Olubunmi Aboderin Talabi is an author and the founding publisher of Clever Clogs Books, which focuses on the production of Nigerian-themed children’s picture books, she has published various books and has also served on the board of various companies including the Punch newspaper and the Daily National newspaper. In this exclusive interview with Gbemi Faminu, she speaks about Clever Clogs and hcr love for writing.
What inspired Clever Clogs?
I have always desired to have a sustainable and scalable platform through which well- written, beautifully-illustrated, colourful, painstakingly-produced and culturally appropriate, children’s picture books for young Nigerian readers could be created.
How has your company influenced reading among children? Clever Clogs books are inspiring. They promote the love of reading, amongst children. Our work spreads the message that children’s books are also important; bedtime stories have a role to play in cognitive, development; and books can be fun and useful all at the same time.
Reading does not have to be a boring chore. We boost interest in reading through various methods which include Our Akada children’s book festival, organizing book reading tours across the country, organizing workshops for children, parents, teachers, book writers, and illustrators and also our library support program.
As an author, how will you rate Nigeria’s education system?
We need to improve and this improvement is all encompassing. Education must receive due attention from the government, there is a need to increase the percentage of funds allocated to the education sector, teachers must be continually trained and the profession should be modified to attract the best and the most qualified.
How would you rate the literary abilities of children in Nigeria?
I have come to realize that children are incredibly perceptive. They have amazing minds unsullied by toxins or stress so they are able to reason rapidly and grasp the basic concepts clearly explained. What they read, see, and hear, repeatedly impacts their behavior which is why it is important to have easily accessible positive books with happy, helpful and healthy content created specifically for developing minds.
What inspires you and your activities?
That would be the desire to see more culturally-relevant children’s picture books readily available in Nigeria and easily accessible to all who want to read whether they are in rural or urban areas. It is important for all children to see people who look like them and live in similar environments as theirs, portrayed in good quality books. It boosts their self-esteem when the hero of a story or the place where the story is set bears relevance to them. Some think-tanks refer to it as here and now realism. Children love to read entertaining, well-produced books with age-appropriate “here and now realism”.
So far, your books have been targeted at children, any plan(s) to venture into novels for adults? There are probably 100 times as many writers for adults as there are writers for children in Nigeria. The children book market is saturated. What we need are more children’s books. There is a lot of work to do, for and in the children’s literature sector, so I am sticking with my area of focus until further notice.
What sort of things interest you? I love to read. I am also fascinated by clever people who are able to clearly explain what they mean; strategic people who are able to see the outcome of a particular course of action, and by focused people who do not allow situations to deter them from their goal. I learn a lot from all of them.
In April, you hosted The Festival. Describe the experience?
The festival was an event for children, their parents, teachers, as well as for those who create child appropriate content. It was a fun, family affair which featured popup kids’ library; author-led book readings & book signings; book exhibitions; opportunities to meet and greet authors; a writing competition; information forums for parents; workshops for upcoming authors; soft skills master classes for teachers; interactive and engaging workshops for children; a play area and more.
The turnout and the reception were beyond expectation. Over 1000 people attended the one-day event. The children loved the wide variety of books. The parents were enthralled by the workshops. The exhibitors made impressive sales. I was in awe, watching a dream come true. For me the event belies the notion that Nigerians don’t like to read. Young children love bright and colorful books. Access to books needs to be improved. There is a need for additional conducive public reading spaces. For the Akada Children’s Book Festival, we converted the front lawn of the British Council Ikoyi into a pop-up library. The kids loved it. The authors had a place to do their book readings. It was a unique, immersive, out-of the-classroom learning experience for the young participants.
Will the festival become an annual event?
If we can get the level of support we need, yes, certainly we will do this again. It is not a cheap endeavour. This year we had a venue sponsor that allowed us to use their premises without charge. It made a huge difference. We were able to make attendance free so that anyone that wanted to visit the festival would not face a financial hurdle. Hopefully the second edition of ACBF will have enough sponsors so that the event will not be run at a loss.
What other activities will Clever Clogs engage in to boost child literacy in Nigeria and Africa generally?
We will continue with our five-fold plan which is book festival, reading tours, workshops, social media engagement, creating reading materials to enhance an interest in reading and hopefully set in motion the series of events that could potentially lead to Lagos becoming the reading capital of the world in our lifetime. Furthermore, this will create an opportunity for parents to bond with their children; and creates occasions for self-published children’s picture book authors to be seen, read and appreciated.
Besides being an author, what other things do you engage in?
I am the Publisher of Clever Clogs Books. I sit on the Board of Punch Nigeria Limited, publishers of the Punch Newspapers and I volunteer extensively at Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ). I am currently the chairperson of the Executive Council for WIMBIZ. With your experience in leadership as a business owner, what challenges do you encounter?
As we all know the challenges of running a business in this environment are manifold including an overburdened infrastructure, unreliable and costly power supply, heavy traffic, unavailability of certain key resources locally, multiple taxations, layers of bureaucracy, talent acquisition, talent management, talent retention, exorbitant rent, double-digit interest on loans and so on. Nevertheless, the rewards can be there if you survive the initial start-up years.
Who is your mentor?
I have several mentors. My uncle from whom I learnt frugality and financial management, my former boss who is probably one of the best business managers in the world and certainly one of the best people managers that I know, my older sister who is one of the most judicious and empathetic leaders I have come across. The list goes on.
How do you juggle the roles of a wife, mother, and business owner?
Thank God for a very loyal support network, true wealth is in the quality of your relationships with the people around you, take the time to cultivate those relationships. Everyone is important from the most humble worker to the brightest CEO, from the jovial mechanic to the calm and patient nanny. Everyone in your support system is vital. Recognize who those key players are for you and nurture those relationships. Having a strong support system is certainly a chief factor in any person’s ability to achieve their goals.
What advice will you give to women in the same shoes? Preserve yourself for the long run, take care of your health, remember to take the time to breathe and don’t waste time comparing yourself with other people. You see the outer packaging, everything looks smooth, like a swan gliding across the water. But underneath the water, that swan is paddling furiously. The one you are admiring might well be envying you so don’t try to run someone else’s race. Figure out what is important to you and find the balance that works for your unique set of circumstances.
