Tales from lands far and near

TALES FROM LANDS FAR AND NEAR

By Akintayo Abodunrin On Jun 2, 2019

WITH the soon-to-be publicly presented ‘Tales of a Troubadour’, Wale Okediran has indicated that his interest in creative nonfiction is still strong. The former National President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) recently wrote the biographies of ex-governors Rochas Okorocha and Abiola Ajimobi of Imo and Oyo States entitled ‘Rochas Revealed’ and ‘Abiola Ajimobi: Legacy of a Transformer’, respectively.

Appearing to have slaked his thirst for biographies, another form of creative nonfiction, the former member of the House of Representatives has now shifted focus to travel writing. In ‘Tales of a Troubadour’, a collection of 28 travelogues set for presentation on Thursday, June 6, in Ibadan, Oyo State, the writer shares exciting stories of lands near and distant.

He captures cultures, lives, individuals and events vividly in the beautiful collection of stories, the first of which was published over 22 years ago with the last.

It is doubtful if Okediran knew years ago when he started documenting his travels around the globe and publishing them in Nigerian newspapers that he would one day put them in a sizable collection of 286 pages. But now that he has done it, we must commend him for adding to the negligible number of published travel books in the country.

In the book published by Lantern Books, the author captures snippets of life in Nigeria, Africa, Europe and the United States. From the first stories in the collection, ‘In the Heartland of the Ibibios’ to ‘Train to Moscow,’ the lover of travel happily immerses himself in life wherever he is and then documents it for his reader.

Though there are 28 stories in the collection, some locations such as Kaduna, Esa-Oke, Kano, Liberia, Ogidi and the US are repeatedly visited and written about by the author, who expectedly has a different focus on each visit. Such stories include ‘Encounter with Shagari’ where the writer documents a memorable visit to the Sokoto farm/home of second republic president, late Alhaji Shehu Shagari and ‘Savouring the Colour and Taste of Sokoto’ when he returns just to feel the city.

There’s also ‘Liberia: Beyond the Ebola Scourge’ and ‘Our Men in Monrovia’. The first was about a 2007 visit to the country when it was recovering from civil war and the public anger with the late Patrick Sawyer, who brought the dreaded Ebola virus to Nigeria. The second is about Nigeria’s contributions to rebuilding the country, including the lives of several soldiers, lost as well as the about 250,000 unclaimed children fathered by Nigerians.

Okediran’s trips to the US are well captured in ‘My USA Book Reading Tour’, ‘A Weekend in California’ and ‘An Evening with the Achebes’. During his reading tour, the author experienced the shock of having his luggage broken into by officials of Homeland Security and made sure he chronicled the incident that occurred more than once.

Reading through the first story, ‘In the Heartland of the Ibibios’, one would be amazed by the transformations that have occurred in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State and places like Ikot Ekpene, Eket compared to when Okediran visited in the 1990s. A diligent chronicler of people and events, the author touches on Ibibio food, marriage and agriculture in the piece. And unlike then that he had to go by bus to Calabar to catch a flight back to Lagos after his two-week stay, Uyo now boasts of its own modern airport.

In ‘Tales of a Troubadour’, we also get to know about the author’s penchant for going to other places apart from his Abuja and Ibadan bases for ‘retreats’ with a choice book. He offers insights into what he does on such trips in ‘A Weekend with Winston Churchill’ and ‘Savouring the Colour and Taste of Sokoto’. In the foreword titled ‘Ebedi Son travels all over the world’, drama teacher, Professor Mabel Evwierhoma, describes what Okediran does on such trips as “meta-analytical focus on other books, crossing different aspects of life.”

The author does not forget to include his two memorable visits to Aso Rock while President Goodluck Jonathan was in power and his first time at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State in the collection that closes with a train trip from Saint Petersburg to Moscow, the Russian capital during the 2018 World Cup.

Though he may not have realised it, writing about his travels around Nigeria is an indirect way of promoting domestic tourism, especially in this period when the country is riven with mutual distrust. Nigeria is beautiful, but many of us won’t really appreciate the country’s beauty and diversity if we refuse to visit other parts. Apart from the health benefits, travel is also suitable for education, and there’s no doubt the author’s knowledge has been richly improved by his trips around Nigeria and the world.

On Thursday when eminent Nigerians converge on Ibadan for the public presentation of the book, they will no doubt commend Okediran for a job well done.

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