3, 2, 1 INTERVIEWS: CONGRATULATIONS CHIKA!

She’s brilliant! She’s pretty! She’s down to earth, she signs her emails ‘Egbe belụ Ugo belụ …’, she’s a mom (four times over), She’s a poet, an author (writes in English and Dutch), and her works have been broadcast on BBC World Service, Radio Nigeria, and other Commonwealth Radio Stations. She’s Chika Unigwe, winner of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Prize for literature and my guest on the 3, 2, 1 Interview series!

I love her locks! Love, love, love em!

D Fairy GodSister: Play back Friday the 2nd of November for me, what were you up to one hour before you heard you had won?

Chika Unigwe: I was online (or on the phone, I forget which) with my friend, Elnathan John who was sending someone to the Press conference. He wished me luck. Then I left for Mass

D Fairy GodSister: Ok, were you concentrating at Mass? Or were you sneaking peeks at your phone?

Chika Unigwe: I was very nervous and having something to take my mind off it was very good. I left earlier than normal. I left my phone at home. I didn’t want to be tempted to check calls so I switched it off and left it at home. I tried very hard to concentrate. I told myself, whatever happens. I’ll still write. I wanted to win, but did not expect to.

D Fairy GodSister: Good call!

Chika Unigwe: We lost a number of family members on my husband’s part this year, so All Saints Mass this year was significant for us.

D Fairy GodSister: I’m sorry about that. *hugs*

Chika Unigwe: Thanks. they lived good lives, and in 3 cases, we got to say goodbye; you can’t ask for more than that. Two were in a fit enough state for us to thank for what they meant to us while they lived. The children got to say thanks.

D Fairy GodSister: My condolences again. Ok, you said you told yourself you’d still write regardless of how it went. On the flip side, did you fantasize about what you’d do with the money?

Chika Unigwe: No. My mind would not go there. I just thought, ‘it’d be really nice to win this!’ but I never thought as far as what I’d do with the money. It still hasn’t sunk in yet.

D Fairy GodSister: Ha ha ha…. Have I said congratulations? Maybe that’ll help!

Chika Unigwe: Haha. Thanks!

D Fairy GodSister: $100, 000… Might not be in the bank already but if you don’t mind, three things you’ll do with it?

Chika Unigwe: I’d like to give back to Nigeria. I don’t know how yet. My secondary school, FGGC Abuja, has a library in need of books, my car is breaking down and needs replacement, and number 3: my children have a long wish list

D Fairy GodSister: Ha ha ha!!! Bless them! How did they take the news that Mommy had won?

Chika Unigwe: They are very happy. My youngest is 6, so I don’t know how much of it he understands, but he’s been telling people, ‘My mama won a prize for writing a book. The best book.’

D Fairy GodSister: That’s all that matters, his mama wrote the best book! Let’s go back in time a bit, how/when did you start writing?

Chika Unigwe: I have always loved scribbling. I self published a collection of poetry in my 2nd year. For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to be a writer. Luckily, my parents supported that dream. They filled our home with books, subscribed us to literary magazines in the US and and Nigeria; and when I asked at 13 during a holiday to the village for a typewriter to type out my poems and stories, my father went and borrowed one for me for the duration of that long vacation.

D Fairy GodSister: Thank God for our parents right? So, what inspires you? And how do you deal with writers block?

Chika Unigwe :Everything inspires me. Conversations with people, overheard conversations in public, stories in the news, life. Writers Block? I don’t know that I deal with them effectively. I just stare at my computer….

D Fairy GodSister: Lola.…… Was expecting some magic formula!

Chika Unigwe: I wish I had some. LOL. I sometimes also go to Facebook and read peoples’ updates…

D Fairy GodSister: We’re winding down now….. Have you always had your hair locked?

Chika Unigwe: No. I started when I became pregnant with my youngest. I realized I would not have as much time to get my hair braided. I loved long, tiny braids, but with a new baby on the way, I knew it would be difficult to make out time for that. I wanted something easy to maintain.

D Fairy GodSister:They look lovely!

Chika Unigwe: thanks

D Fairy GodSister : If you had three wishes you were sure would come true, what would they be?

Chika Unigwe: world peace, my favourite uncle to be alive again, and equality of everyone: equal access to the world’s riches and resources.

D Fairy GodSister: Tell us about running for elective office; what was that experience like?

Chika Unigwe: Exhausting: meetings, campaigns, distributing flyers door to door, talking to people. Exhausting mostly

D Fairy GodSister: Would you do it again?

Chika Unigwe: Did it 3 times already, so chances are high that I’d do it again

D Fairy GodSister: Ok. Final question: what’s the biggest word of advice you’ve run with you’d like to leave with other writers?

Chika Unigwe: do not take criticism of your work as criticism of your person.

Thank you Chika for talking to me!! Now, how did you say we’re sharing that money again?

Related articles

• ‘On Black Sisters Street’ Wins NLNG prize (1pageweekly.wordpress.com)
• Chika Unigwe talks to ElNathan (1pageweekly.wordpress.com)

Related articles

• Featured Writter: NLNG Prize for literature for 2012 Winner, Chika Unigwe (ivorymodels.wordpress.com)
• Stanley Azuakola: the NLNG Prize Can Be So Much Bigger and Better (farafinabooks.wordpress.com)

SPIRIT OF THE JAGUAR

Happy new month! It’s February, the month of love and all over the world, the focus has moved from our Herculean and sometimes plain unrealistic resolutions to Valentine’s Day, and all the activity (or drama) it brings. What are your plans?

I love the caption!

Before I veer off point, on the 1st of February 2010 I was in Abuja, working for the BBC World Service trust and I remember attending a praise service at Winners’ Chapel Durunmi before rushing to catch my flight en route Bayelsa State on assignment.

