‘My Teacher Motivated Me to Write a Book’

Dominion Nnakwe, a seven-year old, grade two pupil is passionate about books and writing. In this interview, he talks about his unpublished work and sheds light on his dream of becoming a literary icon

Tell us about your book?

The title of the book is ‘The Hunters and the Lions’. The story is centred around the plight of a community under siege by a pride of lions. The lions constantly attack and kill members of the community. People are terrified of going out to carry out their day-to-day
activities. They can no longer fetch clean water from the stream. They can no longer work on their farms.

In an attempt to address the situation, a group of brave hunters assemble to find lasting solution to the problem. The leader of hunting (general) group reminded his colleagues that men and lions once lived in peace. He however pointed out that perhaps men were encroaching into the lion’s habitat in search of big game and thereby threatening the lion’s food source.

The hunters had reached a consensus to fight the lions. Prior to the ensuing battle, the general had gone out alone on a reconnaissance mission. He was ambushed and viciously attacked by two lions. After several hours of waiting for the general’s return, the second in command along with his best friend ventured into the thick forest in search of their fearless leader.

They stumbled on the remains of their leader. His death became a rallying cry for hunters to put an end the lions’ reign of terror. They took up their arms and weapons and a fierce battle ensued. There were causalities on both sides but the human emerged victorious.

Why did the lions attack the human?

The lions attacked the village because some farmers destroyed their den. At the time, several lionesses were pregnant and almost ready to give birth. To further expand their territory and ensure that the pride thrives, the lions decided to attack the humans and drive them away from their territory.

What motivated you to write the story?

My teacher inspired me to write this story. In one of her classes, she told me that no one was too young to write a book. I told myself that I will write a book to impress my teacher. My teacher is my mentor.

What books do you currently read?

We have a lot of books at home. My parents always buy us a lot of books which we read at our spare time. We have books such as ‘How the Tortoise Broke its Shell’, ‘The Three Little Pigs’, ‘Earthquakes and Tsunamis’, ‘Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz’, among others. My father always encourages me to read books. He says it will help me become a better person in life.