Joke Jacobs is a multiple award winning journalist, poet, playwright and biographer. Based in Ibadan, Oyo State, she has some of her books in the school programme of Oyo State. In this interview with Edozie Udeze she talks about the issues that inspire her writing and how far it has taken her within Nigeria and beyond
What triggers your muse?
When I am moved by what I see or hear in my environment. Whenever I feel touched, I will put pen to paper. I always feel like sharing my thoughts with others. My environment easily inspires me to write, for instance, I may be moved by the chirping of birds, the barking of dogs, the soft rustling of leaves, the flying colorful butterfly, the beautiful peacock, the beautiful vegetation, the glittering stars in the sky and several other works of nature. I am an emotional person and a good observer of nature. I always marvel at the wonderful creation of God. The way God created the world. In essence these are sources of inspiration. It made the art of writing poetry blossomed in me like a beautiful petal. Some of my poems can buttress this fact. Poems like “What a wonderful world! Who Can Tell? I love the Day and others which I wrote and are published in my books. Selected Poems on Morals and Nation-Building I and II reflect on how God has created the world in a marvelous way. Apart from the inspiration that i receive from nature, the antecedents in the country and the world at large inspire me to write. My observation of happenings in the society inspire me. Writing is a weapon to correct vices and commend good deeds. Notable writers like Wole Soyinka, NiyiOshundare, Wale Okediran, ChimamandaNgoziAdichie, John Pepper Clark, Gabriel Okara, Zulu Sofola and several others fight corruption, bad governance and other social vices through writing. Also when I listen to good music I feel inspired to write.
When you read a book what are the ingredients you look out for?
I am an avid reader, I read books of different genres. It could be fiction, non-fiction or poetry. I read non-literary books such as motivational books, biographies and others. In a book, I will look out for the contents and the reason why the book is written, I will check if the author is well known or not. I always feel excited when I see a new book, the urge to read the book will develop in me instantly. Books add value to human life, it entertains and educates. You can’t be a leader if you are not a reader of books, in one of my poems, I wrote, it is entitled “Read a Book Today” the poem is to create awareness to boost the reading culture today. Reading culture is dying, some youths don’t read, they prefer to spend ample time on the internet. Reading sharpens one’s life, you are influenced by what you read. Readers like Barrack Obama former America President, former President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, former PresidentOlusegunObasanjo and others are authors. In a book, I check the cover design, the lay-out page and photographs, I check for how well published the book is. I admire well written and published books. I love expository books, books that the expose ills of the society.I love simple poems with simple diction. A good poem has to communicate to the reader. We learn lessons of life through poetry. I appreciate a book that is error free in non-fiction, I look out for the type of story that is written, I love books that are based on true life stories be it romance or adventure. I love books that are thrilling. I cherish good plot and characterization.
Of all the genres of literature in which do you express yourself most?
I write poetry, short stories and plays but the genre which I express myself most is poetry. In poetry, I am able to capture the essence of life. Nature makes me to write poetry. In fact life generally is a source of my inspiration. Through poetry, I am able to express myself.I am easily inspired when it comes to poetry. To show my undying love for poetry at early age, I featured in Nigeria Television Authority, Ibadan in a programme, Melting Pot, a programme where artistes show case their talents. I recited poems during the holiday period. Late Mrs. BisiLasile, a broadcaster and television producer anchored the programme, I entered for an international poetry competition in Bulgaria in 1979. The title of the poem is “Animal in Distress”. This competition fetched me an Encouragement Award.
Of all the books you have read which character struck you most?
The character that struck me most is Oliver Twist written by Charles Dickens. Oliver Twist was born and lived in England slum during the 1800s where many people lived in building called work houses. His mother died shortly after he was born. Oliver Twist fate lies in the hands of Mr. Bumble, the beadle, he was taken to work at nine years where he would pull open ropes apart for twelve hours. Oliver was chosen by the boys in the workhouse to demand for more oat meal. He had been in the workhouse for three months. He went through a lot in a bid to survive.
At what point did you realize you would be a writer?
