Interview with Adeleke, A Poet and Songwriter Who Uses Words To Uplift & Inspire

Adeleke is a songwriter and poet based in Nigeria. Last year, I stumbled across his blog and was deeply moved by how he used poetry to encourage and uplift his readers. Later we did a short story collaboration about the #ENDSARS movement in Nigeria.

So, tell me about yourself.

I am a writer, educator and tech enthusiast. I like to create intentional influence with my words. For me, words are not just a combination of sounds that communicate meaning; they are supernatural forces that can create light, love and life. I write because I believe that the dying world needs life-giving words. I like to say that I am a product of God’s mercies.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

 I found myself in a literature class, and the poem “Ours To Plough and Not To Plunder” by Niyi Osundare was reviewed that day. I believe that the title of the poem struck a chord down deep in my spirit.

When I was in elementary school, I loved to write, but the pressures I faced growing up didn’t give me the needed boost to maximize my full potential.

I started writing essays and articles when I was in high school because it gave me a sense of pride and fulfilment.  I was in the commercial department in high school, so the literature was not a compulsory subject for me.

Still, since I had a natural flair for literature, I found myself in a literature class, and the poem “Ours To Plough and Not To Plunder” by Niyi Osundare was reviewed that day. I believe that the title of the poem struck a chord down deep in my spirit. After that day, I started exploring and writing poetry.

To date, I have won four international poetry awards on Poetrysoup.com. I have also won cash prizes and made a lot of resourceful friends through poetry.

You write a lot of inspiring poems that has encouraged many people, including me. Was there ever a time that you felt discouraged, and if yes, has your poetry served to uplift you too?  

The thorns of neglect and emotional abuse left some scars on my heart, and I realised early enough that writing was not just a skill I developed out of the blues but a God-given pill that I need to keep deploying and dispensing to heal myself and everyone around me. 

The title of the first poem I wrote was – ‘Hope for Tomorrow‘.

Poetry, for me, is a form of medicine and a miracle. It is a home and sanctuary. I believe that every purpose-driven poet is a prophet and therapist.  

I was raised by a single mother. Growing up was very tough for me and my siblings.

We had to hawk different items from our childhood days to feed ourselves and raise money for our education, while our mother did many menial jobs to give us the best education she could afford.

The thorns of neglect and emotional abuse left some scars on my heart, and I realised early enough that writing was not just a skill I developed out of the blues but a God-given pill that I need to keep deploying and dispensing to heal myself and everyone around me. 

So, every time I get inspired to write, I always find a way to convey hope, healing, love and light through my pieces. I think I get encouraged more by people’s feedback.

For example, a woman from the US once sent me a message that she was really blessed by a poem I wrote about suicide prevention; she asked if I have a book that she could give to her granddaughter who was suicidal at that time. Feedback like this encourages me to keep moving. I am encouraged that God is using my words to heal and help people across the globe.  

What is a typical day like for you?

I spend a vital part of my day at work, and by default, Lagos traffic sometimes takes 3 to 5 hours of my day.

My day starts with prayers or meditation as the case may be. I hardly have time for breakfast because I have to set out by 5:30 am. As an educator and administrator, I spend a vital part of my day at work, and by default, Lagos traffic sometimes takes 3 to 5 hours of my day so I find myself reading and writing in between. I only get to relax on weekends though I do side gigs and volunteer on most weekends. 

How often do you write – is it every day or a few times a week? 

I write almost every day on different platforms. I use writing prompts to inspire me to write. They also give me various avenues to reach different audiences. For example, I write short quotes and poems on Yourquote.in; I also save many drafts there. It has an amazing UI/UX that helps me write easily and quickly. I also write and publish periodically on my WordPress blog.

Do you find that there is so much going on around you that you can’t help but have something new to write about every day? 

I believe that God often uses pain to produce purpose. He often creates an oasis out of crises. So when strange things are happening, I pay attention to what God is saying and draw my inspiration from it’.

I have realised that the human brain simply can’t comprehend the complexities of our world. We always need to explore the divine dimension of our lives to fine-tune our passion and find purpose.

I draw inspiration mostly from meditation. I believe that God often uses pain to produce purpose. He often creates an oasis out of crises. So when strange things are happening, I pay attention to what God is saying and draw my inspiration from it. I also draw inspiration from music, movies and written words. 

Can you tell me a little about your book, whispers of winners

Before I published Whispers of Winners, a lot of folks challenged me to write a book. In a bid to do that, I put together some of my poems to form two manuscripts, but I discovered that there was no particular purpose for those manuscripts because they were merely products of my desire to be an author.

Between 2017 and 2018, I became terribly depressed and I couldn’t help myself. In September 2019, I was all alone for about a week, struggling not to drown in the ocean of depression, on a particular evening, beautiful positive words started popping up in my spirit. I felt the nudging of the Holy Spirit to start writing them down. Later I felt God saying that those words are for my book.  

The book, Whispers of Winners, was meant to be published in the first quarter of 2020, that was when COVID-19 struck. By the time I published the book in the second quarter of the year, there was total lockdown but to my amazement, I didn’t get depressed despite the loneliness I felt then.

Writing the book ushered me into complete healing from depression. I believe that the book has been a source of hope and healing for a lot of people. However, whispers of winners is not a book but a vision; we are already putting things in place to set the vision in motion.

Before I published Whispers of Winners, a lot of folks have challenged me to write a book. In a bid to do that, I put together some of my poems to form two manuscripts, but I discovered that there was no particular purpose for those manuscripts because they were merely products of my desire to be an author. Now, I am grateful to God for making me an ambassador of bliss, not just an author of books.

Do you have any plans to publish more books in the future? 

I have the vision to create a platform where people all over the world will have access to healing words (spoken and written) on demand.

Yes, but beyond books, I have the vision to create a platform where people worldwide will have access to healing words (spoken and written) on demand. I believe that this bleeding world needs healing words, and a cracking world needs building words. I believe that technology will be at the centre of this vision. With the evils going on globally, we need to keep amplifying the sounds of love, life, light, healing and hope.

In addition to writing poems, you also write songs. How did you get into songwriting?  

I have written over 10 songs for two artists, one of them is a Nigerian gospel musician, and the other person is a European music expert.

I focused solely on writing poems until I met a music technologist who saw my potential and gave me a much-needed push. To date, I have written over 10 songs for two artists, one of them is a Nigerian gospel musician, and the other person is a European music expert who saw one of my poems online and sent me an email requesting to work with me. It’s a great experience exploring these similar skills.

Adeleke can be found on Instagram as @adeleke_adeite and while you are at it, check out his blog too.