Dami Ajayi

Dami Àjàyí (born 1986) is a Nigerian of Yoruba descent. He is a poet, medical doctor, essayist and music critic. He co-founded Saraba Magazine in 2008.[1] He is the author of two collections of poetry and a chapbook.

Dami Àjàyí
Born
Damilola Ajayi

1986 (age 35–36)
Warri, Nigeria
NationalityNigerian
Alma materObafemi Awolowo University
OccupationWriter, medical doctor, critic
Years active2006 - till date
Known forMusic Reviews, Poetry And Essay
Notable work
A Woman's Body Is a Country
Websitewww.damiajayi.com

Biography

Dami Àjàyí was born in Nigeria in 1986. While he was an undergraduate of medicine at the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, he co-founded Saraba Magazine with another student.[2] He also cofounded media outlets The Lagos Review and YabaLeft Review, with writers Toni Kan and Tunji Olalere respectively.

He was featured in the two-part BBC Radio 4 documentary, Writing a New Nigeria [3]

Poetry

In 2011, he was listed among the "Eight Young Nigerian Poets Whose Poems Delight" on the Sentinel UK Poetry Blog[4] His first collection of poems, Clinical Blues, was shortlisted (in manuscript form) for the Melita Hume Prize in 2012.[5][6] It was published by WriteHouse in 2014, and was longlisted for the biennial Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa.[7][8]

In 2017, his second collection of poetry, A Woman's Body is a Country, was published by Ouida Books)[9] Of the work, Ajayi says "I wanted my book to show how the noun "affection" becomes a verb, and in my attempt I was drawing from a personal reservoir, hoping that my experiences are singular as well as universal."[10] He has been described as one who "writes about love like liquor that drowns a person into his or her feelings."[11]

Prose and criticism

Ajayi has written short stories that have been published in Nigeria and abroad. He currently provides critical reviews about Nigerian music to a number of online publications.[12][13][14][15][16]

He was also one of the editors of the anthology, From Limbe to Lagos : NonFiction from Cameroon and Nigeria which was the result of a writing workshop held in Limbe[17] for young African writers.

Books
  • Clinical Blues (2014)
  • A Woman's Body is a Country (2017)

References
  1. "The Last Good Book I Read... Dami Ajayi (Poet) A Stranger's Pose by Emmanuel Iduma". Daily Trust. 7 September 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  2. Guest, Africa in Words (26 February 2021). "Q&A: Words on the Times – Dami Ajayi". Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  3. "BBC Radio 4 - Writing a New Nigeria - Meet the authors".
  4. "Citadel of Life". citadeloflife1.blogspot.com.ng. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  5. "Dami Ajayi". badilishapoetry.com. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  6. "Melita Hume Poetry Prize Shortlist: #11 Dami Ajayi". Eyewear, The Blog. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  7. "Nine African poets shortlisted for 2018 Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature", P.M. News, 3 November 2018.
  8. Daily Graphic (19 November 2018), "9 African poets on 2018 Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature list", Graphic Online.
  9. "A Woman's Body is a Country: Africa's most anticipated poetry collection". This Is Africa. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  10. "Each Collection Dictates Its Own Process: Conversation with Dami Ajayi". This Is Africa Lifestyle. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  11. Shoola, Oyindamola (6 November 2017). "Dami Skillfully Conveys Meanings in 'A Woman's Body Is a Country'". WRR Publishers. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  12. "Yahoo Boy No Laptop | the Chimurenga Chronic".
  13. "Nigeria: Afrobeats' unpaid debt to highlife's Crosdale Juba". 25 May 2021.
  14. "Dami Ajayi – Finding Lagos: A Jazz Tribute to an African City | the Elephant". 14 December 2019.
  15. "Nigeria's King Sunny Adé: 'I see myself as a freelance'". July 2019.
  16. "Nigeria's Ayinla Omowura: The original gangster and patron saint of Abeokuta's working class". March 2021.
  17. "Q&A: Words on the Times – Dami Ajayi". 26 February 2021.
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