Guess whose birthday it is? Mine of course! Words cannot quantify my feeling darlings. I'm listening to music as I type this blogpost. I'm exciteeeeed! Well, here goes. Days ago, I made a post on my WhatsApp status asking people to leave me questions I'd compile and answer. I got a lot of questions but I had to tailor it to a few. I hope this is fun!
Q: Why's your name Ugo if you're not Igbo?
LOL. I get this a lot! I'm Ude Ugo Anna. I'm from Bazhowure in Abi, Cross River State. My hometown shares boundaries with Afikpo in Ebonyi State, hence the inflection. There's a difference in spelling and meaning though.
Q: Are you in a relationship?
No, I'm not. But I'm 18 now, so it's safe to say I'm single.
Q: Random things about you.
I'm claustrophobic and 5'7 feet tall.
Q: How does poetry work for you?
Poetry for me is therapy. Not just something you do to get the feelings out, I write words and leave them for days or weeks before I finally complete them (depending on how the words come). Unlike every other thing in life that must be fixed, poetry comes to me as it wishes. I let it be. It's lovely. Meanwhile, I love @button poetry and @atticuspoetry! Their Instagram pages are inspiring.
Q: Favorite author(s)?
Ngugi Wa Thiongo, any day! My grandpa's copy of his Weep Not Child has a place in front of my shelf. I can't count how many times I've read it. I love Chigozie Obioma too! His Orchestra of Minorities took me to a new realm, literally. His The Fishermen was my favorite book for the first quarter of this year.
Q: Food faves? Eba and Afang soup. Rice. Plantain porridge that Bayelsans call kekefia. Savoury snacks and salty crackers.
Q: Apart from reading and writing, of course, what else do you do?
I look after my younger sister. I sketch, yes I can. Mostly still-life and landscapes. I weave baskets, vases and DIY. I have a knack for singing loudly and dancing too.
Q: Weirdest thing about you?
I find it hard to chew boiled corn but I munch roasted corn with gusto.
Q: Ever been paranoid?
Yes, I have. A guy once gave me a lift. I glanced at his vehicle registration plate, typed and sent the numbers and my location to a friend. I told her to phone the Police if she did not hear from me in an hour. I'm alive. LOL. It was totally unnecessary but I couldn't help it.
Q: Unpopular opinion?
I think people who have read only works by Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Wole Soyinka have no business genaralizing what they think African literature is and should be. There's Christopher Okigbo, Chigozie Obioma, Ngugui Wa Thiongo, Amma Darko, Mariama Ba, Buchi Emecheta, even Romeo Oriogun who does poetry and a million other people.
Q: Career plans?
Yass! I want to lecture African Literature! It's a big dream.
Q: Long-term or short-term goals?
Short-term goals. For someone who loves to get informed about things days before, it's an irony that I can be really spontaneous. I don't plan things long-term. I may switch up and get uninterested. Short-term goals, thank you.
Q: Why dreadlocks?
Rastafarian vibes init? Haha. I love my hair messy. I reckoned from a young age that dreadlocks were just for me.
Q: Favorite photographer?
I guess this came because I do photography and put up pictures. I love @thekashope and @khannahblackphotography but @omoregie100 does it for me anyday and everyday. Omoregie's works hit raw nerves and are beautiful in their own right. I won't lie, I stalk his wall sometimes.
Favourite musician?
Haha. Hard one! I love Burnaboy but I have Fireboy's discography. I can sing along to almost all of his songs and hum those I don't know. My favorite Fireboy song would be 'Vibration'.
Art?
Art, yes! Potraits with flesh tones draw me. Mosaics too. Mixed media can make me spend money. A blend of colours, oil paint applied with knife that gives you this rough feel when you touch. Newspapers glued to canvas, bottle caps, broken bottles. Just throw it in. Paintings are lovely! I really want to learn colour gradation. The thing artists do where they move from one shade of colour to another? Yes, that one.
What's your take on politics in Nigeria and apathy?
My dad deserves applause for induldging me anytime I have questions about Nigerian politics. I've never been one to be ignorant of happenings. I do my best to have my eyes on at least one trending issues, it comes in handy once in a while. Plus, I spoke to a sweetheart who once said the life of every Nigerian is a protest. By waking up you're protesting. Everyone is a politician because it affects us.
Gotten any birthday gifts yet?
Yes, I have! A website to get books! An excerpt from a book that centres on the beauty of ageing and the loveliest; a book to read by 12 a.m!
What book character(s) do you see in yourself? Aha. There's an inside joke here. Ben Okri's Azaro would be it. A friend of mine describes people of the world as wanderers. He calls me a spirit-child so...yeah, Azaro in Ben Okri's Famished Road.
What book character would you want to wake up as, for a day? Haha! Has to be Cash Daddy in Nwaubani Adaobi's I Do Not Come to You by Chance. I love that character! His wealth and influence! I could feel his movement and speech from the pages of the book!
What book character struck you deeply? Ness. Ness in Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing. The stories that christened her. Her inability to smile because she grew up seeing her mom hold her lip in a thin line all the time. Ness shakes you. I like her.
What book do you wish had a sequel or twist? This would most definitely be Tendai Huchu's The Hairdresser of Harare. Dumi was gay and had to go but what next? Cliffhangers make books sensational, at least that's how I see it, but this? No. I wanted a sequel from Dumi's POV.
What's the sweetest thing you've ever been told? Since weird is my forte, the sweetest thing I've been told may come off as weird. A friend of mine once told me my hair had personality. Mind you, my hair was in knots but not locked yet so I looked really wild. Haha. She said I pushed my personality to my hair since my body could not handle it. I still blush when I think of that.
What changed for you this year? This year, for the first time ever, I have my journal full of what God has to say. The words were clear but a phrase stuck- "like fire in your bones." I'm a believer in the finished and ongoing work of Christ. If there was ever a time to understand my calling and push it with meekness, it's now. Plus, I've been invested on, I can't waste the teachings. I hope I do not come back to read this and realize that I got nowhere.
There! I hope you enjoyed reading this. I couldn't answer every question so I picked randomly. Thank you for sending in your questions. Do leave me a birthday blessing. I'll try to reply as soon as I can. Be safe!
With love,
Ude Ugo Anna.
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