The Many Faces In A Mirror | Interview With Rahma O. Jimoh

 

Poet Rahma O. Jimoh joins us in the third issue of Words-Empire Magazine for a conversation with our Managing Editor, Sarah Adeyemo, on Ashes, memory, home, identity, and the craft of writing. Read the full interview as she reflects on her journey, creative process, and the power of poetry to make meaning of our experiences.

Question: When placed before a mirror, how do you picture Rahma O. Jimoh? 

Answer: Interesting and funny question, lol, but yeah, I picture myself as a young, blooming woman, writer, creative, trying to navigate the terrains of the world, especially as my career is concerned. Sometimes, I see myself as too soft and gentle, never giving a care, even when I probably should. I see myself as highly driven, determined and relentless. Often, when I stare at myself in the mirror, I see my grandmother, my mom, my dad, my teachers and all the young versions of me that I cannot afford to fail. 

Question: How did your interest in creative writing begin, and how much has your process changed over time? 

Answer: My interest or passion in creative writing began as a child’s play, though I have never doubted that I would stick to it. I have always known it was the one thing I wanted to do and pursue, even when I tried my hand at several other things. Over time, I have gone from writing in my notebook or journals to writing in my phone and recently, back to writing in my journals. I like to write my drafts, let them sit for a while, days, weeks, before going back to revise and edit them. After which, I would mostly ask for a second pair of eyes to review it. 

Question: Who are your favourite writers and how have they influenced your writing? 

Answer: Emily Dickinson, bell hooks, Tony Morrison, Buchi Emecheta, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Safia Elhillo, Ladan Osman, Itiola Jones, GbengaAdesina, Rasaq Malik Gbolahan, and so many others. Every one of these people has directly or indirectly influenced my writing with their works. For some, I go to them for the similarity in subject matter or themes, for others, I go to them for voice and language, while I go to others for style. 

Question: Can you tell us what motivates you as a writer, particularly as a poet? 

Answer: My greatest motivation is expressing myself; poetry gives me that channel to write and pen my thoughts down, metaphorically and indirectly. The satisfaction that comes with bending and playing with language. Poetry allows me to do this without limits. 

Question: How do you perceive the role of poetry in commenting on challenges related to memory, place, loss, and home? 

Answer: I think poetry is one of the powerful ways in which we comment on social and political issues. Poetry has a unique way of helping us express our emotions while dealing with memory, place, loss, and home because it doesn't just record facts; it captures the emotional architecture of our experiences. When we experience loss or displacement, our memories hardly remain intact or linear. They become fragmented and deeply tied to specific anchors: a slant of light, the smell of a kitchen, a particular facial expression or how a particular word or expression made someone feel. 

Question: Could you please share insight into your creative process while crafting the poems in your collection, “Ashes”?

Answer: The poems in my collection, Ashes, were previously written and some published, while I had these poems sitting idly in my drafts for a long time, I didn't think to compile and get them ready for a chapbook until the call to submit came, and it was too tight for me to submit. Then I started compiling them together to meet the deadline. I wanted a chapbook that was focused on Nigeria, its social ills and government inadequacies; thankfully, most of my poems were already on related themes. Ordering and arranging the manuscript now became my major concern, which I was able to do with some suggestions and general editing comments from three different people I consider friends in the industry. 

Question: What is the most difficult part of your artistic process as an African writer in the diaspora?

Answer: My major challenge is the stark difference in comfort level here compared to Nigeria. I am afraid of getting too comfortable. You know how in Nigeria, you need to set your writing time to when NEPA will bring the light, and so many other related issues. Seriously now, I think it is about the nuance and perspective that writing for a larger and heterogeneous audience brings as compared to just writing for a local audience. Now, I constantly try to be careful of every word and sentence, and to break down my concepts as clearly as possible. 

Question: Tell us a bit about finding your voice as a writer. 

Answer: I don’t believe we ever truly find our voice; I think it changes with time as we read more, experience things, and also depend on the themes we write about. Also, I don’t think I have found my voice yet, though I have a distinct style with which I approach my writing, which is often in accessible and emotional language.

Question: Your collection of poems wrestles with memory, place and the weight of a Nigerian homeland. Beyond that, are there other significant themes you cover in your poetry?

Answer: Yes, I often write about identity, love, oppression, war and other social issues. 

Question: Is there any change you wish to see in the Nigerian literary space?

Answer: More honesty, inclusion and less performance.