I realised I would be a writer when I wrote my first poem at the age of 13 when an incident occurred in my secondary school, St. Mary Grammar School, Osun State and I felt betrayed by a good friend of mine. It really pained me. The incident inspired me to write. I wrote my first poem “The Unfaithful friend” on the school’s notice board which is in front of the office of the school principal. Her name is Mrs. Margaret Akinfenwa. The poem attracted a lot of readers who were mostly fellow students. They reacted positively to it. This gingered me to write more poems and I developed the art of writing short stories, drama and essays. Before I developed the art of writing poetry in the secondary school, I can remember that my mother, a primary school teacher at St. Bridgid’s Convent School, Ibadan where I was a pupil cherished poetry and her love for reading poetry and reading short stories to me was deep. My love for reading developed because of the literary background that I had. The poem “All things Bright and Beautiful. All creatures Great and Small, All Things Bright and Wonderful, The Lord God made them all” is usually a source of inspiration to me. Apart from poems which I wrote regularly on the school board, I wrote short sayings and quotes on daily basis which my fellow students read. My parents bought regularly for me fiction and non-fiction books, magazines and newspapers. I contributed to the school magazine by writing short stories and drama which were published in the school magazine. I wrote plays for other students to act on the literary and debating days which was usually every Tuesday. I had a good Literature-In-English, Mr. John Adeniyi who inspired me by going through my scripts, edited them, and offered useful advice regularly. He encouraged me a lot. I can remember with nostalgia the way he told my late father when he visited me in school when I was in form three. He told my father that he was proud of me. He predicted that I am going to be a writer in future. In school, we were thoroughly exposed to books especially, the pace-setter series. Book prizes were given to best readers, those who excelled in essay writing, quiz competition and drama were given books as prizes.
What book inspired you to be a writer?
The books that inspired me to be a writer are: The Trials of Brother Jero by Wole Soyinka, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Oliver Twist by George Orwell, As You Like It by Shakespeare, and The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare and Mine Boy by CamaraLaye
Who are your favourite authors either in Nigeria or elsewhere?
My favourite Nigerian poets are Wole Soyinka, NiyiOsundare, Gabriel Okara, TundeAdeniran, J.P Clark, G.L Okara and Christopher Okigbo. I enjoy reading the work of non-Nigerian poets like BiragoDiop, Michael Dei-Anang, Dennis Osadebay, Gladys May-Casely-Hayford and Susan Lwanga. In the dramatic genre, I love Wole Soyinka, he wrote Trials of Brother Jero which I found quite interesting.In the prose fiction. I admire the writing of Chinua Achebe, he wrote Things Fall Apart, I love the works of TundeAdeniran His novels, The Flag-Bearer and the Shadow in Old Buried Cities are quite thrilling.His non-fiction books are “The Politics of Wole Soyinka and My Mission to Germany.
Female writer, ChimamandaNgoziAdichie is a wonderful person. Her book, The Purple Hibiscus is good. She is a female writer after my heart. While Mabel Segun’s My Father’s Daughter, a book I read in my secondary school days is quite interesting. I also admire AreoyeAyebola the author of Black Man’s Dilemma. For my favourite authors abroad, I love Charles Dickens, the author of Oliver Twist, I also admire Mario Puzo, the author of The Transfer. Pam Pollack who wrote Who Was Mandela? Another favourite author I wish to meet is Barrack Obama, the former American President who is the author of “The Audacity of Hope”
If you meet any of your favourite authors, what will be your first question?
If I meet any of my favourite authors, I will commend the efforts made to write a book. It is quite interesting to be an author, it makes one fulfilled. I will try to find out the secret of the success of writing a book. It is not usually easy to put pen into paper. Writing involves a lot of things, you have to be able to study the society, you have to work late into the night or sometimes spend the whole night writing. Different authors will surely have varied experience, we have different approaches to life. The response I receiver from the author will be compared with my own experience. I know I will gain from whatever interaction we have. I have met authors like TundeAdeniran, NiyiOsundare, Mabel Segun and Wale Okediran. We interacted and I gained a lot of experience from them.
When and where do you like to read or write?
