He is A YOUNG BRILLIANT AUTHOR, SMART ENTERPRENUER, CREATIVE ARTISTE AND A POWERFUL MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER. He has the audacity of a great speaker. His dream for African youth is as transfusible as blood and has the wizkid for impowering African youth for the next ten centuries. In this interview, DAVID OKORIE reviews his personality and other attributes of his success as a writer.
XCLUSIF STORY: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE DAVID OKORIE?
MY PERSONALITY IS QUITE A COMPLEX ONE, BECAUSE I AM MANY THINGS IN ONE PERSON. I AM A BRILLIANT AUTHOR, SMART ENTERPRENUER, CREATIVE ARTISTE AND A POWERFUL MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER. I AM A MAN WITH THE FREE SPIRIT OF A CHILD. AND OFTEN A COIN OF TWO EXCITING SIDES. SOMETIMES I AM A LOUD EXTROVERT WHO IS FUN TO BE WITH, AND OTHER TIME A SILENT INTROVERT WHO IS CONDUSIVE TO STAY WITH.
XCLUSIF STORY: FROM YOUR PROFILE, YOU ARE MULTI-TALENTED, AND HAVE A FORCE IN LITERARY WORKS, SO WHEN AND HOW DID YOU DEVELOP YOUR WRITING SKILL?
IT WAS A TWIST OF ILL CIRCUMSTANCE THAT KNITTED THE DIVINE TAPESTRY OF MY EVOLVING DESTINY. DURING MY BUSINESS APPRENTICESHIP, I WAS SO UNFORTUNATE TO BE TREATED LESS IMPORTANT THAN OTHER COLLEAGUES. WE DEAL ON SECOND HAND CLOTHING. SO UNLIKE OTHER FORTUNATE GUYS WHO WERE AT THE CORE CENTRE OF THE BUSINESS; I LANDED IN A REMOTE AREA WHERE MOST POTENTIAL CLIENTS WOULDN’T DARE COME. IT WAS ACTUALLY A PARKING STORE. THIS PARKING STORE WAS A SORT OF WAREHOUSE WHERE GOODS TERMED: “SLEEPING ITEMS” ARE PARKED. THESE SLEEPING ITEMS ARE SEASONAL GOODS LIKE ANORAK, JACKET…ETC THAT WOULD BE SOLD ONLY WHEN THE CLIMATE IS AROUND 22 CELCIUS DEGREES OR INTENSIVE COLD TIME. BUT TO SEE HOW UNFORTUNATE I WAS, WHEN ITS SEASON COMES, THE GOODS WOULD BE TAKEN FROM ME AND TRANSFERRED TO THOSE FORTUNATE GUYS. I WAS JUST THE OTHER GUY SLEEPING WITH SLEEPING ITEMS, WHEN THEY HAD ZERO DEMAND. BUT INSTEAD OF CELEBRATING MY PAINS, LOOKING FOR SYMPATHIZERS, I DECIDED TO DEDICATE MY TIME TO SOMETHING MORE SKILLFUL THAN COMPLIANTS. I STARTED WRITING…I WOULD JUST WRITE ANYTHING. I WOULD IMAGINE THINGS AND PULL THEM FROM MY IMAGINATION AND FREEZE THEM ON THE PAGES OF PAPER. THE MORE I WRITE, THE BETTER I GET, AND THAT ALTERED MY MOST MISERABLE CIRCUMSTANCE, AND PLACED ME AMONG KINGS.
XCLUSIF STORY: HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE YOU WRITTEN?
I STARTED WRITING BOOKS IN 2010/2011. I HAVE SEVERAL BOOKS IN PRINTS AND AUDIO BOOKS TOO. TODAY I HAVE LESS THAN HALF A DOZEN BOOKS.
XCLUSIF STORY: WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND YOUR FIRST BOOK: I NEVER KNEW I WAS RICH?
