Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye
Although she is only 10 years old, but Anissa Moses-Saromi is a girl of many parts. She has carved a niche for herself in the world of creative arts.
She is an author, a crusader for improved reading culture and a motivation to her peers. She understands that success does not happen by chance but by hard work and perseverance.
She recently released of two short story collections titled; Because I Am… and Ricky’s Ridiculousness. In Because I Am…, Anissa tells the stories of children who overcome difficult circumstances and find success through diligence, determination and the kindness of strangers. She believes people are made to live better than average lives.
She wrote the book because she wanted to find the smartest way to share her philosophy of “Made for More” with as many children as possible. She has valuable words for her peers: “Have a goal and never give up until it is achieved.”
In Ricky’s Ridiculousness, she introduces readers to Ricky, a naughty but lovable nine-year-old, who gets into all kinds of mischief. This six-story collection is one that young and old will appreciate for its charming storytelling style, its adventure and its message. It will inspire many children to take up the art of writing, just as Anissa did at an exceptionally early age.
She said: “Ricky’s Ridiculousness is a collection of stories from several recounts she wrote in school, some of which earned earned her prizes for creative writing.” She decided to recreate the stories by making a book out of them to show the mischief children her age engage in, and the consequences that come with such acts of mischief.
Anissa is the recipient of several recognitions and awards for creative writing. An avid reader of fiction and biographies, she is passionate about influencing her world through her writings and message of “You can be more.” Her love for books and writing inspired her to start a book club where she enjoys reading, reviewing and sharing insights from books by award-winning authors with friends.
She told Daily Sun: “At the age of five, I saw a video of the youngest author in Africa, Michelle Nkamankeng. She was seven years old at that time, and I thought to myself, if she can write at the age of seven, so can I.
“Secondly, I come from a family that reads. My dad buys me more books than toys, and our family takes on a lot of reading challenges. I also attend a school that encourages a strong reading culture, creative writing and book reviews.
“An average Nigerian child is very talented, so I see a lot of hope for the Nigerian child. However, government needs to ensure that every Nigerian child is educated. No Nigerian child should be seen on the streets hawking or begging.
“Most of the stories in the books come from a collection of events and vacation recounts, as well as my creative writing collection that won me prizes at school. So, I decided to recreate them into fictional stories and assign them suitable characters.”
The 10-year-old author also spoke about COVID-19: “COVID-19 is a virus, which was declared a pandemic about four months ago. I know that COVID-19 started in Wuhan, China, and spread like wildfire across the globe with over 350,000 recorded deaths.
“The lockdown has affected me in many ways. Sadly, I have not been able to physically go to school and engage in outdoor activities like tennis, soccer and swimming. On a brighter note, however, I have adjusted to home-schooling, reading and writing more stories, learning new skills, such as gardening and trying out different baking and cooking recipes. So it’s all good!”
Anissa has a word for other children on how to maximize their childhood regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic: “My advice to them is to make the best of their childhood by identifying what they are good at, and pursuing it with all they have got. They should learn to dream big, believe in their dreams, chase those dreams and aspirations with every ounce of courage and determination, and achieve them because they are made for more.
“I also advise them to be God-fearing, respect your parents and always work hard to be a better version of yourself.
“On COVID-19, I would advise them to wash their hands and use sanitizers regularly, drink a lot of water, go out in the sun regularly to get Vitamin D, take walks around their neighbourhood and avoid crowded places.”
Anissa who said she misses physical school said: “Yes of course! I miss playing with my friends, doing outdoor sports and taking part in extracurricular activities. But it’s all good.”
On plans by the government to reopen the schools and the guidelines that have been listed, she said: “I will agree with the plans if they can guarantee our safety. The COVID-19 figures are still growing every day so I think it is a bit tricky to go back now.
“I will like to change my world and influence my generation positively through my message of ‘You can be more’. In addition to that, I want to be a best-selling author, speaker and a better version of Naomi Osaka, the tennis champion.”
The kid author is also concerned about children in the refugee camps in the North-East. She wants the government to “ensure that they have a habitable living environment and access to basic education. They should also make every effort possible to reunite them with their families.”
On her parents: “My parents are a huge influence to my becoming an author. My dad buys me more books than dolls and recommends books for me to read. My mum encourages me to write events and vacation recounts, and insists that I review every book I read.
“My big sister has also been a huge influence. When I was younger, I used to admire her handwriting and weekend journals, and aspired to write like her. So yes, every one of them influenced me in one way or another.”
Her favourite subjects are English Language, Music and Art and Design. And her hobbies including swimming, playing tennis, soccer, piano and trying out various baking and cooking recipes. She enjoys reading realistic, historical and science fictions, non-fiction, humour and sometimes biographies and fables.