Welcome back to Brittle Paper Spotlight, a monthly series featuring emerging writers whose work have been published here on Brittle Paper. Our October Spotlight star is Nigerian poet Eniola Abdulroqeeb Arówólò. Abdulroqeeb’s poem, “Grievous Dialogue on the Atlantic Ocean”, inspired by Chiwenite Onyekwelu’s “Transatlantic Equation”, was a sure standout in our September publications. Using his poetic prowess, Abdulroqeeb tells a tale of deep-rooted grief, touching on the history of the transatlantic slave trade. With race, history, and grief, this poem is understandably striking in both verse and emotion, which can be heard in Abdulroqeeb’s reading of his piece.

Eniola Abdulroqeeb Arówólò is an emerging writer as well as a student of Mass Communication. With a passion for socio-political awareness and activism, Abdulroqueeb is dedicated to writing and speaking out about inequality, politics, domestic violence, and children’s rights. If you would like to see more of his work, his poetry has appeared on Rigorous, Rough Cut Press, Poetry Column ND, Salamander Ink, Ngiga Review, Eremite Poetry, Nnoko Stories, Mixed Mag, Ninsha Arts, Arts Lounge, African Magazine, and Nanty Greens. He has also been shortlisted in the BPPC June/July anthology and is the August winner of Pin-10 Day Poetry. Between his social activism and his writing, Abdulroqeeb finds peace in reading and binge-watching cartoons. So, now that we’ve acquainted ourselves, let’s jump into conversation with our talented October Spotlight artist, Abdulroqeeb.

TW: mention of abuse

Brittle Paper

As with all of the Spotlight interviews, let’s start with the usual opener. When did you first start writing and what inspired you to take up your craft?

Eniola Abdulroqeeb Arówólò

I have always been writing but I specifically started to write poetry roughly at the end of 2019 when I met a couple of friends on Facebook who are also budding poets. At that point in time, I only used to write and post poems for the fun of it and because it’s something I love. But things took an unexpected turn when I found myself in another circle of friends who have been published wide and large across various magazines. It is then that I began to take it seriously. This and other elegant writers such as Nome Patrick, Samuel Adeyemi, Adedayo Agarau (Egbon as I like to call him), Praise Osawaru, Loba Ridwan, Abubakr Sadiq, and Sadiq Dzukogi among others.  These are the locals who inspired me to take up my craft and never relent.

Brittle Paper

If you could name one author who you look up to, who would you choose?

Eniola Abdulroqeeb Arówólò

If there is an author whose work I relish so much and look up to, that would be Kaveh Akbar, a million times. He bends the language to his needs in ways that I couldn’t ever fathom. As I like to write horror, Stephen King’s work has to be mentioned in the arena of fiction, but then again recently I find myself writing more poems than fiction. Poetry is the only language I can better explain my ordeals and ideals. The inspiration to write fictional works is not there ever since I lost a friend, Jude Anuoluwa. I read diverse genres now.

Brittle Paper

We like to do a quickfire round before we jump into the more serious stuff. So, name your top three books.

Eniola Abdulroqeeb Arówólò

  • Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar
  • Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie
  • Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

Brittle Paper

Your poem, “Grievous Dialogue on the Atlantic Ocean”, begins with a quote from Chiwenite Onyekwelu. What about Onyekwulu and their work inspired your poem?

Eniola Abdulroqeeb Arówólò

Onyekwelu is a writer you would read again and again. He is such a deft-handed poet who has this, in my opinion, ownership of his language which is unique and distinct. The line extracted from his poem titled “Transatlantic Equation” is one that shoves one to a critical state of thinking and despondency. And besides, the whole poem presents the genuine story of black enslavement. It is not a surprise that such an inciting poem won the Jack Poetry Prize of 2020.

Brittle Paper 

“Grievous Dialogue”, as well as your previous publication on Brittle Paper called “Haunting Reminiscences”, has a type of darkness to it. Is this something that is often found in your writing?

Eniola Abdulroqeeb Arówólò

[laughs] You know, as I said earlier, I used to write horror stories back then and, it may be based on the fact that I have been exposed to these sorts of works. So, the darkness finds a way to inject itself in my writing. Besides, the whole thing that makes me originate this darkness, especially in a country where ‘grief’ stifles most people, is the story involving my birth and how I grow which I may save for another discussion some other time.

Brittle Paper

You state very proudly in your biography, and rightly so, that you are passionate about human rights, especially with regards to women and children. Does your activism ever inspire your poetry?

Eniola Abdulroqeeb Arówólò

Yes, it does. I have written quite a number of works inspired by everyday visible strife women and children go though in Nigeria or Africa as a whole. I feel the need to advocate for this. As a child who grew up in the backstreets, I have witnessed women being subjugated to total shame and ridicule, let alone the little children that suffer from sexual abuse. All this enrages and inspires my works most of the times.

Brittle Paper

Before we end, what is one thing about yourself that you want to share with our readers, apart from your striking yet dark poetry?

I just want to tell fellow poets out there that are reading this to keep wading through the hardships and many rejections that come with writing. It is always part of the process to grow. I receive a lot from Brittle Paper [laughs] and at a certain point in time, I thought the editor was just doing this deliberately to me but in the long run, all those rejections that were smeared on my face improved me. When I see one now, I embrace it. Rejections open your eyes to the loopholes you need to fill.

Brittle Paper

Thank you, Abdulroqeeb, for giving us and our readers more insight into both your craft and you as an artist.

 

For those who can’t wait to read more from Abdulroqeeb, his new poem, “Self-Portrait of a Boy without his Mother”, will be published right here on Friday. 

 

If you missed our September Spotlight with Ejiro Edward, it can be found here.