This year, I’m in Birmingham studying Social Media, and no I didn’t attend a praise service this morning. Matter of fact, it would have been a regular, uneventful Tuesday except that I bought return tickets to Warrington Quay (pronounced ‘key’ – I found out today).

So why did I buy the tickets? A colleague of mine graciously offered to ‘show me England’ so this is the first of many days in different cities. The destination for today however, is Chester Zoo, and then a little tour of the city. Forgive me in advance, there are loads of pictures in this one!

I was up  at 6am, ready to leave at 6.45am, and I must thank my newest friend, Tomi, for insisting I wear the white sweater, it looked lovely sha! I caught the 7.20am train and soon after I settles in with my mocha and bagel (thank you McDonald’s), I noticed two kids making out a couple seats away from me. I say kids because even with the makeup, both kids didn’t look a day over 15, and I wondered where their parent’s were and where they were going so early in the morning. Then I wondered (as I always do) what the motivation for the public display of affection was. I’m not talking hugs or pecks on the cheeks, it was more like fondling, a very active Saliva Exchange Program, and more! At that time of the morning? At their ages? And the gentleman in the seat in front of me who kept farting didn’t help my state of mind!

God being merciful, I got into Warrington safely (phew), met up with Andy, and we drove to Chester; beautiful sights, lovely conversation, Lagbaja in the background, bright sunny day, what else could I ask for? 

Fast forward to the magnificent elephants at the zoo. Last time I was in a zoo it was June 2010, the Limbe Wildlife Conservatory in Cameroon. That’s (in my words), an orphanage where animals rescued from poachers, extreme conditions, and ailing parents are nursed/raised. It’s a really beautiful place, you can see pictures from my visit here: Limbe Wildlife Center. For all of that, they didn’t have elephants!

They are so huddled together Andy thinks they could pass for a boy band! I'm thinking JLS.....

Do you know how to tell if an elephant is preggers?  From their poop! Their keepers take several samples of their poop and can tell from the amount of hormones in it if the elephant is horny, pregnant or about to give birth! Just from their poop! That’s jut amazing!

This one was eating twigs, that's not even a proper meal!

From there we went into the butterfly world and believe me I’ve never seen so many butterflies at the same time! They all looked gorgeous, but for some silly reason, I couldn’t get any of them to perch on my hand!
Next we saw the ‘lazy giraffes’, they are so tall! I know you must be thinking, “duh, they’re giraffes” but you know what? That’s how I felt so whateverrrrr! Also, I can bet one of them was fluttering their eyelids at me!

Moving on, I felt the spirit of the jaguar! I was awed watching the jaguar move around in its recreated home. I was just awed……that’s all I’ll say about that… 

Lazy Jaguar!

At the Realm of the Apes (the biggest orangutan enclosure in Europe), I saw a baby! Of course I meant an ape; from the time I brought out my phone to take a picture of it, it wouldn’t stop looking at me! And don’t even say what you’re thinking!

Outside the Realm of the Apes!

Baby kept looking at me!

We saw a couple  snakes too, and a big funny type of lizard that was shedding its skin and then we were off to see the penguins.

Happy Feet anyone?

Flamingos are just beautiful, and looking at all the animals I just think God is amazing. Walahi He is!

A ha! How could I forget? So we saw a tiger tearing at flesh (it was lunch time), and while we were trying to get a good shot of it some school girls amble to where we were and were talking, giggling, and (in my opinion) trying to get the tigers attention (Olorun maje)!

Good afternoon your highness?

I ignored them till one of them said

School Girl 1: what’s the tiger eating?

School Girl 2: it is eating meat

School Girl 1: oh really?

And I turned around, looked at her, and thought, “no darling, it’s eating cheerios”! With all the bone cracking sounds?

Anyways, so we moved on and saw some ostriches but I’m sure the ones at Abuja’s Wonderland Amusement Park are bigger, cleaner, and more healthy looking. I was so disappointed in the one I saw I didn’t take a picture!

We saw Red Pandas too, show offs! They are really cute though, and I love the varying degrees of brown they wear as skin.

Little cute things......

The parrots were gorgeous too, so much color!

Absolutely gorgeous!

Still on birds, I HATE bats! #thatisall

We saw cheetahs too, that picture reminded me of the parts of Lion King with Mufasa and then Simba on Pride Rock. Nice…..

*now singing, it's the circle of life*

There’s not much to say about the lions because they didn’t do anything other than mope, the male was falling in and out of sleep, and the female was just staring.

Sleeping at 1pm? Shame for me

So much for being lions; whatever happened to a little activity?

Not very clear but you should get the idea!

The animal above is called a tapir. They are special in the sense that urine is as important to them as poop is to elephants. Using the Jacobson’s organ in their mouths, they can tell from urine whether their females are ready to mate. They also use their urine as a tracking tool in the forests to tell if their mates have passed a particular area. Funny but their urine is also used as a defense mechanism. When a tapir is scared (or angry), it will pee, and the urine travels for metres. And even though their urine isn’t poisonous, it stinks to high heavens!

By the way, I learnt something today. Chester is an old Roman town, as evidenced by it’s name.

Feeding a statue a snickers bar in the Roman gardens in the zoo!

One way to tell which towns/cities in the UK were built by the Romans is they end in either chester, cester, or caster. Examples would be Lancaster, Manchester, Leicester, get the drift? Thank me later!

Ok, so that’s it from the spirit of the jaguar, also known as the Chester Zoological Gardens! We’re off, next stop? Chester City, and Jabula!

P:S – all the pictures from the Zoo are here: The Zoo and more….some of the animals were not striking enough for this chronicle!