Oluwatobi, but everyone calls me Tobi | Writer/ Editor | Reading, watching (mostly horror) movies, drawing, going out with friends | Lagos, Nigeria
Instagram: @oluwatobiafolabi_
1) THE BEST THING THAT HAPPENED TO YOU IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS? I started writing almost two years ago (the scribbles I made in primary and secondary school don’t count) and last year, I got published in 3 different literary journals, one of them really competitive. Also got paid for my writing, for the first time in my life. This may not seem like a big deal but it was really affirming for me, to know that my writing was good enough to be accepted. . . 2) THE WORST THING THAT HAPPENED TO YOU IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS? One day in September last year, I put on my favourite pair of jeans and I couldn’t zip it up. It affected me a lot, I cried as if someone had died. It wasn’t the fact that I gained weight, it was because I felt like all the work I had been doing to unlearn beauty standards and love myself regardless was undone in that single moment. It was awful, but I’ve moved past it and learnt from it. I cannot base my worth on my size or what I look like. I am not my hair, literally. . . 3) YOUR BIGGEST WISH FOR THE NEAR FUTURE? I want to be published in a lot more magazines and journals, have people see and relate to all the stories I have in my head and also get a scholarship to get an MFA. . . 4) YOUR BIGGEST WORRY FOR THE NEAR FUTURE? It’s really easy for me to worry, and it’s something I’m trying to let go of because it really doesn’t help anyone or the situation, but a recurrent one is that time would pass me by before I have a chance to do all that I want to do with my life. But like I said, I’m trying my best and working hard to make sure that this never happens. . . 5) A CONTEMPORARY WOMAN YOU CURRENTLY ADMIRE? Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Need I say more? . . 6) A ONE-SENTENCE MESSAGE TO OTHER WOMEN? Other women are not your greatest enemy, we need to start pulling and holding each other up.
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