Moji Taiwo is an award-winning author from Lagos, Nigeria located in West Africa. As a young woman, she immigrated to Canada and began working as a civil servant for the Government of Alberta. Ever since her childhood, Moji loved to convey her emotions and feelings through writing and storytelling. After retiring from her civil servant duties, Moji released her established novel “ I give because I’m blessed- I’m blessed because I give,” which explores her life as an immigrant showcasing all the hardships but also the blessings that she has experienced throughout her life’s journey.
I’ve read that you’re from Lagos, Nigeria. Why did you chose to come to Canada and was it difficult adjusting to the culture as an immigrant?
“Yes, I was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria and I came to Canada to pursue my goal of being a broadcaster, I came to study in Canada. There were and still, are many challenges faced by immigrants, the scope of the challenges depends on one’s heritage of course.”
Has moving to Canada affected the way you write or how you feel while writing?
“Yes, most definitely. Here, we write for clarity and at medium vocabulary level so that the masses can understand the story. In Nigeria, like most British colonized nations, the bigger your vocabulary, the more prestigious your story appears.”
You’ve written a very successful book about your life and journey being an immigrant. Why did you decide to write this book?
“Well, over the course of my residency in Canada, including education, profession and family, I’d relay my experiences and people would lament and say “you should write about that”. Therefore, when I retired abruptly, I found the time to do just that – write a book chronicling my journey as an immigrant.”
What do you hope to see change in people’s lives and mindsets after reading your book and learning more about your story?
“I hope people will realize that immigrants sacrificed a great deal to come to Canada. Some voluntarily to pursue goals, some due to unavoidable circumstances; but all, for the betterment of their lives. Also, Canada is who/what she is because of the talents and creativities that all people brought with them and Canada gains a lot educationally (science and technology), economically, culturally, socially and above all in Human Resources. Canadian born citizens generally don’t have many children, therefore our population depends on immigration. Also, most immigrants chosen by Canada tend to be highly educated and the children of immigrants tend to pursue higher education.”
“For the immigrants, I want them to be strong and not despair in their quests to achieve their goals in spite of all the obstacles they will face or have faced. There are people and resources around to help them during tough times and things will get better. For immigrant children, I want them to have a glimpse at what their parents might be going through for the sake of the family and for them to be a part of the solution to the family struggles.”
I myself am a son to two immigrant parents. Being a first generation child, it was difficult for me to fully understand the extent of the suffering and adversity my parents endured in pursuit of a greater way of life . But after speaking with Moji and learning more about her story through her novel, I am finally able to fully grasp why my parents chose to go through all the pain; and why immigrants risk everything to try and realize their dream of a better future.