I write mostly at night or early in the morning. When I am in the right frame of mind, I write during the day. I enjoy writing in a quiet atmosphere. It enable me to think deeply because there will be no distraction. Apart from this, I can write in a moving vehicle especially poetry whenever the inspiration comes. It will be suitable for me. If I am travelling from Ibadan to Abuja in a vehicle or from Ibadan to other towns or cities, I can be inspired to write and even if I’m returning from a journey. I enjoy the early morning breeze, I enjoy staring at people moving up and down, the country side, swampy areas, rocks, mountains, vegetation, garden and others in fact nature and the society move me to write.
I love reading in a quiet atmosphere in my library, bedroom, office or garden. I can read in a moving vehicle.
What book are you reading now, and what lessons?
I am reading Americanah by ChimamandaNgoziAdichie.Americanah is a heart-rending love story that cross continents. The book, Americanah dares to bring a world of a confident and self-made woman making her way in these complicated times. The book is about teenagers in Lagos, Ifemelu and Obinze who fell in love. The self-assured Ifemelu departs for America when Nigeria fell under military dictatorship, there she suffers defeat and triumphs, she found and lost relationships all the while feeling the weight of something she never thought of back home. Obinze had hoped to join her but due to a crisis he could not gain entry into America and he plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London.
As fate would have it, Obinze became wealthy several years after while Ifemelu became a successful blogger both lovers were separated. The lesson learnt is that Ifemelu should not have departed for America because Obinze was trapped in London. Hence they could not locate each other. Obinze married Kosi and they had a child together. Despite his marriage, he was still in love with Ifemelu to the detriment of his marriage.
What book do you want read now and why?
I intend reading Purple Hibiscus written by the same author, ChimamandaNgoziAdichie. It was shortlisted for the 2004 Orange Prize Fiction. The reason why I want to read Purple Hibiscus is that it captures the traumatic moments of a wealthy Nigerian family as it gradually breaks up.
How has writing improved your life?
Writing is fulfilling to me, it has opened doors for me, it has improved my life totally. If one is talented and able to put in more efforts with enough resources, the sky is the limit. It may not be a money spinner but it is quite rewarding.
I am always happy to see my books accepted and read by people. Good people like the former governor of Ogun State, OtunbaGbenga Daniel gave me a lot of encouragement especially when I was writing the book ‘The Socio-Economic Transformation in Ogun State, OtunbaGbenga Daniel’s impact. He is a great lover of books. Through his great support I was able to research, write and ptublish the book during his tenure as the governor of Ogun State. The 951-page book is a thorough assessment of the achievements of the visionary leadership offered by Otunba Daniel. The book is to put into permanent record for posterity his outstanding achievements in Ogun State. I am very grateful to Otunba Daniel for the great opportunity that he offered me. His words of advice and other forms of assistance really helped my career as a writer. The book, Oyo State, Pace setter in a New Democratic Dawn highlight the functions, achievements, constraints and prospects of the three organs of government, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary during the tenure of Alhaji Lam Adesina. The book was published in 2001 while the formal presentation took place on March 28, 2002, at Premier Hotel, Ibadan in the same year, my books, Selected Poems on Morals and Nation-Building I&II and Nigeria Today, Students Handbook on Current Affairs, General Knowledge and Moral values I&II were formally presented at the Cultural Centre, in Ibadan. Recommending the books for use in schools encourage me to write more books. Presently I am working on the fourth edition of Nigeria Today, Students, Hand book on Current Affairs, General Knowledge and Moral Values, a collection of poems, a fiction and the biography of the Olowu of Owu, Oba AdegboyegaOlusanyaDosunmu. I am grateful to Professor TundeAdeniran, a former Minister of Education, Professor DibuOjerinde, the former Registrar of Joint Admission Matriculation Board who is a literary enthusiast, Dr. GboladeOsinowo and Oba AdegboyegaOlusanyaDosunmu former village Headmaster Producer, these lovely people have one way or the other encouraged me in the field of writing. They gave me great support.
How do you arrange your library?
I arranged my literary works, prose fiction plays, non-fiction together. Other books like autobiographies and biographies are arranged separately. General books are also arranged separately.
Are you a re-reader and how often?
I can read a book several times as long as it is interesting. I find reading fulfilling. I cannot do without reading a book.
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