From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
It was a moment of chit chat, relaxation and exhalation as women under age 40 had an open conversation about love, life, sex, sexuality, reality, fantasy and other intimate conversations
The open conversation which was put together by the Musketeer Tribe in partnership with Girlfriends for Life Initiative was on a guide book, collection of love letters, titled;14 Letters to Lazy Lovers on Valentine’s Day, Jude’s Reply and Ayaemi’s Bliss.
Speaking with our correspondent, after the open discussion, the author of the trilogy of love letters Dr Ebidenyefa Tarila Nikade, said as a writer it has been an amazing experience for her to see women under 40 coming together, having conversations with her directly about the book.
According to her, open conversations are centered around life and issues raised in the book, such as how love affects life as human beings and surviving without love as well as living without love.
Dr Nikade, while disclosing that what inspires her in writing is not money but getting feedback on how impactful her works are to the society, added that as a writer you should have an impact on others with your books to demonstrate you are not writing for yourself.
“When the works go out and come back with so much exciting reviews, gigantic reviews, people read it and learn lessons from it, it speaks to their conscience, so it’s been entertaining, exciting and learning experience, I am excited, I feel rewarded, feel fulfill having these women under 40, having conversations, read the book and talk to me directly.”
Dr Nikade who emphasized that the book has been impactful as it encourages men and women to live well, noted that for the women it will enable them to realize themselves, become more self aware, confident and understand their self worth.
The moderator event, Mrs Thelma Ibegu, also harped on how impactful the open conversations were by reflecting on issues raised on the book and how impactful the book is to shaping the society.
Her words ” We looked at the books and tried to reflect on the issues raised in the book, they say literature mirror society, we are trying to see ourselves how we could relate with what the characters in the book were going through or if we disagree with their position taking in the book, I think it was a good conversation among ladies under 40, people had different opinions to share.
One of the participants at the event, Mrs Okeoghene Fobiri, said she learned a lot from the books, noting that love can come in varieties, so one doesn’t need to look down on anyone, learn to heal and move on.