Author of ‘Shielding the Spirit of a Continent: An Existential Argument for the Restitution of African Cultural Heritage?’ Desola Olaleye, wants people to understand that fighting for the restitution of African cultural artefacts is not a misplaced priority: ‘I wish more people would understand that the people fighting for the restitution of African cultural artefacts are not doing it because they are bored or because of misplaced priorities. This movement forms a crucial part of the decolonisation process.’
First Draft is our interview column, featuring authors and other prominent figures on books, reading, and writing.
Our questions are italicized. Editor's note: This interview is available in our print issue, A New Chapter for African Artefacts?. Buy the issue here.
What books or kinds of books did you read growing up?
As a child I was surrounded by business books and self-help literature with a particular focus on finance and emotional intelligence. My father worked as a banker and later as a strategy consultant, and my mother owned a bakery in Lagos. So, they cared a lot about business and management and believed their children should read books that would teach them how to think smartly and cultivate habits necessary for fuelling profitable endeavours. Because of my parents’ desire to raise children who could become productive individuals, I found myself unable to escape books like Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and Tony Robbins’ Awaken the Giant Within. Beyond self-help books, I read Nigerian storybooks. My grandfather would take me and my siblings to Baba Odu Bookshop on Adelabu Street in Surulere where we lived. There, I would find stories about young Nigerian characters.
As a teenager, while attending high school in the UK, I started reading books for myself...
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