Review of Afouda’s ‘I Bow Out’, by Michael Olatunbosun |

“Be inspired by the achievements of your contemporaries. Don’t be envious or jealous. Don’t do things because your mates are doing them. Theirs could inspire you, but don’t make it your sole reason.”  

Those powerful, motivating words loaded with so much power and promise, are some of the potent doses that I have taken from the book for this week. 

The book is a memoir. It is titled: “I Bow Out.” And it is written by Afouda Samuel. The book was published in 2017.

Afouda Samuel is Adeniyi Kayode Adebisi. He is a lawyer, on-air personality, a master of ceremonies, a humour merchant, speaker and entrepreneur. Afouda Samuel is a popular name on the broadcasting firmament in Nigeria’s southwest, and he has worked at one time or the other on some popular notable radio stations in Ibadan. He is a member of the International Society of Human Studies.

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In 218 pages, the book, I Bow Out, details Afouda’s 10-year experience in stand-up comedy and some very important milestones within that period. The writer allowed the reader ponderable glimpses into his humble beginnings, educational pursuit, and his various encounters with different people whose paths crossed with his.

In this book, I Bow Out, Afouda succinctly and clearly demonstrates his mastery of the art of storytelling and successfully shows that he possesses a potent sense of history. As a critical reader, I was held and prompted into opening page after page by this author. It was like the author hypnotized me.

Yes, he did, with his dexterity and deep sense of humour and suspense. In this book, Afouda demonstrates that a man’s hunger for fame could have a vice-like grip on him to the extent that he would steadfastly pursue this ambition, even if this dream seems out of sight. After pondering many possible ways of achieving his ambition of acquiring much fame through radio, Afouda settled for stand-up comedy.

“Surrounded by many uncertainties, I was resolute to forge ahead and make something out of stand-up comedy. So after talking to my fellowship president on a particular day, he advised me to consult two comedians, Laugh Up and Thompson Lawyer. They were both very influential in my two worlds back then. Laugh Up was my hero at school. Thompson Lawyer reigned in my church. I remember calling Laugh Up one afternoon on his mobile number given to me by Peter from a call centre in front of Sultan Bello Hall. After some questions, he told me he will always be there whenever I need him to put me through but that we can’t work and walk together as I proposed because our departments and school schedules were wide apart.”

Afouda explained that his career as a stand-up comedian grew wings and started on the upward trajectory then. And he recalls that he was privileged to perform at a spring festival in 2006 with Thompson Lawyer in the audience and how he was able to link up with him (Thompson) and Laugh Up much later. “We arranged to meet during one of our mid-week services but then my entire life navigation was a triangle since I had no friend or any known family or relative in Ibadan apart from my schoolmates.”

In this book, the author narrates a meeting with Thompson soon after and how their relationship blossomed, after he appreciated his performance, and welcomed him into the church circle. “He told me he heard of my performance at the singles meeting.” 

Interestingly, Afouda confessed that he had never spoken a word in pidgin before leaving Offa, Kwara State, where he was born and bred. But for someone who had no idea of how to speak pidgin, he had thought to himself “back then I needed to speak flawless pidgin to be successful as a stand-up comedian in Nigeria” knowing well that most comedians in the country excelled using that language predominantly in their performances.  

“As it were”, he states in the book, “I do not recall ever speaking a word in pidgin before leaving Offa… Although I have always been fascinated by the language even before deciding to venture into stand-up comedy, Thompson Lawyer being an Edo boy unconsciously became my pidgin teacher and I can confidently say I learnt pidgin from him”, he concluded.

The book contains 40 chapters all showcasing Afouda’s experiences, encounters, palatable and otherwise, relationships and aspirations. Each chapter in the book is closed with one lesson or the other which turn out to be inspirational pieces for the willing learner. For instance, he writes about his struggles with organising his comedy shows, how it was difficult to put them up. He writes about how he could not meet up with his law school tuition and how providence led him to someone who gave him the money. He discusses lots of career pitfalls, and how he found his way into radio, among other things. And ultimately, he discusses why he decided to bow out of stand-up comedy.

I Bow Out is a book that all persons seeking direction should read. It is the story of how a man rose from the ashes of struggle, determination and hope.

. Olatunbosun is reachable via 08023517565 (SMS and WhatsApp only) and [email protected].

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