The April 28 Guest Writer Session of
the Abuja Writers Forum, themed “Beyond the Bike” will spotlight
the literary side of two bikers and some current trends in
contemporary Mexican literature. The Mexican representation is
through Ambassador Alejandro Garcia Moreno Elizondo, while Ogbonnaya
Kanu and Osisiye Tafa will stand in for the biking community.
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| Moren |
Mr Alejandro Elizondo is a career
diplomat. He has been Mexico’s Consul in the Greater Seattle Area
of the United States Of America, and only recently took up his tour
of duty in Nigeria. He also presented his letter of credence to the
President of the ECOWAS Commission this montBorn in Zambia, raised in
Nigeria and Bulgaria and ridden around the world, Ogbonnaya Kanu also
known as ‘Fotodadi’ or ‘FD’, is a chemical engineer, avid
motorcycle adventurer and mechanical geek. His passion for
motorcycling keeps taking him to roads untraveled and newer heights.
In his over ten years of motorcycling,
Kanu has ridden motorcycles in over 30 countries of the world, with
his motorcycling exploits garnering him recognition both at home and
abroad. He is the only Nigerian to have participated in the challenge
for the Triple Crown Award in the USA, organized by the Southern
California Motorcycling Association undergoing three motorcycling tours in
the span of 5 weeks.
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| Kanu |
He is the only Nigerian to have ridden
from South Africa to Lagos, passing through seven countries. The trip
also saw him become the first and only Nigerian member of the Iron
Butt Association aka the world’s toughest riders.
He is also the first and only Nigerian
to have ridden from Lagos to Europe and back on amotorcycle, a
distance of over 16,000km. The details of his Lagos - Europe Tour
arepublished in his book, FD Breaking Limits: Road to Europe.
The second book in the FD Breaking
Limits series, Road Home From The South, waslaunched in May of 2017,
and chronicles the details of his adventure ride from SouthAfrica to
Lagos.
Proceeds from the sales of the books,
are channelled to a foundation he co-founded -The Fotodadi Foundation
(aka FD Foundation) - which awards scholarships to orphansand
fatherless children from primary through to first degree level.
Kanu is currently the highest certified
motorcycle instructor in Nigeria, having completedLevels 1 & 2
training at the California Superbike School, UK; Levels 1 & 2 GS,
BMW OffRoad Skills, and Lee Parks Total Control course.
He is also a strong advocate of safe
motorcycling practices and is at the forefront ofchanging the general
negative perception of bikers and what they stand for.
He co-runs the Ride Easy Super Bike
Training School in Ikeja, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of
the Ride Easy Motorcycling Club.
Kanu is the MD of Seindeo Limited - a
company offering water treatment and conditioning services.
Osisiye Tafa describes himself as “a
mix of acoustics by Rick Rubin, acid house sound, and skanking
vocals”.
He grew up in six states of Nigeria and
currently lives in Lagos, Nigeria with his mutt, Simba and two
rabbits, Labake and Cardamom. When he is not riding around town on
his café racer, he documents the cityscapes in writing on TinyLetter
where he chronicles popular culture, city living and opinions.
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| Tafa |
His debut novel titled Sixty Percent of
a True Story is a work of creative non-fiction which chronicles
campus living from the eyes of three undergraduates in the University
of Lagos. He also write on lifestyle and the political economy and
has had articles published on The Guardian, Businessday newspapers
and Bella Naija.
Tafa was a participant at the Short
Story Day Africa/Goethe Migrations Flow Workshop hosted by Short
Story Day Africa and the Goethe Institut in June 2016. Writers were
selected from a rigorous process based on writing entries submitted.
He practices candid photography and
themes constantly explored in his work include childhood, friendship,
nature, physical form, and biking. He has had a well-received
photography exhibition exploring childhood as part of the Goethe
Institute FotoParty on Saturday, May 7, 2016 at City Hall, Lagos.
Tafa loves to organize events which
combine art forms like music, dance, food, technology and spoken word
poetry, and is currently interested in travel, the subconscious, and
spirituality.
The Guest Writer Session, an initiative
of the Abuja Writers Forum, started in June 2008 and holds at the Aso
Hall of Nanet Suites. Each edition runs from 4-7pm featuring side
attractions of poetry performance, a raffle-draw for books and live
music.
