeria.
Norwegian Ambassador to Nigeria, Kjemprud Jens-Petter

The Norwegian Ambassador to Nigeria, Kjemprud Jens-Petter, said on Wednesday that the National Library of Norway was interested in digitising literature books published in Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.

Jens-Petter told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that the agreement to digitise the literature books would be signed between the National Libraries of Norway and Nigeria, this month.

“We hope that this month, an agreement will be signed between Norway and Nigeria to digitise all written materials in Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba languages.

“And this will be a monumental development in our two countries’ relations.

SEE ALSO: Malaysia raises money from citizens to pay off $251bn national debt

“We have done this in Norway and wish to share our technology with other countries, including Nigeria,’’ he said.

According to him, the National Library access and use the literature of Norway and it is interested in digitising and making available for public use, books published in foreign languages.

Jens-Petter said the Norwegian National Librarian, who was particularly interested in the preservation of Nigerian literature, now also believes in and recognises the brilliance of Nigerian students.

The Ambassador said that the National Library of Norway had been in communication with the National Library of Nigeria in making the literature digitisation in Nigeria a reality.

“The National Library of Nigeria wishes to make its collection of books available in digital format, for easier and wider access by users.

“The high-tech facilities we have in Norway has the capacity to offer such digitisation which will give the Nigerian National Library the opportunity to make its literature easily accessible to the population.

“We can also offer some of the literature to people of Nigerianorigin who have found their way to Norway,’’ he said.

The National Library of Norway was established in 1989. Its principal task is “to preserve the past for the future.’’ The library is located both in Oslo and in Mo i Rana.

The digitisation agreement is the first entered into by two national libraries.

The project is to serve as a model for other countries, and help create a fully-fledged African digital library.

The costs for the project are to be shared; the Nigerian Library of Nigeria is to be responsible for collecting the works, while the National Library of Norway will carry out the digitalisation, with transportation costs to be borne by the Norwegian Embassy in Nigeria.