Twenty-five-year-old Diane Ezeh Aruah is a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, University of Nigeria Nsukka. Aruah, who is married with a son, obtained her Bachelor of Arts and Masters in Mass Communication in the same university. She has successfully authored a book and will author another soon. In this interview with Ifeoma Okeke, Aruah talks about her passion and life as an author and a lecturer at a renowned university. Excerpts.
What has the experience been like for you as an author and a lecturer at the age of 25?
It has been a dream come true for me because being a writer and a teacher is what I had always wanted to be since I knew my name. By the time I was 10, I had read all my elder brother’s and mum’s novels. My mum saw my passion and bought me many novels. I basically spent all my savings buying story books. Till today, writing stories and teaching younger students bring joy to my soul. It is my life. There is nothing else I would do.
What are your passions and skills?
My most cherished passion is the gift of observation and research. I love to ask questions a lot and use my findings to teach and encourage younger ones through speaking and writing. People’s stories excite me, whether tragic or comedy. I recognize the importance of using stories to teach and that has changed my life in many ways. I remember a character in a novel I read when I was little. The protagonist was a girl who always told the truth even when people laughed at her. At the end, she got very much rewarded for it. After reading that novel, I made up my mind to always speak the truth regardless the consequences. Stories motivate, teach, entertain and inspire.
How do you manage playing the role of a mother, a lecturer and an author?
Honestly, being a mother and a working class can be very difficult to manage. Why? Because there is no one who can take care of your baby the way you would. You cannot trust anyone. Nannies, Creche, even your siblings, especially if you have a baby who has to be force fed before he eats. It takes patient and extra hard work to achieve both. It also takes appropriate planning, maturity and courage. Most importantly, it takes the grace of God. It is only God that can give you the inner strength to wake up by 4am every morning, cook for your husband and baby, wash clothes, go to work and come back tired, only to face other duties. But, if you have loving people around you who are always willing to help, things get easier.
What are your dreams in the next ten years?
I see myself impacting life (smiles), feeling fulfilled. I really want to help people through my stories and research. I also hope to have a larger family and live in a better world. I hope to have more than 500 publications including journal articles, books and articles. I hope to have attended many international conferences and travelled to at least ten countries. I hope to have blogs and social media pages where people visit to find solace and fulfilment. I hope to be known for good things.
How far has your book sold?
I have sold more than 5000 copies of my books across the country. I plan to have a larger readership soon because I am in the process of going online. It is no longer news that we live in a digital world and every wise person should make use of that great opportunity.
Can you tell us about the books you have authored and the messages you have passed across through them?
I currently have 50 short stories, two unpublished novels and one published novel titled “The First Time”. The First Time is my most successful and significant work because it is related to the experience of many young ladies in my hometown Nsukka, where girls of 16-20 are being pressured to get married, even when they are yet to come out of secondary school. The mindset of many parents over here is that a woman must be married before 25, else be considered old, used and unmarriageable. Less of women have dreams and are hardly empowered. There seems to be a competition amongst young girls over who gets married first or who have more kids. It pains my heart when I see many girls with potential who are also intelligent get married to men who are very much older than them, men who would never encourage their dreams. I believe there is a lot of work to do to change the mind-set of many Nigerian girls towards marriage and The First Time is a very important step in achieving that goal.
The title of my second book which I am about to publish is ‘Cold Hands.’ The story is about a 28 year old successful female gynaecologist who refused to get married because of what her female patients pass through in the hands of men.
Who are your role models and how have they impacted your career?
My biggest roles models are my parents and my husband. My husband is like my footpath; he makes the most difficult task look so easy. When I’m down, he lifts up my spirit. My mum on the other hand is my star. The first time I entered class was the best teaching moment of my time because of the way my mum prepared me. She made me feel very confident, and believed I could do anything. She was the first editor of my novel. She pushes me to achieve my dreams; she made me believe age is just a number. Her trust in my capabilities amazes me. My dad, on the other hand provides lots of opportunities for me to grow. He is a generous provider and I thank him for always being there. In my next world, they would still be my models.
What is your advice for young ladies struggling to have a family and still run a successful career?
I want women to get rid the mind-set that marriage is the ultimate. Yes, it is very important but we should never have to feel pressured. We should get married because we found someone to share our lives with, and not because the society expects us to. I also want them to know that building their dreams is as important as the air we breathe. An independent woman exhumes respect, honour and friendship in the face of her husband. She is the pride of her society and her family.
