Chimnemezu Nwaeze is a young creative writer and poet. He shares with our correspondent, Mercy Ezeokonkwo about his background, what purpose means to him and how he overcame limiting beliefs. Excerpts:
May our readers know you?
Chimnemezu Nwaeze is a multitalented elegant young mind, a social activist and a creative writer cum Youth Emancipator with the quintessence ‘VINEPAUL’. He’s the Global youth Leader of Imo network Group ING, founder/ lead Administrator Wake Up Africa Initiative, the board president of VISIONEERS ENTER-CREATIVE WORLD INTERNATIONAL, VIEWORLD INT’L, CEO Fashionpreneur int’l (all affiliated to Wake Up Africa Initiative, (wakeupafricaorg.wordpress.com); He is creatively innovative towards African social realism. Chimnemezu Nwaeze is a poet, novelist, and dramatist from Njaba, Imo state, Nigeria. A graduate of English language and Literary studies from the prestigious University of Nigeria Nsukka, a member of Association of Nigerian Authors ANA Imo state and FCT Abuja chapters. His works have appeared in many national and international literary prints like the European ENVOI 2020, NASELS NIGERIA Poetry and prose literary anthology 2018, ANA IMO ‘OGENE’ Creative anthology 2020 etc. “Angles of Life” was his first literary outburst published in 2012.
What does purpose mean to you?
Simply put, for me purpose means identifying, refining and defining your God’s given talents, skills, Vocation etc to leave a message in the sands of the time of your existence so that even when you go beyond you will still live in deed, in the world’s mind, mouth, pen and paper which I call the ‘deities of muse’.
Did your background affect who you are and what you do currently?
Not at all, it makes me to apply the concept of the last push in all I do, so as to do common things uncommonly and as such makes me know that the aim is to succeed and nothing less.
Smiles, sincerely, I had always thought big right from my teenage times, I would say I grew up without parental love, not that I didn’t have parents but because I didn’t grow up with them. Growing up I had a lot of restrictions at home I stayed, no interactions, I was always bitter because of the things said about me and my immediate family, but you know one thing I was always celebrated at school because of my leadership and creative ability. I discovered I was gifted despite growing up from the slum according to them, because I grew up in Ajegunle where they called and still call a slum, but the slum made me understand that since I saw everything that would have made me useless but became even better, the fear of facing reality has been overcome. I overcame the fear by facing reality.
If you’re given everything it takes to do what you want, what would you do?
As tactical as this question looks, if it’s possible to change the mentality of African Youths to wake up to the reality that they can become what they want through their skills, talent, vocation and positivity instead of involving in cyber Crime, and other forms of stealing. I just wish every young person could learn a skill, a vocation and this will help to identify, refine and define their God’s given talents on time.
I sincerely wish I could be a world of ‘enter-creativity’ where ideas of every form of skill, vocation, talent would be harnessed and help grow, like a practical university of talent and creativity of every form ranging from science, art and other aspects of life which is what Wake Up Africa cum Visioneers ‘enter-creativity’ world is all about.
Did you at any point in time, have limiting beliefs? If yes, what did it take you to break free?
Well, I faced my reality from childhood, I learnt indoor and outdoor hard work, I started reading at primary (basic) 5. It was like a miracle. I thought I wouldn’t go anywhere academically until I started reading by pronouncing the miraculous word (Kewe) the name of one of my female’s class mates in primary 5. The name that opened my head and I began to doubt less of myself. I even became smarter than most of my intelligent class mates who were my friends as at primary 5 third term that they made me a class captain and prefect in primary six after I became first in an internal exams that had primary 4,5,and 6 pupils participated in anticipation of the finale at the LGA.
Finishing Senior Secondary School as a celebrated student, who won honors for his school and was awarded by his school whilst been sent off. After all that, I was kind of afraid not having the opportunity to further my education because of finance and not until after I went back home, published first Novel ‘Angles Of life’ that my immediate family swore to make sure I get a university education because I was gifted. That was how I overcame and ever since then I have believed that one’s background cannot make him or her to lie on the ground.
How did this new creation Visioneers Enter-Creative World International enter your mind the very first time and how old is VIEWORLD INT’L?
The muse for VIEWORLD INT’L came on when I was invited to lead the Literary and debating Society Club during Lagos State literary week in 2012. The Activities there inspired me to a creative world where young people can come together and teach me self-skills and lots like I had said above. VIEWORLD INT’L started on the 27 January in Imo state.
Leave a word for the Nigerian Youths.
It’s time to stop answering Leaders of tomorrow, 10 years ago was also yesterday, our founding fathers were 24,25 and the oldest was 29, they did their part. It’s our turn to make or destroy it, or work well together with the right attitude. Let’s get positively involved.
