About Me
- Funmi Iyanda
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Funmi Iyanda is a multi award-winning producer and broadcast journalist. She is the CEO of Ignite Media and Executive Director of Creation Television
Friday, June 12, 2009
TWF diaries
I have always raised a “don’t mess with my head” brow when I get told I have a compelling story and must write it. Everybody says it, I ignore them all, secretly holding the belief beautifully articulated by Chimamanda in half of yellow sun, in describing mounting scales of horror as some things are so bad, they make other bad things ok. In other words kini big deal?
However as I sit this morning in my apartment in the ethereal Aspen meadow resort watching the clouds flow over the snow topped mountains (what horrible cliché) I had an epiphany. You see, much the same way as I sit and watch those clouds in one of the most prosperous places in the world, I had a month ago sat on a canoe in one of the poorest places paddled slowly by the hauntingly intense Dami through the dankest, blackest waters I had ever seen or smelt watching human faeces in various stages of decomposition flow by.
The power of my experiences is less about my person but about the stories, the people, the event that effortlessly weave through it.
Life does tend to happen to me and perhaps I will one day sit down and write my story.
At no time have I experienced life close up more than in the past six months.
After a turbulent 2008 (wait for the book), I hit 2009 running hard and what I will do over the next month or so is write a reverse diary. Reverse because I feel better telling stories once I step outside of them. Now, I promise you nothing as I shall digress from time to time in my moody, crabby way but then isn’t that just the way of life? The Bitch never promises you anything but she can give you so much if you want to ride with her.
So I will write what I shall call the TWF diaries. I don’t know how many I will write or in what order, if any, I will write them before I recoil into myself again but l promise not to bore you as I will not be so buried in the past as not to madden you with my unsolicited often rubbish opinion on all and sundry in the present. E ku ile o.
However as I sit this morning in my apartment in the ethereal Aspen meadow resort watching the clouds flow over the snow topped mountains (what horrible cliché) I had an epiphany. You see, much the same way as I sit and watch those clouds in one of the most prosperous places in the world, I had a month ago sat on a canoe in one of the poorest places paddled slowly by the hauntingly intense Dami through the dankest, blackest waters I had ever seen or smelt watching human faeces in various stages of decomposition flow by.
The power of my experiences is less about my person but about the stories, the people, the event that effortlessly weave through it.
Life does tend to happen to me and perhaps I will one day sit down and write my story.
At no time have I experienced life close up more than in the past six months.
After a turbulent 2008 (wait for the book), I hit 2009 running hard and what I will do over the next month or so is write a reverse diary. Reverse because I feel better telling stories once I step outside of them. Now, I promise you nothing as I shall digress from time to time in my moody, crabby way but then isn’t that just the way of life? The Bitch never promises you anything but she can give you so much if you want to ride with her.
So I will write what I shall call the TWF diaries. I don’t know how many I will write or in what order, if any, I will write them before I recoil into myself again but l promise not to bore you as I will not be so buried in the past as not to madden you with my unsolicited often rubbish opinion on all and sundry in the present. E ku ile o.
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8 comments:
E k'abo o! Welcome back, good to see you and keep up the good work o!
We await the TWF Diaries...
http://bookaholicblog.blogspot.com/
SOOOOOOOOOO excited you're back and i'll certainly stay glued!
thanks for sharing :-)
xo
u do what makes u happy, i'd say!
eagerly anticipating the TWF diaries...I'm sure u'll make the best of it as is usual with all things "Funmi Iyanda"...
oi Funmi, kind of went thru the blog again to see if I missed out what TWF stands for in its body...but still could not get it; eu nao consergui que significa de TWF (allow me to blow di small PortuEnglish wey I don learn hear, jo, jo). So, please, what is TWF and 'ki ni big deal' of TWF? More importantly I guess, going thru your profile. I noticed you spoke of New Dawn with Fynmi as in...past tense!! I hope not please! It's one of the things I was looking forward to getting back to once I land back for my dear, beloved 9ja!
....And I look forward to reading your entries. There truly are not many women, people-- in Nigeria or anywhere else-- whose stories I would eagerly await to hear, whose voices I anticipate listening to. Good luck with you and yours. I wish one day, as I get older, I would have as exciting, empathetic and heartfelt story to tell.
Eku ile o.
-- 'Layo
see silly me thinkin i was d only fiyanda addict, anyways there is luv in sharing. FI, missed u like crazy, always chking ur blog 2 see any new update but later resigned 2 re-reading past topics, refreshing, was a lil annoyed, thot u were takin we ur fans 4 granted but my mind don kule now!! abeg start d TWF diary(ies), whatever dt means, o jere, wa pelaye, e sa amin adura.
And when the TWF Diaries come out, I certainly make sure I get a copy as soon as possible!
Ah your wit, humor and wisdom in print and on paper...I can't wait.