Experience of a nostalgic return back home to Africa, and particularly Nigeria, where he lived as a child, before moving to Ireland, prompted Wil Oshoke to write a book about the experiences of an Afropean boy in Europe
Wil Oshoke Ikpekha who works in SEAM (South Eastern Applied Materials) Research Centre in SETU as a Research Engineer, has had a book published.
Home Switch Home, which is available to buy on Amazon, tells the story of Agene, a young “Afropean”, whose family sends him to Europe as a child, to improve his chances of a good education and a better life. He grows up in the Republic of Ireland then takes the nostalgic journey home to Nigeria to recall his roots, only to find it is not the home he hoped for.
Engineering focus
Oshoke works in SEAM is an industry focussed applied research centre, providing innovative materials engineering solutions for companies from a wide range of sectors, including bio-medical devices, pharmaceuticals, micro-electronics, precision engineering and industrial technologies. Prior to joining SEAM, Oshoke undertook his Ph.D. in Underwater Acoustics at the School of Engineering in Dublin City University, where he also obtained his Master’s and Bachelors' degrees in Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering respectively.
Distinct places
Oshoke was born in Kano State in Northern Nigeria. He was raised both in the Northern and Southern parts of the country before relocating to Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland.
The experiences of living in these distinct places, he says, give him a unique, concrete personal perspective on pluralism; different people, cultures, religions and socio-economic diversity in our world.
This, he adds, prompted him to lucubrate his thoughts, birthing “Home Switch Home”. The book is a “non-fictional memoir” written in the first person, with fictional names of some characters (including the author’s) and places. “Home Switch Home” is available for purchase on Amazon at http://getbook.at/HSH.
About Home Switch Home
Agene is a young “Afropean”, whose family sends him to Europe as a child, to improve his chances of a good education and a better life. He grows up in the Republic of Ireland then takes the nostalgic journey home to Nigeria to recall his roots, only to find it is not the home he hoped for.
This personal journey is observed from his unique perspective, with humour, shock and sometimes bewilderment at his native Nigeria, combined with similar observations of his adopted home in Europe.
Finally, he has to ask himself: am I ready to forfeit the relative easy living, despite discrimination, at times, in Europe and remain in my motherland Nigeria, to help improve it and make it better? Supposing I did that, would my contribution not be a mere drop in the ocean of problems?
“Home, Switch Home” is an entertaining and heartfelt story, of a promising young man, who travels the long road round, to find the answer.