As a director and writer, I want to bring together like minds to tell unmasked stories of marginalized people like my self without borders.
New Book
Words in My Head expresses the experiences of love, sex and sadness and how each feeling revolves around one another. This book leads readers through the mixed feelings of a young boy who hides alone in a world unknown to those around him. His experiences living in various parts of Nigeria and eventually moving to New York City to find space for himself, gave birth to words expressed in captivating and thought-provoking poetry. Explore the thoughts of Ayodeji who discovers that the search for love and sex also leads to sadness and madness.
Cursed Child
I am the cursed child
I questioned the statutes of the society
I am the rebel that repudiated religion
Even in the pool of fear I spoke my mind
I do not associate with tepid, must be hot or cold
In the presence of light, I challenged evil
Love is love; all men are equal, gasped!
Tell that to the scars on the back of my ancestors
Empowered by the melanin I carry
The beautiful poison to your soul.
A Woman’s Religion
This ritual was my drug
Prescribed by him — my lord
He owns me, he knows me
He and he alone have the authority.
He slaps me when I make mistakes
He punches me when I disobey
I asked my mother if there was a way
She told me “she worshipped in this same church”
The only way is to cling to my prayers and songs
And obey the statutes created by him and his kinds
My father, My grandfather and great grandfather
This is our religion, this is our faith
He provided me with poison, and I swallow
my tears turn him on, and he gets excited
I dare not say no!
with the pain in my stomach
and my teary eyes, I received my messiah
He forced his hoe into my dry land
“Ayodeji Otuyelu takes us deep into the words and worlds in his head, taking us on a lyrical journey through the vast terrain of human emotions; desire, ambition, lust, fear, anger, jealousy, joy and sorrow are expressed in a depth of words and imagery.”
Genara Necos
Author of Invasions of the Heart and The Swans in the Hyde Park
