Meet Our Bird of Paradise, Chiamaka.

"It’s tall and only blossoms in tropical temperatures."

Meet Chiamaka Okike. She was born in 2001 and attended American Christian Academy in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Who were you in secondary school?

I think it took me some time to grow into myself. I was never shy but I took some time to grow into an identity. My teachers called me everything from a rebel to a 'ring leader.' I think I was just expressive.

Who are you now?

I think I’m still very 'expressive’ with a bit more direction.

What dreams did you have when you were younger?

I wanted to be a doctor or something. A lawyer too at some point but I always wanted to do something with writing without ever knowing there was a name for it.

Have they changed over time?

The change hasn’t been drastic. it’s just not career-centric anymore. My dream now revolves around playing with my friends in foreign countries.

Talk to us about your other interests. What do you do for fun?

Reading, friend dates, journaling.

Did any of these interests influence your passion?

Not necessarily, it just fueled it.

When did you realize you were interested in Writing?

I wrote my first (very terrible) poem at 10 so maybe then.

What/Who inspired/helped you take Writing to the next level?

I study business management because my dad said I should.

Were there any discouraging factors in your process?

Me, I’m the discouraging factor. But jokes apart, when you grow up in Nigeria, they tell you that art is not serious, and it’s the wrong place to place your ambitions. So if you access any level of publication or success they tell you that you better be grateful. Navigating that mental turmoil while trying to maintain that you’re good enough, qualified enough, and talented enough is difficult especially when you are reaching for new opportunities. It feels like you constantly need to reach for new opportunities. It feels like a delicate balance between maintaining your passion and putting it out there and commodifying it completely. There is also the financial implications for pursuing passion: writers residencies, submitting pitches, studying writing at a higher level are not free. They are costly in time, energy, and money. HOWEVER, despite everything that stands in my way, there’s nothing I’d give up for the feeling of my thoughts pouring onto a blank page.

Did your secondary school play any role in elevating/deterring this passion?

My secondary school definitely facilitated my passion because they took me serious. Even though it was through an academic lens, there was still the validation from teachers that I was a good writer.

Do you think secondary schools encourage students’ entrepreneurial minds?

I think my school did, but they were quite funky. They set us up for success with a bunch of extracurriculars, we did a business project where we had to sell food and snacks for a week; stressful but worth it.

What are the most difficult & most rewarding aspects of Writing?

The most difficult part of writing a short-story collection or a big writing project is thinking about the publishing process and the bureaucracy aspect of writing. The most rewarding, cliched as it is, is the writing. Everything that comes from success or potential success is what I feel when I finish a paragraph. The satisfaction, the joy, the pride, the excitement. I am ambitious and I have both actionable and 'unrealistic' goals for my writing, but when I am doing the ACTUAL writing, all of that noise dies down. There’s no planning and projection and anxiety. I am assured that what I’m doing and what I am creating is enough.

Have you ever wanted to give up? Why?

I think even in my most frustrated and delusional state I’ve never wanted to actually give up on writing. And by extension I could never truly give up on my goals for writing. My rational is that it’s going to be something I do from now until the last day that I die, so I have my whole life to work at it. Plus I do something to secure the future I want every single day. Whether that’s as small as jotting down an idea I had or as big as sending in a pitch, and whether it’s heartfelt or begrudging, I try every single day. And trying, whether it’s for flowers or projects, is how anything grows.

Where do you see your business in 3 years?

I would like to think I’d have more things published. I’d hope to have built a bigger writer and reader community.

Where do you see yourself in 3 years?

I hope to have carved out a niche in African literature that allows people who are interested in the things I write to know that there is space for them. To explore writing from a hobby to a career. I hope that in three years I’d have made it a little easier for someone. whether that’s them reading my work and feeling understood and soothed, or being a forum for people who are interested in the path I took. It would be cool to be a writer full time as well, nice vibes.

Whether you know it or not, we think you’re inspirational. With how you’ve gone about life so far, any words of advice to someone reading this?

I think my primary advice would be: put craze and coordination into everything you want to achieve. Coordination because there are administrators and procedural processes that you will have to navigate. It won’t always be about how much you love and believe in yourself and your work. but your faith isn’t a non-factor. you have to be crazy about what you’re putting forward, you have to believe that it has the power to supersede bureaucracies. Truly and honestly with enough craze you can do ANYTHING.

*craze in this context being passion.*

Do you have any advice for IgeLead & what we’re trying to do?

I’m a small girl I don’t know. But I think what you’re doing comes from a place of love, and the things we do with love will always prosper.

Thanks for growing with us.