We recently connected with Dinah Orji to ask her about her new book CHILDREN OF THE BENIN KINGDOM. Here is her story behind this story.
When I started writing my debut, my plan was to write about the Benin Kingdom.
The reason I chose that topic is because it is a real kingdom that existed in West Africa in the 12th century and I have always been fascinated by it.
My first challenge was to come up with a story that was exciting as well as realistic.
I decided to make my main character Ada go on a journey to discover her heritage.
It was only after I had written a few chapters that I realised that I was writing my own story.
I was born in London, but when I was eight years old, my parents took me to Nigeria to discover my heritage. It was an adventure, and my experiences there formed the basis of my story.
My relatives, and the various people I met became the characters in my story. For example, I met my grandfather for the first time when I went to Nigeria. He was such a kind man and everyone in the village loved him. So, I decided to give him the character of Papa Eze, Ada’s adoptive father. Their loving relationship plays a major part in the story.
The second challenge I faced was making sure that the historical information was accurate.
There were so many little things I had to consider and sometimes I had to modify my story to fit in with the era I was writing about.
For example, when I started writing the story, I wrote about my main character going to school until I realised that in the 12th century, children in West Africa did not go to school.
I had to go back to the library and do some more research and then make changes. Although it was hard work, I thoroughly enjoyed it because I learnt so much about my heritage as well as the Benin Kingdom.
The three tribes that are featured in my book are -
The Igbo tribe, the Edo tribe (Benin Kingdom), and the Yoruba tribe. My parents are from the Igbo tribe which is 150 miles from the Benin Kingdom.
I wanted the story to be emotional because I believed that it would make people bond more with the characters. It is a fast- paced story about a girl who discovers a secret about herself.
The secret causes her to go on a journey to discover her heritage. But the journey is a dangerous one and she encounters all kinds of enemies along the way. Yet, it is a heart-warming story about love and friendship.
My aim is to educate and entertain children as well highlight the importance of children knowing their heritage.