Wana Udobang is a multimedia journalist who is recognised in the creative arts, performance arts and culture sector in Nigeria. Her works have been featured on many media outlets such as The Guardian UK, Al-Jazeera, and The Huffington Post. She is involved in charity work and is a staunch Human Rights advocate who has spoken on many issues with Women’s Rights as her main focus. No doubt, one of Nigeria’s most popular spoken- word poets, we asked Wana about the books that changed her life. Check out her pick!
Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee
I was completely enthralled by the nuance and subtlety of Disgrace. I often describe the feeling of reading it as a body buried in a shallow grave which wasn’t embalmed properly. So you walk around with the smell right beneath your nostrils…
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie
When I read this book, I think it was the simplicity of the voice and the mutterings in Igbo that got to me. There is something about reading a book when the voices sound familiar to you. I think it was this book that got me reading again.
Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth by Warsan Shire
This chapbook of poetry is everything. Her words pierce, they sink, and they marinade in your system. Warsan’s writing is deep and nuanced. The connectivity with her words is almost mystical for me.
This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz
The first time I encountered his work all I thought was:“are you allowed to write like this”? The style of his prose sets me free.
Blue Ocean Strategyby Renée Mauborgne and W. Chan Kim
This is a business book, but it really taught me about consolidating my talents and added value. That changed my thinking both as a creative person and an entrepreneur.
Intrigued and itching to know more about Wana and her work? Head on to www.wanawana.net.
