In the Spotlight: Enitan Ige
Enitan Ige is a Poet, Feminist, and Mental Health Advocate, residing in Nigeria. Her debut collection of poetry, Storms and Magic (2020), is a powerful ode to her heritage, identity, feminism, self-love, mental health, and taking up space in a world that seeks to shrink you down.
I had the joy of not only reviewing her collection but interviewing her (via socially-distanced email) and discussing some of her influences, what it means to be a feminist in Nigeria today, and how her own life experiences led her down the healing path of poetry.
Storms and Magic is a powerful collection, covering a broad range of connected themes. I found many of your poems to be very transitional, documenting your early experiences with love and the lessons learned from them. I really connected with this movement from girlhood to womanhood that is present throughout, and I’m curious about when you first started writing the collection and what ages they span in your life?
I wrote Storms and Magic in the span of about a year. It’s the result of all the bottled up feelings I held for a long time. The issue wasn't even about my sitting down to write (I wrote about so many things all the time but not the struggle I was going through). It was about knowing how to put it into words in the right way. I remember crying through a lot of nights at a point in my life when I seriously thought I couldn't do relationships anymore. Like really, no form of relationship, at all. I just wanted to ‘not exist in the lives of people’.
It's crazy because just when I felt the healing break through my walls, I found myself writing. Not just writing but actually writing about what I was going through, just the way it was. No fictional seasoning added. Once I started, it all kept pouring out of me.
You realise people feel more of the energy of your work when you let go and simply let the vulnerability lead you.
Part two of the collection, ‘And Magic’, has a strong redemptive quality to many of the verses. I read this as though you were reaching out to your younger self, and all younger female selves, to offer reassurance and wisdom. Was this intentional? Do you have a specific audience in mind when writing your poems?
I like to think of that section as therapeutic messages I unconsciously wrote to myself. When I decided to compile the collection, I noticed those poems were a message to other young women just like me. I thought, ‘I wrote them for me but really, there has to be someone out there who may need this too’. Going through my journal, I remember labelling some poems, categorizing them, and now they sit under the section in the collection ‘And Magic’.
I wrote those poems to myself and was crazy happy about the idea that someone needed those words too. Sharing a few on social media has helped to clear my doubts. They were more than worthy of being shared.
Feminism and feminist perspectives came across very strongly in your work. Would you consider yourself a feminist, and how important is this for you in your poetry?
Yes. I am a feminist. A strong one if I may add! I don't think a girl who grows up in a Nigerian Society has a choice; especially when her dreams clash with unwritten societal laws and beliefs. I grew up witnessing victims of rape and all kinds of abuse getting blamed for what they went through:
‘She wore something tempting. What was she doing outside at that time? Girls should not leave the house when it's dark. It was her fault that he beat her up. Doesn't she know he's a man and she should just shut up even though she's right?’
It's complete madness when you think about it. You are accused of being a whore when you’re young if you don't marry early. Your aunties and mother advise you to let your husband treat you like trash because ‘he's the head of the family’. That he has every right to stop you from working and that you should just be a full-time housewife.
Things like this can make a girl not want to have anything to do with men. There are a lot of things I disagree with and, of course, I’ve had and continue to have a lot of arguments with people for it. My poems are another way, my way, of standing up for equality between men and women in society. Of standing up for the full rights of women.
Many of your poems centre around your heritage and identity, and you touch on how black and brown female bodies, their trauma and pain, are often eroticised. I found many of your lines powerful calls to take up space and embrace unique beauty. Why do you think society is so obsessed with female bodies in this way? I’m also curious about your work as a mental health advocate and what advice you have for others navigating these complex feelings? Is your poetry an important component in this respect?
Well, I want to believe we both know what it's like to be in the midst of friends you feel are better than you. A friend of mine - a guy - once told me it's normal for women to feel they’re in competition with each other. Now, I won't say I agree with him completely (I definitely do not agree with the normalcy part), but let's be realistic, the comparison issue is REAL.
A few years ago, I was involved in an accident with fire. I still have the scars to this day. Very visible scars on both arms and legs (it's a mystery my face shows no sign of burns). So you can just imagine what happened to the shy, timid girl who was always fighting to be good enough and to fit in. I completely lost it. I cut everybody off. I didn't leave my house for almost two years. My friends were all wondering what happened to me. I just couldn't face the world. I was too ugly, too thin, too tall and now I had fire scars. I hated myself. I was too scared to look at my body. I ended up being diagnosed with Depersonalisation Derealisation Disorder (DPRD). I literally dropped out of what was supposed to be my first year in university and I hated the world on top of everything.
I was already a writer before then and I kept writing. It became my way of reaching within myself and ripping out all the wrong things, All the wrong feelings.
With my experience, I’ve been able to reach out to people also going through mental health issues, self-love issues, just everything I know I can help with because I’ve been there and come out the other side.
So yes, it all connects through my poetry.
Aside from your personal experiences, where else do you draw your inspiration from? Are there any other poets you credit with putting you on this path and how do they influence your work?
Okay, I can't answer this question without first pointing out how amazing Hannah Brencher is. She's literally my mentor/role model. Everything about my writing was harnessed by years of faithfully following her. Other writers I love are Chimamanda Adichie Ngozi, Rupi Kaur, Upile Chisala, Yrsa Daley Ward… the list is too long! They all inspire me.
Mostly because we write about the same things I think; mental health, self-love, love, feminism. It's like finding your literary twin. They are really good writers too. No joke.
Many of our readers on Write Or Die Tribe are keen to hear from writers about their processes and how they approach their work. Do you have any specific routines you adhere to, to encourage your writing? Or any general advice for other aspiring poets?
I can't emphasize this enough: find your own unique voice and style.
Don't let anyone deceive you into believing there's a ‘right’ way to write poetry. There isn't. You have to find what works for you and if your heart tells you ‘yes this is something you can call a poem’, the believe it. Trust me. You won't be disappointed.
Also, write every day. Share your work once in a while and don't forget to love what you do.
Enitan Ige is a Poet, Feminist, and Mental Health Advocate, residing in Nigeria. Her debut collection of poetry, Storms and Magic (2020), is a powerful ode to her heritage, identity, self-love, mental health, and taking up space in a world that seeks to shrink you down. She is a lover of a good choco-malt, small communities and inspiring spaces, good poems, art, and photos, as well as being a self-proclaimed foodie. You can find her on Instagram, @eniitani, and reach her via email: enitanige.blogger@gmail.com
About Interviewer
Elaine is a freelance writer and editor from London, currently residing in Tasmania. She is passionately interested in the ways in which we can learn from our experiences to become more authentic versions of ourselves, and believes in the power of words to connect. She's also obsessed with showing you photos of her Dachshund puppy. You can find her on Instagram @cestelaine
