The Aireginan Dream
I was born a dreamer. From as far back as i can remember i would often seek out a quiet corner and think about impossibilities becoming possible. In my early twenties as i was confronted with the challenges of our great Country Nigeria, i began to dream again. What would it be like to have leaders who would rule this country with a sincere heart and a passion for the people.
Dreams confer faith and so i became a believer in the future of my Country and the possibility of prosperity of my people.
In November 2002, i was at a night vigil in London, when the Pastor of the Church - Charles Abraham said a word that touched me. "If we are not careful, we can accept the way our nation is and settle for less."
That did it for me. I decided to leave the realm of dreams and the realm of complaining / grumbling about what could or should be. I decided to be a written voice saying - if the American Dream can come true; If the Aireginan Dream can come true; then it is time for us in Nigeria to lift up our eyes and view our promised land.
The Aireginan Dream is all about possibilities. I hope you enjoy reading it
One is the curiosity which the title triggered. What dream? But as I perused the novel towards its tail end, I could see the dream, a new dawn, even though the word Aireginan remained such a strange name.
The second is the sense of aesthetics on the cover. Apart from the beautiful grayish yellow colours that indeed tend to herald the dawn of a new day, the picture of the young lady and her mood which carries an eloquent sobriety tend to give an insight into what to expect in this unique novel.
The author, Dupe Olorunjo divided her novel into three parts with 16 chapters spread over 242 pages.
But first, the Prologue which the writer, uses as a signature tune of politics in Africa. In this succinct fore-runner of the first chapter, the author presents President Jaje, his corrupt cabinet and their preoccupation with how to succeed themselves and how to hand over to their children and cronies.
As the group enter into an occultic blood covenant, the author shows their emptiness and vanity as they rise convinced that their political future and that of their children and even generations unborn were now settled and secured.
Part One of this evocative novel is what the author terms A Glimpse Of Reality. As I read Chapter One of this part, I could tell that a glimpse into Airegin is almost a fair peep into our dear country. (See full text under Book review Category
First, the people of Airegin suffer because of greed and basically the inability to make good use of the resources they have. Other countries, are not as rich in natural resource as Airegin yet they have wealthier economies. This situation is not peculiar to Airegin (Nigeria) as a country. It is common among individuals and not just Nigerians. When you are able to stop thinking about what you dont have and think more on what you have and how it can help you, you will be a better person, even better than others who seem to have more resources than you. The truth is, no individual is baren. Its just for him to be able to harness his natural wealth and put to good use the gifts in him. People dont beg because they're poor. They're poor because they beg. The real poverty people (and Nigeria) suffer from, is poverty of the mind. That's where we miss it and our seemingly less 'blessed' conterparts 'get' it.If we can change our mindset we will be rich on the inside and on the outside. People will no longer be servants where they can be masters.
First, this book is about my dream but it doesnt make sense to dream alone. There are 140 million other Nigerians and we will only get results if we have a collective dream to take us to the promised land. The Aireginan Dream is a mirror that we can stand before, locate ourselves and see what amends we need to make.
I also thought The Nigerian Dream sounds too pedestrian for the title of a book. I got a confirmation when I did a search on the net and found the phrase was all over the place. In addition, I believe the story has a relevance for all Africans on the continent and in Diaspora.
Somehow I also needed a name that will spark some curiosity and make a prospective reader pick up the book from a crowd of possibly a thousand other titles in a bookshop, hold it a long enough to take a decision to read.
Lastly, the title of the book is a code and for everyone, there is that moment of conquest when you are able to decode the meaning.