Libretto recently caught up with award winning spoken poet, Toby Abiodun, to discuss poetry and the writing life. Abiodun is a multiple Slam Champion, holding titles in major Nigerian cities, including Lagos, Abuja and Portharcourt. His short story They Say He Had Eyes Like The Burning End Of A Cigarette was longlisted for the poets in Nigeria for Short Fiction and published in the Odour Of Death Anthology. He was a guest at the 2019 editions of both the Poetry Africa Festival in Durban, South Africa and the Lagos International Poetry Festival in Lagos. Nigeria.
LIBRETTO: Hello Toby. I’m so much happy to have you here, please tell us little about yourself.
Toby: I was born Abiodun Oloruntobiloba Emmanuel to Yoruba parents in Benin City, where I have lived most of my life.
LIBRETTO: What prompted you to become a spoken word poet? What influenced your choice of stage poetry rather than page poetry?
Toby: I think I was influenced by the first poets I was introduced to. My first experiences of poetry were YouTube videos of Holly Painter, Indigo Williams, Nathaniel Increase and Efe Paul Azino. These people shaped the idea that I could read what I wrote, and perform them too.
LIBRETTO: When did you first realized you wanted to be a spoken word poet?
Toby: My first experiences of performing my poems were slams. Each slam made me realize I’d love to perform for life. Every story shared, the sweet realization that I could say something and people would resonate with it, made me feel accepted, important and alive.
LIBRETTO: How long does it take you to write a spoken word piece?
Toby: LOL! Is there a specific time? I don’t think so. Some of my poems take a night, some take weeks, some take months, some a minute.
LIBRETTO: You are well known for spoken word. However, what inspired one of your spoken word poem “The Revolution”?
Toby: ☺ Nigeria can be very frustrating, you are always at a point where things are difficult for no tangible reason, where things aren’t done right, can’t be done right because some powers do not want them done right, where we are either physically fighting ourselves or fighting to stay alive. We are the most patient people I know, we don’t complain enough and even when we do we aren’t loud enough. We don’t blame people for their wrongs and hold them accountable, we don’t move, we don’t breathe, we live on luck, live by chance, live our lives on the line, always hungry, always lacking the basic things not because these things aren’t available but because we aren’t allowed to have them. So I wrote the Revolution as my own way of saying for the people what they are afraid to say.
LIBRETTO: Can you give us your favorite excerpt from the poem
Toby: LOL! I don’t have a favorite. Every bit of the poem means a lot to me.
LIBRETTO: Now, congratulations on your success as an ambassador of Heritage Bank Plc. How does it feel like for you to be ambassador of Heritage Bank Plc as a spoken word poet?
Toby: Thank You! It’s been a privilege to be able to say things that represent the Nigerian spirit, and to be able to do it for a body that takes the Nigerian Art and Literary space very seriously. It’s been a life changing process. I mean, I get into some spaces and people want to come around, want pictures, people call me their role model, people say I inspire them. It feels like a heavy responsibility sometimes but I’ve been able to walk through it.
LIBRETTO: You’ve been a Nigerian spoken word poet for a while. What was the challenges you faced in getting to where you are today?
Toby: Firstly, I am a shy person and I lack enough confidence to want to always showcase my works (maybe I used to). Those two things have been a major challenge. Then exposure to materials, books most especially. I mean, I live in Benin, a place where the most accessible literature are Christian books and Motivationals. I have to buy books from Lagos or Jos, which takes more money and time. Then having to always travel outside my State for slams, festivals, workshops etc, hasn’t been easy.
LIBRETTO: What do like to do when you’re not writing?
Toby: Sleep, watch or play football
LIBRETTO: Who are your favorite spoken word poets?
Toby: Efe Paul-Azino, Titilope Sonuga, Graciano Enwerem, Busisiwe Mahlangu, Rudy Francisco, Darius Simpson, Denice Frohman, Porsha Olayiwola, the list is endless.
LIBRETTO: Could you share with us one spoken word poem you’ve been most fascinated by? Tell us why and share favorite lines from it?
Toby: Darius Simpson’s Lost Voices. The way the poem was performed remains why I love it.
LIBRETTO: What can you say about upcoming young contemporary spoken word poets who intend to achieve more in spoken word?
Toby: Read more, write often, be confident and trust the process.
LIBRETTO: In less than thirty seconds, what are your best wears?
Toby: Jean, Shirts, and Sneakers. Hoodies too.
LIBRETTO: What does your family think of your writing?
Toby: They’re supportive. Surprised too.
LIBRETTO: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your writing?
Toby: That I can be shy in person but bold in writing and expressing same. Can be serious in person but funny and playful with my writing.
LIBRETTO: Spoken word poets have a way of describing their spoken word poems in rhymes. In not less than two minutes, how do you describe yours?
Toby: I would describe mine as taking the form which it ought to take. If it needs to rhyme I rhyme, if it doesn’t need to I won’t.
LIBRETTO: So, what are you working on next?
Toby: Working on my collection. And I’ve been running away from submitting poems to Journals, Magazines and the rest, right now I am preparing for submissions, for rejection and acceptance letters, a few failures and success stories.
LIBRETTO: Thank you for your time and your benevolence, Toby.
Toby: Thank You for having me.
Tobi Abiodun is a poet and spoken word artist born and raised in Benin City. His poetry cuts across the personal, social and political. Tobi is a multiple Slam Champion, holding titles in major Nigerian cities, including Lagos, Abuja and Portharcourt. His short story They Say He Had Eyes Like The Burning End Of A Cigarette was longlisted for the Poets in Nigeria prize for Short Fiction and published in the Odour Of Death Anthology. He was a guest at the 2019 editions of both the Poetry Africa Festival in Durban, South Africa and the Lagos International Poetry Festival in Lagos, Nigeria. His first poetry collection is scheduled to be released in 2020.