{"id":24677,"date":"2023-01-09T21:31:35","date_gmt":"2023-01-09T20:31:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/akefestival.org\/archive\/?p=24677"},"modified":"2023-01-09T21:31:35","modified_gmt":"2023-01-09T20:31:35","slug":"ten-questions-with-elohor-egbordi-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/akefestival.org\/archive\/ten-questions-with-ruona-meyer","title":{"rendered":"TEN QUESTIONS With Ruona Meyer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Where do you consider home and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I consider home to be both a spiritual and geographical construct. For the latter, home is Lagos, Nigeria and Trier, Germany. Spiritually, my home is both the Anglican Church and my lover – they nourish my mental and biological needs respectively, regardless of which physical space I\u2019m in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bList three words or phrases that come to mind when you think of home.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Food, Love and Lust\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bHave you ever been homesick? Tell us the circumstances and how it felt.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The most I\u2019ve felt homesick was in 2010, working in South Africa. One wintry morning\u00a0 I entered a Joburg taxi minibus and immediately, my mother called me. I ended the call quickly but it turned out not fast enough. Because I then asked the driver for my change and he said he wouldn\u2019t give it to me, unless I spoke to him in Zulu. My explanations that I was a student who recently came to Mzansi fell on deaf ears. He told me (in Zulu and English) that I had no reason to be here, if I couldn\u2019t speak any of South Africa\u2019s official languages. This continued until his vehicle passed my stop, and then two more stops. Finally he parked, and barked at me to get out. I came down, shaking, and walked the 20 minutes back to work, crying. I felt drained, fearful and angry. I called my mum and told her I wanted to return home to Nigeria.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is your opinion about brain-drain?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve moved from being alarmed to wondering if we are looking at it the wrong way? Brain drain is a problem when it is viewed as a phenomenon that pins brains to a location. In this continuously globalised, digitised, world, isn\u2019t it myopic to view humans as needing to be rooted to one spot? \u2018Brain spread\u2019 is how we should look at it, where we recognise the agency of people to shift and shape where or what they call home, and focus our efforts on ensuring technology and policy enables us to benefit from one another, regardless of where citizens choose to migrate to.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bIn what way does your physical location impact your creative output?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My physical location exposes my blind spots, heightens the descriptive phrases and ensures speedier creative output,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bWhat is your preferred mode of travel and why?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

By foot. It allows me to take my time, really see my co-travellers, weave and bob between other \u2018vehicles\u2019 and it\u2019s less fraught with crashes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bIn her debut collection of poems Home Coming<\/i>, Sonia Sanchez\u2019s writes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201ci have returned \\\\ leaving behind me \\\\ all those hide and \\\\ seek faces peeling\\\\ with freudian dreams.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u200bWhat does the phrase \u201cfreudian dreams\u201d mean to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

On one hand, it describes actual dreams\u2014which may be subconscious admonitions or even premonitions. On the other hand, Freudian dreams can be dreams that come from those who one shares a \u201chome\u201d with\u2014filial, sexual or professional. They can be the dreams these folks impose on you or define you with, as you communicate, copulate or collaborate. I often turn my back on these \u2018external\u2019 Freudian dreams. For me, this is the best way to establish boundaries in one\u2019s mental and physical \u2018homes\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bThe mission to establish a colony of humans on Mars is becoming a realistic proposition. Would you agree to be one of the founding members?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

No. Hell no. Actually\u2026fuck no! Because I read an article about pooping and urination when in space. It appears far from fun. I think I\u2019ll pass on Mars\u2026the planet, not the chocolate bar.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bThis is the 10th anniversary of Ake Arts and Book Festival. If you have attended this festival before, please tell us what was special about your experience. If you have never attended, what are your expectations?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve attended before and what was special was that even though it was virtual, the amount of care put into the themes and panels was so beneficial to guests. The way Ake achieves relevance and chooses topics others run from is really its unique superpower. I expect to be taking copious literal and mental notes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bWhat does Africa need right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Africa needs to make this continent a home for Africans. The vestiges of colonialism as reflected in our borders and passports continue to divide us, and deny a homecoming for generations to date. You only need to look at Cameroon, Ethiopia, South Africa or Libya.<\/span><\/p>\n

Africans and Africa\u2019s governments need to tackle the polarisations brought on by civil wars, ethnic militia, climate challenges and state capture. These continue to make home a non-existent reality for millions of internally-displaced people.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Where do you consider home and why? I consider home to be both a spiritual and geographical construct. For the latter, home is Lagos, Nigeria and Trier, Germany. Spiritually, my <\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24708,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ten-questions"],"yoast_head":"\nTEN QUESTIONS With Ruona Meyer - Ake Arts & Book Festival<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/akefestival.org\/archive\/ten-questions-with-ruona-meyer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"TEN QUESTIONS With Ruona Meyer - Ake Arts & Book Festival\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Where do you consider home and why? 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