By Dike Chukwumerije
George Ononiwu, popularly known as Mac Father G, is many things. But the first time I met him it was as a spoken word poet at one of the Abuja Literary Society (ALS) Open Mics. He had a performance style that was direct and rhythmic, with the tendency to suddenly use an expression as catchy and eclectic as his sense of fashion. For this reason, he was always a crowd favourite. Listening to his pieces over time, however, one soon discovered a fairly consistent belief in the power of Love – to heal divisions, to soothe wounds, and to drive forward our existence as human beings. It is, therefore, not surprising to me that he has gone on to compile many of his works into a book around the central theme of Love.
In this work, there is the love for self, which is the foundation for belief in self, necessary in the struggle to overcome life’s adversities and push on to achieve one’s dreams. There is also the centrality of love for God, and the role Faith plays in the affairs of people, in empowering us through our most difficult times. There is also love for others, spanning the entire divide –filial to eros – and its power as a motivating factor in our everyday lives. He offers these insights for pragmatic reasons, to spur today’s young people to positive action. This work, encourages us all to channel our frustrations into creative energy. To shun the negativities of crime and violence, and focus on developing our innate abilities till we shine like the stars God made us to be. And through it all Ononiwu offers, in vivid pictures, the example of himself, and his own hustle as an entrepreneur.
In summary, this book is a motivational work that uses a mixture of spoken words, discourse and pictures to encourage its reader to ignore the temptation to despair and delinquency. It pushes the reader to concentrate on becoming the best he or she can be, while all the while reminding us to retain our basic humanity by an unwavering commitment to God, and to practicing Love as a life-style.
I hope you enjoy the read.
Dike Chukwumerije, a lawyer and author is a spoken word and performance poetry artist based in Abuja.
