Narratives such as dropping out of school and focusing on a writing career in this part of the world are very hard to come by. The insinuation is often that most dropouts end up in despicable conditions. Yet, a young Nigerian writer, Hymar David, defies the presumed status quo and rewrites the narrative surrounding dropping out of university and making a deliberate choice at life.
Growing up where I come from meant understanding that you have to make do. That you have to eat fast. You have to do well at school or no playing at home for you. My father was hard on everybody, but he could be fun to be with some days. He would sit with us some nights and tell us stories.PT: How long have you been writing?
PT: What was the specific event that happened in your life that made you realise university was not for you? I was reading some of the stories and novels my lecturers wrote and made us work on. And I would think, “what the hell?” I could write better than those guys. How can they teach me writing? My mama would complain I was always on my phone at home, so I said why not turn it into something? Especially something people can relate to. That’s how I came about it.
PT: What pleases you most about how your book turned out, especially revealing that most intimate part of your life. Did you ever fear people would condemn you? PT: You argued in your book that social media offers the youths succour away from the daily life struggles in Nigeria. How would you contend the claim that Nigerian youths only laze about on social media showing little concerns for sociopolitical issues in the country?