This week joining Andy in the Be Grand school yard is the poet, activist and founder of Fried Plantains Collective, Osaro Yemi Azamosa. Osaro spent the first 12 years of her life in Nigeria, the country of her birth and where she found a life of happiness and joy and tells Andy all about what an average day was like just doing the normal kid stuff of going to school and messing afterwards.
Osaro’s life would change however when her family moved to Ireland and extremely difficult years throughout her teens followed. Osaro speaks about how abuse, time in direct provision and a crippling anxiety effected her. However it was these dark times as well as her realisation of her sexuality and queerness and thus finding the organisation Belong To that have fueled her work as a spoken word poet and allowed to her find happiness.
Osaro is also the founder of the Fried Plantains Collective – a group seeking to showcase music of African origin being produced in Ireland and dedicated to enhancing the visibility of LGBTQIA+ people of colour. She made her Dublin Fringe debut last year in The Mouth Of A Shark – a theatre production that examines the stories of people who migrated or sought asylum in Ireland and those who left the country for political reasons.
This is a very special episode of Be Grand and we’re delighted that Yemi graced us with her time, shared with us her extraordinary story and even performed a piece of her work. If you like what you heard, remember to review the podcast on iTunes and other outlets and stay tuned for our upcoming Christmas special.
