When did the issue of climate change get personal for you?

Agaigbe: I noticed the change in the atmosphere long ago, but it wasn’t deliberate, until recently when the awareness campaign about it has been intensified. The excess heat, flood, drought e.t.c. have been there but I didn’t know they were caused by human carelessness, and they can be controlled by the same human beings whose activities are causing them.

There is a strong presence of nostalgia in your story. Could this sense of nostalgia be of loss or hope?

Agaigbe: The pang of nostalgia in my story reflects the old days of serenity, innocence and naturalness. The memories shared in my story can be of loss of the raw earth, scenery and refreshing atmosphere on one hand, and the other, a deliberate depiction of the green that slipped away from us with the hope that such beauty can be regained if we check our activities and how we relate with nature. You have to show the people the beauty they have destroyed in order to inspire them to repair it. So, I think the strong wave of nostalgia in my story is majorly for hope of regaining the lost glory.

What inspired your story for The Green We Left Behind nonfiction anthology?

Agaigbe: My story is inspired by my grandmother’s curiosity to protect the environment around her. In as much as she was not learned, her campaign on climate change had so much influence on me. One of the functions of Literature is to educate. Literature is the mirror of life, people, culture and humanity. If the image of human activities and the attendant ordeals are portrayed in Literature, it will hold the message firmly. Nonfiction or reality fiction is one of the media I think as a writer, I can use to project the message of climate change to the general audience, especially the youths.

As an artist, how are you able to merge beauty in language with such a dire theme on climate change?

Agaigbe: Words are like paint. If you mix and apply them well, there was no image they would not craft. I think there should be aesthetics in Literature regardless of the theme. This is because the beauty of the language is what holds the impatient audience and keeps them to suck the message. Besides, there’s no theme that would not find expression in the vast linguistic repertoire of literally depiction. Of course, in dealing with this kind of theme, one has to deep into imagery and all that.

As you release your story to the world, what is your wish or hope for the story?

Agaigbe: There’s radical Literature that should stir up positive reaction from the audience. Such a literally piece should pass a message of duty and reawakening. Thus, as the audience read a depiction of nostalgic memories from my story, they should be inspired to rise up to contribute to the world or environmental expert’s campaign on climate change around us. To me, that’s even the essence of any form of writing.

Aside writing, how else do you intend to contribute towards curbing climate change?

Agaigbe: Already, I have joined the campaign on climate change. Charity begins at home, and I have taken the campaign against bush burning, deforestation and so on. I am also planning to initiate a platform for climate change awareness campaign or sponsor one.

Biography

Agaigbe Uhembansha is an experienced and passionate English Language teacher. He is a graduate of English Language from the University of Abuja. Currently, he is running a Master’s Degree, also in the English Language with Nasarawa State University Keffi. He is a staff of The NAOWA College Asokoro, Abuja, where he serves as the Vice Principal for Academic affairs.