AFIDFF . African Storyteller 22 September 2022

“My inspiration for storytelling stems from everyday life experiences.” -Michael Afenfia. As our African storyteller of the week, we are excited to share with you, who he is and what he stands for.

Michael Afenfia: who is he?

Michal is a Nigerian residing in Saskatchewan, Canada. He is a Lawyer, author, speaker, and mentor. Michael works as the Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Association of Immigrant Settlement Integration Agencies (SAISIA). He formerly worked for the Saskatoon Open Door Society as a Cultural Bridging Facilitator.

He has volunteered as a member of the Inclusion Advisory Committee at the Saskatoon Public Library and has been a member of the Saskatchewan Writers' Guild since arriving in Canada in the summer of 2019. Michael serves on the boards of Word

on the Street Saskatoon, the University of Saskatchewan's Biomedical Research Ethics Board, the Heritage Festival of Saskatoon, the Community Radio Society (CFCR Radio), and the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan. He also contributes to dialogues about racial relations and equity for the Black Indigenous (and) People of Colour (BIPOC) population through published publications and public speaking engagements, in addition to his writings and works in the settlement sector in Canada.

Although Michael holds degrees both in law and business administration, he has gained multidisciplinary expertise in both private and public sectors over the course of his two-decade career. Among other things, he worked as a speechwriter for the governor of his home state of Bayelsa in Nigeria from 2016 to 2019, as well as a member of the state literary board. Around the same time, he was the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors.

Mr. Afenfia’s works

Michael has a series of YouTube videos of short stories written and read by himself, an example is The White House on Odi Avenue. He also has a writing project which consists of a series of letters written in collaboration with Anuoluwapo Oyekole called The Escapades of Emoji Man and Gen-Z Geh.

Afenfia’s literary works include When The Moon Caught Fire (2010), A Street Called Lonely (2011), Don’t Die on Wednesday (2014), Paxoid and the Battle for the Blue medallion (2017), The Mechanics of Yenagoa (2020), Rain Can Never Know (2021). His sixth novel, Leave My Bones in Saskatoon, a story about immigration set in both Nigeria and Canada, is scheduled to be released by the end of 2022.

In what ways is Michael memorable?

Despite Mr. Afenfia being at the level that he is today, he has remained humble and stayed true to himself. He has used his platform to give a voice to those who want to be heard, whether it is in

Nigeria or Canada. He aims at telling the stories of the little or forgotten people. He uses his books to document things happening not just to him but also those around him.

Irrespective of how busy Michael is, he still devotes time to mentoring young creatives both at home and abroad. He encourages them to keep trying even though it may get hard sometimes. Here at AFIDFF, one of our objectives is to train a new generation of filmmakers/storytellers. It is always an absolute pleasure for us to see other organizations and individuals working toward the same goals. Michael is a perfect example of those individuals who would stop at nothing to ensure that those young talents have a voice that is heard and stories that are read.

Now that you are aware of who Michael Afenfia is, do you agree with our standpoint on him?