Where do you consider home and why?

Home is wherever my loved ones are. So my grandmother’s place in Lagos is home, so is

my brother’s place. My flat in Halifax and my friends’ places in Montreal. But more than

that, home is wherever I am. 

List three words or phrases that come to mind when you think of home.

Rest, sanctuary, sleep!

Have you ever been homesick? Tell us the circumstances and how it felt.

Often. It feels, for me, like a longing to be somewhere I recognize and am recognized. 

What is your opinion about brain-drain?

I don’t think that the reality of brain-drain can be separated from any given nation state’s level of investment in its citizens and infrastructure. If countries, like Nigeria, continue to fail to meet the basic needs of Nigerians, then people will keep having to leave to places where they have a greater chance of reaching their full potential. 

In what way does your physical location impact your creative output?

Well, creative flow is definitely more accessible when there’s infrastructure and resources to support your work. Having the space–physically and mentally–to experiment, take risks, make mistakes, grow, and collaborate makes me a more dynamic artist. And being able to do all those things in a country that not only invests in the arts but also has the infrastructure to support daily survival,  makes my work all the more possible. 

What is your preferred mode of travel and why?

No preference, just happy to travel when I can. I tend to get seasick though, so maybe not boats.

In her debut collection of poems Home Coming, Sonia Sanchez’s writes:

“i have returned \\ leaving behind me \\ all those hide and \\ seek faces peeling\\ with freudian dreams.”

      What does the phrase “freudian dreams” mean to you?

The phrase brings to mind Sigmund Freud’s book The Interpretation of Dreams. I’m a vivid dreamer and love to ponder about my dreams; but while I’m a massive fan of Sonia Sanchez,  I’m not terribly interested in Freud or put too much stock in anything he’s ever had to say. 

The mission to establish a colony of humans on Mars is becoming a realistic proposition. Would you agree to be one of the founding members?

No, I wouldn’t. I’d love to visit though. 

What does Africa need right now?

Big question! I have no idea. Africa probably needs a lot of things, much like many other parts of the world. Eradication of poverty comes to mind. It’s a wild injustice that many human beings live in poverty. Also more equitable trade relationships with other parts of the world would be great. More deeply developed and diversified economies would be nice as well. Also doing away with economic imperialism and conditional aid would be lovely. This is a thread I hesitate to pull at, because it’s sad and exhausting.