Deborah Oluwabunmi Omoaregba, a multifaceted personality, has devoted her creative journey to confronting societal silence, nurturing young talents, and creating platforms for emerging writers. As an educationist, author, poet, playwright, counsellor, and motivational speaker, Omoaregba believes literature is more than words on a page; it is a tool for education, advocacy, and social transformation. Her journey into literature began from her deep love for words, children, and the desire to communicate ideas that can transform lives. This passion led her to use literature to address issues around education, humanity, silence, development, and society.
Omoaregba's book, "Where Silence Speaks," was born from her observation that there are many things society knows but chooses not to talk about. The book confronts silences around injustice, abuse, marginalization, the suppression of voices, and the struggles of women and children. She believes that silence should not become a permanent home for truth and that somebody must speak so that healing, accountability, and change can begin. Through her writing, Omoaregba aims to give voice to issues often left unspoken and to make people feel an issue, rather than just presenting facts and statistics.
As an advocate who uses poetry to give voice to issues often left unspoken, Omoaregba believes that poetry reaches the heart before it reaches the argument. Poetry has the capacity to make people feel an issue and can take an abstract social problem and give it a human face. This emotional connection can become the beginning of empathy and, ultimately, action. For Omoaregba, poetry is not merely about beautiful words; it is a vehicle for consciousness, advocacy, and transformation.
Omoaregba proposed the 2024 Cross Country Celebration of Poetry theme, "A Nation on the Wings of Poetry." The theme recognizes poetry as a vehicle through which we can interrogate our realities, celebrate our diversity, preserve our history, and imagine the Nigeria we desire. Poetry gives us the freedom to question the present while imagining a better future and can contribute significantly to building a more conscious, empathetic, and responsible nation.
Omoaregba has been recognized for her literary contributions and was longlisted for the 2025 Awele Prize for Literature. These recognitions have strengthened her confidence as a writer but have not changed the reason she writes. She writes because she believes literature can educate, preserve memory, challenge injustice, inspire children, and contribute to societal development. The greatest recognition, ultimately, is knowing that something she has written has touched a life or opened a mind.
As a former Treasurer of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Lagos Chapter, Omoaregba identifies several challenges facing writers and literary practitioners in Lagos and Nigeria today. These challenges include limited financial support, inadequate structures for sustaining literary careers, and poor know-how on access to publishing and distribution opportunities. There is also a need for stronger literary infrastructure, more opportunities for emerging writers, and better visibility for Nigerian literature.
Omoaregba has contributed to and pioneered literary anthologies, creating platforms that allow other writers, particularly young ones, to have their voices heard. She believes that literature should not be a room where only a few people are allowed to speak and has always believed in creating space for others, particularly young and emerging writers. Through her literary mentorship and platform-building, Omoaregba aims to contribute to the growth of literature and encourage young writers to keep writing.
Key points
- Literature can educate, preserve memory, challenge injustice, inspire children, and contribute to societal development.
- Poetry has the capacity to make people feel an issue and can take an abstract social problem and give it a human face.
- There is a need for stronger literary infrastructure, more opportunities for emerging writers, and better visibility for Nigerian literature.
