Yejide Kilanko was born in Ibadan, a city in south-western Nigeria. She read just about anything she could lay her hands on and that love for reading led her to poetry writing when she was twelve.  After a big, loud, African wedding, she joined her husband in Maryland, USA. For a decade she stayed home to raise their three children, moved to Canada and went back to school to become a social worker.

Yejide started writing her debut novel, Daughters Who Walk This Path, in 2009 and it was published in Canada (2012) and in the USA (2013). Yejide lives in Chatham, Ontario with her family. "Daughters Who Walk This Path" was shortlisted for the 2016 Nigeria Prize for Literature.

Thank you so much for doing this. Since we last spoke in 2014 about your book ‘Daughters who walk this path, what have you been up to?

I’ve been living, juggling my many hats, learning and writing. In addition to writing novels, I write short stories and poetry. This year, I re-published my novella, Chasing Butterflies. My first picture book, There Is An Elephant In My Wardrobe, is coming out in the fall. I also completed two adult fiction manuscripts. Life has been busy but good.

How much of the world did Daughters open to you?

Daughters brought and still brings beautiful people and experiences into my life. Even though I’ve always been a determined person, it solidified the belief that great things can happen if you choose to dig deep and try.

You have chosen to write about strong themes which resonate with people. How do you get inspiration to write?

I usually write about things I’m processing for myself. I write about things I know, things I don’t know or things I want to know more about. A random sentence in my head, a visual, a song or a conversation have all but sparked a story idea or a poem.

Mental health in children is something else you do, as a parent are you worried that African parents don’t prioritize the health of their children? What are some of the challenges African children face here in Canada?

 

Based on my relationship with other African parents, I think a majority of us don’t prioritize the mental health wellbeing of our children. We believe that once we provide their material needs or wants, our children should be satisfied with their life. We’re living in tough times. Children, like adults, are impacted by stress and need to be taught the right coping strategies. We're not going to know what's going on with our children if we don't have honest and open conversations with them.

African children in Canada live in a predominantly Caucasian society, and that makes them vulnerable to the challenges experienced by marginalized populations, i.e. discrimination, over-representation in the child welfare system, criminal justice system, etc. I know many people are convinced racism is not a significant issue in Canada. I disagree with that position. I think it’s just more covert than overt.

How big in your opinion would you reckon domestic violence is within the African community in Canada?

I don’t know what the stats are with regards to domestic violence in the African Canadian community. I do know one in five women living in Canada experience some form of abuse in their intimate relationships. One can infer from that statistic that women from our community must also experience domestic violence. In my opinion, one woman experiencing domestic violence is one woman too many.

Chasing Butterflies, was that book written from a personal perspective or from a collection of stories of people close to you.

Chasing Butterflies is not my domestic violence story. As part of my work with children and their families, I’ve had conversations with women experiencing domestic violence. One of the questions people often ask is, why does a woman choose to stay in the relationship? I’d wanted to explore some of the complications associated with this decision making process.

 Where can we find Chasing Butterflies?

Chasing Butterflies is available on Amazon, Kobo, iTunes and from other fine book retailers. 

You can connect with Yejide Kilanko here

Connect with Yejide Kilanko:
Website: www.yejidekilanko.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YejideKilankoAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/YejideKilanko
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yejidekilank

 

We found the trailer of Daughters here: