When and why did you begin writing?
Hmm . . . This is funny because I studied Mechanical Engineering as an undergraduate and I thought I could not write until I started summarizing class notes so that my colleagues and I have could have the essential points of the class notes.
So I would say my writing skill was developed because I was trying to solve the problem by making class notes easier to understand. I would find the missing piece of any complex computation or omit any unnecessary information to come up with concise materials that I could share with my colleagues. This is why my writing has always been tilted towards solving a problem or bringing clarity to something that is misunderstood or not understood at all.
This was as far back as 2009.
This is what I have done with Re.Think CULTURE as well. I have tried as much as possible to tell the missing pieces we omit in CULTURE and try to edit the part that we have misunderstood.
Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre?
I consider myself juggling between non-fiction and fiction genre but I have chosen non-fiction because I like to establish facts and what is true first of all before trying to paint it in a scenario that may involve dabbling into fictional pigmentations that helps people put the facts and the truth into perspectives they can relate with.
Can you share with readers a little bit about your latest book?
Re.Think CULTURE is my latest book and it is written to talk on the untold aspects of Culture and because of this, it is focused on three themes: Community, Conformity, and Continuity.
The idea is that each community must serve as a solution to its problem but it must start from individuals trying to live above challenges and also making sure their communities are affected positively as well.
Afterward, the community members must come together to agree to a standard of life and conform to it to chart the development of the community towards a preferred destination.
Then, this standard of life must be passed to the next generation for continuity and they must leave it open for dynamic changes that make life better without endangering the ethics.
Re.Think CULTURE is my second book but it is the first book I have published on an international platform like Amazon.
What made you decide to sit down and start writing this book?
Three things interest me: Education, Community, and Development.
So while I was thinking about what made so many African countries or other underdeveloped countries so poor and helpless despite all the aids and interventions is because they have failed to develop and promote their own culture.
My definition of culture is how our designed way or system of responding to people and our environment. It is how we respond to a life where we are.
I realized that many African countries are responding to life based on the importation of another culture that is not where they are. And to ensure that developing a community is not that difficult, I decided to look at culture from another perspective that no one could find an excuse for.
I believe taking this book seriously would help scholars, politicians, and entrepreneurs think differently and make progress that will benefit all.
What is your next project?
Presently, I am working on writing about “Evolution of Childhood” and the idea is hinged on a research about the trend and pattern of childhood from the 18th Century till date and use the data to make suggestions and propositions on what we should expect in the centuries to come and how we need to tackle any problems that parents may encounter while raising their kids.
This sounds like a bogus project but I think with the right questions and the right place to source for information, it is a project that is worth taking on to make the future better for the next generation.
The last chapter of my new book talks about Children Engagement but I want to take it further to know how best we need to engage them for the sake of posterity.
What role does research play in your writing?
Since I am a non-fiction writer, research is very important for my work but luckily enough, Re.Think CULTURE was written from the compilations of the experiences I’ve had so far and the true stories I have gathered.
My next books cannot come to life without a substantial amount of research, but I guess it is good because whether fiction or non-fiction, working with data as a writer helps you put everything into perspective that is relevant to the desired target audience.
If you couldn’t be an author, what would your ideal career be?
My ideal career is to become a teacher!
I want to teach students not just to know but to learn how to know things.
Weirdly, all that I am doing currently are not what I was taught in high school or college. They are what I learned while trying to respond positively to life.
So if I am to become a teacher, my only aim would be to teach people how to respond to life positively with who they are and what they have.
As a teacher, I will help learners explore their uniqueness.
Perhaps, I need to write a book about “Convergent and Divergent Education”.
It is a theory that has been brewing in my mind as well.
What are some ways in which you promote your work?
Currently, I only promote my work online through social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
I have also had a new blog where I have planned to share my thoughts on the books I have written and the ones I am about to publish.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
What I find very challenging about writing is that I always need to think of the best way to reach the audience without sounding authoritative or like a dictator.
Although non-fictional writing is more about facts and philosophies, I still need to communicate it the way readers can understand.
How can you discover more about Oluwa and his work?
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Amazon Author Page | Amazon
Waking Writer 