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Nigeria: My Mother's Ordeal At Work Forced Me to = Write -=20 Orakpo
Ebele Orakpo
1 March 2009
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interview
Nnamdi Orakpo could be described as a bundle of = talent.=20 He is a footballer, basketballer, author, educator and a poet all rolled = into=20 one. He is witty and a delight to chat with. This 26-year-old Obosi, = Anambra=20 State-born artist, comes across as a young man with wisdom beyond his = years.=20 Able to criss-cross the world of the young and the old, little wonder = then his=20 poems appeal to both worlds. In this interview with Sunday Arts, Nnamdi = Orakpo=20 spoke on a number of issues. Enjoy.
YOU'VE been described as a world renown poet, author and = educator=20 with an untamed talent for wordplay coupled with a strong message, and = your=20 works described as eclectic, experimental, psychedelic, creative and = witty. Now=20 tell us, who is really Nnamdi Orakpo?
Well, I am a single parent with a three-year-old daughter named = Olivia Winzer=20 Orakpo. I am also a Ph.D candidate in applied gerontology at the = University of=20 North Texas, and I plan on proceeding on to medical school next year. My = first=20 love is soccer but I later fell in love with basketball, and played = overseas in=20 Australia.
It seems you are an all round artiste, how did it all=20 begin?
It began in 2001 when my mother was facing racial and ethnic = discrimination=20 at her job. She was fired for hanging up pictures of black American = achievers=20 during black history month i.e. Malcom X, Martin Luther King, Rosa = Parks, etc. I=20 began writing monologues to express how I felt. I met some guys on = campus who=20 were reciting some poetry/monologues similar to what I have written. = They would=20 do this everyday outside under the tree on the bench in between = classes.
I began to listen but I never participated...until the next semester. = These=20 guys said they were poets and I wanted to do what they did. So I began = reciting=20 and writing mine in a poetic fashion. I was already in love with hip hop = and;=20 the militant type like Dead Prez and the conscious types like Mos Def, = Talib=20 Kweli are what inspired me to be lyrical with my art.
My life changed after that. I was never the same. Then a girl asked = me to=20 read a poem in her event that was to be held the very next day. I wrote = the poem=20 six hours before the event and performed it for a crowd of 500 that same = evening. It was crazy...it was on live television KTTV ...and so I = became=20 confident and the people received me...so I continued.
Tell us a little about your book, VerbOsphere.
Well since I had been writing, I had been collecting my work and = saving it on=20 disk. I collected 70 poems from 2001 to 2005. I lost all of them because = the=20 computer I gave my mum blew up and I misplaced the disk while in = transit, moving=20 to Washington DC in 2005. Luckily, I memorized half of them. So in 2007, = I=20 decided to make it an official collection.
And in two days, I wrote the VerbOsphere...a collection of about 32 = poems=20 that I could salvage from memory...it was published by RonJon Publishing = and it=20 is now in various university libraries and bookstores across the nation=20 (California, Texas, New York City, Washington DC).
What inspires you, I mean, how do you get your=20 inspiration
Everyday people and their living conditions inspire me. People who = don't have=20 a voice but who continue to persevere through many obstacles inspire = me...the=20 underserved, disenfranchised, and the underprivileged... my African = history, and=20 love..
You are a doctoral candidate in applied gerontology, is there = a=20 connection between the arts and the field of gerontology?
Well, I'm not sure. Maybe not. But I really respect my elders and = part of=20 that is respecting my history..which is one of my inspirations. I like = to keep=20 the spirit of my ancestors alive and give history a pulse.
Can you tell us about your poem, Black Man Redefined and what = led to=20 the writing of that poem..
This poem is heavy. I thought that black man worldwide had a negative = name=20 that was not deserved. I know of many black men who do well and work = hard to=20 sustain themselves and their families; my father and grandfather being = part of=20 them. And myself. I wanted to remind the world of the achievements of = black men=20 despite the hell we have overcome.
I wanted to remind the world about things like every appliance in = their home,=20 stoplights, the electric car, steam engine, automatic gearshift in cars, = building of pyramids with bare hands, first open heart surgery by = Imhotep in=20 Egypt, and all other accomplishments black men have achieved but = remained humble=20 about. Things that this world today cannot function without.
Who are your audience?
The globe..all ages. The language I use is universal and not = vulgar.
Do you have those who influence you and which group of people = do you=20 influence most?
Artists older than me, influence me. i.e. Saul Williams and Taalam = Acey as=20 well as the Last Poets (Abiodun Oyewole) and many hip hop artists.
What story are you trying to tell with your = works?
A story of desperation,. crying for help. a reminder from the = ancestors to=20 the youth. A love story. A spiritual journey that becomes intuitive but = still=20 difficult.
Is your poem, Indivisible Duality dedicated to = anyone?
Not dedicated, but inspired by one of my old girlfriends in 2003.
Does your living in the diaspora affect the way you think and = your=20 poetic composition?
Yes definitely, most of what I started out writing centered around = that but I=20 have diversified my topics
What does poetry really mean to you?
Poetry to me is an oasis. It's also a realm where few exist. A level = of=20 being. Poetry is becoming your work...to me
Have you introduced your works to Nigeria?
Relevant Links
I have, to the Nigerians here in the States and my work is = categorized on=20 iTunes as world music: West Africa. However, organisations such as = Against=20 Illiteracy and Poverty in Africa (AIPA) have invited me to perform in=20 Nigeria...very soon.
Coming from a science background, how does your training in = the=20 sciences influence your poems?
It helps a lot. It helps me be precise and detailed in my description = and for=20 me, science brings more practical elements to art. I use it a lot. = Especially my=20 Poem called Boomerangs in Veins, a poem about my friend who died from = Sickle=20 Cell disease.
Read=20 comments. Write=20 your own.
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