CONFESSIONS OF A POTENTIAL LITERARY GURU

Hi,

My name is Olumide Bisiriyu, and I am an addict...

It all started since the time I started reading my dad’s novels in Primary school. Mama was the cause of all this; she taught us how to read way too early. From here, I began gathering my peers in the neighbourhood and tell them stories under the moon light. Later I would draw cartoons on paper. Some other times I would draw people on cardboard, cut them with blade, and use same to do “film” for my friends. Lol. The stories usually involve somebody’s girlfriend being stolen and him fighting different kinds of obstacle till he rescues her.

Primary and secondary school for me was a blend of two worlds. Sometimes I would play and roughen myself that you’d take me for a troublesome boy. Some other times I’d be so gentle you’d think I’m a dove. Rising from 22nd amidst 30 students in primary one I got to fifth in primary five. And when I got to boarding house in secondary school I topped my class. Yet that didn’t put me off my love for literature. I often enter one literary challenge or the other with my peers; guess who wins? Me ofcourse.

When it got to time to choose my senior secondary class, I really wanted to be in Art class, but for two reasons I chose Science. One, I love Agriculture and felt being in Science would help me stay in focus. Two, looking at the Art class ahead of me I was totally discouraged: these students didn’t look like they have vision at all. I’d rather stay with the science students who always talk about their future than the Art who just play away their days. I even offered to do literature but the teacher felt it was strange for a science student to offer for literature and refused to teach only me.

That got me where I landed, I became an Estate surveyor. No thanks to Chemistry who refused to give me the Credit pass mark I needed to do Agriculture. Yet my creativity held her way all through higher institution till I ended up directing graduates of Theatre Arts in my NYSC dance and drama troupe. My addiction to being creative forced me to always want to do something in every creative world I find myself. Many of them disdained me for it, “How can an Estate surveyor become director in a dance and drama troupe?” Anyway, they eventually became my friends when I became the first corps member to publish a book in the region where we served.

Now here I am still balancing between my Estate Surveying work and my creative sense, yet at the same time dreaming of becoming the literary guru I want to be. I still tell my stories, act, write, do poetry and sing. I still enter competitions all over the world and hope I will someday win. But most importantly I still believe that someday, some people will point at me and say, “There goes The Enigmatic: Olumide Olalekan Bisiriyu, the Estate surveyor who became a literary guru.”