I put pen to paper. It is what i do and wierdly, it is also what I am. It is who I am. It is my hallelujah and reason to breathe... it is who and what I am when I am hoisted up in a room up up up in oblivion... I am in my head a lot. A type almost only good for storytelling and writing... Oh and did I mention I can bake a mean banana cake and deep-fry like crazy? Well, those are just a few of the perks I come with. But mostly, I am just a guy. One who has seen things you would want to remember or maybe it is exactly what you would like to learn about me, and I about you? I am friendly, grew up across continents and I am still very much in tune with my heritage. Like I said, I write a great deal. I travel back in time and into the future. The mind is not only a place of solace but it is grounds for escape and boundless dimensions ... do not be afraid to visit it, it is where genius is made. I am apolitical, non-partisan, not exactly religious and very adaptable. I gladiate.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Honestly, to get to know people. I am breaking away from the introvert I have always been. There is no other way to put it.

Interests

I literally fell into arts and creativity... it's been my companion since... lessons learned: when people leave you hanging, they push you to realize you never really needed them. Also, you learn that you are plenty capable. Being left for dead is always a blessing in disguise.
When I moved to Europe some years ago leaving everything behind, I became someone else. That happens when everything you knew becomes obsolete. You try your find your place in the foreign and you realize, you are not home where you were a person first before anything. Life becomes you fighting to be taken seriously beyond face value... Art gave me the sense of self I lost as I settled for the western world. It taught me to see beyond what my eyes can see. Being imaginative saved my life... I write joy into my life as I write sadness and iniquities away. Light becomes me and I usher myself into the light by dragging the demons and sins of the past into the light. Music does the same. It sings and reminds us daily to what end and trajectory we are heading towards. Write the pain away, that is my relationship with art. It is a saving grace.

• arts
• writing
• music
• creativity
• creative writing
• publishing

Music, Movies, and Books

I am very eclectic when it comes to music. When I write classic and jazz are the places I pull from. You can always hear me sing along as I write. It's not conscious that's what being in the zone does and it can happen for hours. I grew up singing gospel music but really, I am a better drummer and xylophonist than I am a singer... that's not the general consensus though.
I am an avid reader and an analytic movie watcher. Derek Wallcott (Omeros), Shonda Rhimes (Year of Yes), James Joyce, Marlon James, Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda, George Büchner, Kant... are all mentors in my head and words from my lips. Reading is essential.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I just finished writing a book about
race, abuse and the loss of identity. It's being assembled and fused as we speak and I can't wait to share it with the world. It's a labor of love and a celebration of heritage, of blackness, of otherness and it is a salutation to women and mothers.

Teach, Learn, Share

I worked at the University of Kassel as an international student representative for a year. (A time I miss very dearly)... we worked hand in hand with Erasmus students by giving them an opportunity to meet up and jamm, make music and connect so they won't feel left out in a foreign land. A band emerged from the situation and it's been going on strong. We played music from all over the world and used music as a means of communication and learning about culture and diversity.

What I Can Share with Hosts

A good ear, some kind inspirational words and my very kind self. Let me be that source of inspiration you need, that bottomless place to pull from in learning about my culture as I try to learn yours. Let us both give and take and bless and usher each other into world's we know nothing about.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Cameroon, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

Cameroon, England, France, Germany