AS AN INSPIRATIONAL FINE PIECE SO STIRRING AS THE BOOK, THE BITTER TRUTH IS THAT THE BOOK WAS INSPIRED BY FRUSTRATION. IT IS A BIT SHOCKY, BUT A TRUE FACT. YOU SEE, TOWARDS THE END OF MY APPRENTICESHIP, I WAS SUPPOSED TO GET SOME MONEY AS SETTLEMENT FOR A LONG PERIOD OF FIVE ARID YEARS OF SERVING MY BOSS; INSTEAD OF GETTING THE MONEY THAT WOULD SET MY AMBITION ON FULL COURSE, I WAS ASKED TO LEAVE… WHY?...THAT I AM REASPONSIBLE FOR SOME MISSING BALES OF SECOND HAND CLOTHING..THAT I SHOULD GO. IT WAS QUITE DRAMATIC, AND FUNNY, BUT IT TOOK ME YEARS TO GET OVER THESUSPENSE, TENSION, AND SOCIAL STIGMA THAT THAT FEW SECONDS CREATTED IN MY LIFE. I JUST LOST MY DAD; I WAS HOMELESS, FRUSTRATED, BROKE, AND HURTING. I WAS JUST ROAMING THE STREETS OF COTONOU AN AIMLESS WANDERER, CREATIVELY BEGGING FOR ALMS. BUT FOR EVERY FRUSTRATING MOMENT, THERE IS ALWAYS A SPARK OF AN INSIGHT. OFTEN THE TRAGEDY IS THAT WE ARE SO BITTER WITHIN THAT WEIGNORE TO FAN THAT SPARK INTO A FLAME OF INSPIRATION. IF YOU CAN CREATIVELY THINK UNDER PRESSURE AND HEAR THAT TINY VOICE WITHIN YOU IN THE MIDST OF YOUR NIGHTMARES, YOU CAN ALTER THE MOST MISERABLE MOMENT S OF YOUR LIFE. I NEVER KNEW I WAS RICH WAS THE PIECES OF MY FRUSTRATIONS, PASSIONATELY WOVEN TOGETHER TO CREATE AN AMAZING INSPIRATION.
AND TODAY, IT PAID OFF. NOTHING IS MORE FULFILLING THAN THOSE MOMENT WHEN A FRIENDLY STRANGER WALKS UP TO ME AND SAY: DAVE, YOUR BOOK IS A GREAT ADDITION TO MY LIFE…GOD BLESS YOU MORE, FOR BLESSING ME. THERE IS NO SWEETER SENSATION THAN THIS SENSE OF FULFILMENT.
XCLUSIF STORY: WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES YOU HAVE FACED IN YOUR LITERAL WORKS?
QUITE A FEW. AND IT IS NOT SO MUCH ABOUT CREATING THESE LITERARY WORKS, OR EVEN PIRACY OR EXPERIENCING THE WRITER’S BLOCK, I.E A TIME WHEN YOU CAN’T MAKE SENSE, WHEN YOU CAN’T THINK STRAIGHT. WHEN IT SEEMS THAT SOME KIND OF STUFF ARE BLOCKING YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS, AND YOU CAN’T WRITE. MY GREATEST CHALLENGE IS CREATING AN EFFICIENT DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM SO THAT MY WORKS CAN SPREAD THEIR WINGS AND FLY EVERY WHERE AROUND THE WORLD.
AND BASICALLY AS AN AFRICAN, I KNOW WE DON’T HAVE READING GENERATION. OUR BRAINS ARE WIRED FOR ENTERTAIMENT THAN EMPOWERMENT. AND MY MISSION IS TO CREATE A MORE COMPELLING BOOKS THAT WILL IGNITE THE LOST FLAME OF READING CULTURE IN AFRICA.
XCLUSIF STORY: AS THE SAYING GOES: “BEHIND EVERY SUCCESSFUL MAN, THERE IS A VIRTOUS LADY…TELL US ABOUT HER?
THERE IS NO WOMAN IN MY LIFE YET, NOT EVEN A GIRL FRIEND. BUT I HAVE LOTS OF FEMALE FRIENDS. THIS IS NOT LIKE SAYING MY LIFE IS CHEESED OFF OF FUN AND REAL LIVING. I ONLY BELIEVE THAT UNLIKE PRODUCTS, I AM NOT GOING TO TEST-RUN MY WIFE-TO -BE.THERE IS THIS TROUBLING CONVICTION THAT WHEN I SEE HER, I WILL KNOW SHE IS THE ONE AND I WILL GO FOR HER.. . IT IS JUST LIKE TELLING BASIC COLOURS. BUT MY MUM HAS BEEN A VERY POWERFUL FORCE BEHIND MY STRINGS OF SUCCESS. HER PRAYERS ARE THE FIRE BEHIND MY ROCKET SPEED.
JUST NORMAL. WHETHER IT IS AUTOGRAGHING, OR COUNSELLING, OR CHATTING, I SET BASELINE FOR EVERYTHING. AND WHAT IS LIFE WITOUT BALANCE AND BOUNDARIES.
XCLUSIF STORY: IF YOU ARE GIVEN 2 MINUTES TO SPEAK TO AFRICAN YOUTHS, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR ADVICE?
RISE UP AFRICANS, THE NEXT IMAGINE MARKET IS AFRICA.WE HOLD THE SECRET GLUE OF THE BALANCE OF NATURE IS IN AFRICA. THIS LAND IS GREEN. AND IF WE MUST HAVE A PLACE IN THE FUTURE, WE MUST BEAR THE CRUCIAL PAINS OF THE DREAMS WE CARRY WITHIN. DO NOT ABORT THAT DREAM…IT IS POSSIBLE
2 Comments
THERE YOU ARE!
ReplyDeleteWhere does David Okorie live?
ReplyDelete