A book titled ‘Water Baby’ was published this year 2024.
A book reading event was hosted by the author, in Lagos.
An author, Chioma Okereke, said she was inspired to write her new book ‘Water Baby,’ while watching a food program which took place within the Makoko community.
Recently, the book, ‘Water Baby,’ was read at the Roving Heights bookstore, Victoria Island by Okereke where she invited a lot of fans and the press.
“What inspired the novel was when I was watching a food program which took place within the Makoko community. I was fascinated by the settings which were just so atmospheric,” she said.
She had watched this American navigate his way through Makoko in a way that she had never thought of doing herself.
“I got confronted by my ignorance and went to do my research about the community. Watching that program, I had this snapshot of the character which was Baby so I knew I was going to write her story whatever her story was going to be, So, that’s what inspired the book,” Okereke said.
Okereke also said, if she was to describe the novel in one word, she would say it was a coming-of-age tale, of Baby on the precipice of adulthood, questioning her purpose in life.
She said the book covered key issues, from climate change to lots of human issues, and digitisation, not just Baby’s journey.
“I hope it benefits people in Makoko in that it humanises their experience. Sometimes we don’t think about people that live in that community. So, I hope that by humanising Baby’s story and others in that, we see them as real people navigating the world just like yourself. I hope it inspires the government to see that there are real changes that can be made to allow people to live comfortably and to improve Nigeria as a whole, because Makoko is part of Lagos, whether you like it or not,” Okereke said.
Okereke is a Nigerian-born poet, author, and short story writer with her works appearing in various publications.
Her debut novel was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize and her short story received a first runner-up in the inaugural Costa Short Story Awards.
She divides her time between Lagos, London and France.
