When Tomi Falade’s Olobun was selected as the theme book for the 2025 BON Awards book reading, it was the Wife of the Deputy Governor of Lagos State Mrs. Oluremi Hazmat alongside Nollywood legends Keppy Ekpeyong and Omowunmi Dada who did the honour gracefully at Ikeja Senior High School recently.
The reading brought the play to life as the voices of the readers gave the characters life such that the studentsTomi Falade glued to the book with excitement and enthusiasm enjoying the plot and the thematic preoccupation.
Falade who spoke about the dwindling reading culture in the country said: “The problem is not because people are not looking for information, but there are too many distractions. Back in the day, we didn’t have Netflix or drama or Nollywood, as it were, or even so many stage plays. Back in the day, books were the only way to entertain yourself or lose yourself in a world that is beyond your reality. Now, there’s so much content out there that is vying for attention. The fact that people are still reading and still enjoying books shows that, yes, the reading culture is not dwindling in the way we think it is. It just means that there’s a lot more information out there. For example, my generation loves reading books so much, but the generation that has come behind us lives on their phones where they have ebooks. A lot of people have asked me that they want Olobun as an ebook so that they can enjoy it on their phones, tablets, and their laptops. So, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the reading culture is dying, just a new way of reading.”
Describing her work, the author said: “I like to describe my works as reality literature. I am inspired by things that have happened in real life and I find the story in them and tell it and Olobun is a real-life experience. Olobun is centred around the Ondo people, the preservation of our history and culture. There were a lot of things that I needed to do deep research on when I started writing Olobun. I had to go online, visit Ondo State Cultural Center itself, and a lot more to get my facts straight. Of course, I took a bit of creative liberties with the story but the core of the story is the reality of what happened as passed on from generation to generation in Ondo State.”
Falade also spoke on the adaptation of ‘Olobun’ on stage. She said: “Hopefully next year, if we get investors or sponsors for the production. We’re in talks with a few directors to see if it’s something that can be done. Even if it’s on the smallest scale. We can start with a university, a theatre department of a university. Those are the avenues we’re exploring and we’re hoping that soon we’ll get to see it.”
Falade who has published two books, ‘Dates from Hell’ and ‘Olobun’ revealed that she is working on her next book publication. The author and journalist said: “I finished a play earlier in the year, for an anthology. I can’t say much about it yet. The play is done and hopefully we get to see it in 2026. It’s a drama too and it has a bit of reference to Olobun. It is like a continuation of the story in a way. But it is also a stand-alone story.
But beyond that there is a lot more coming. I love writing and I don’t intend to stop. As much as my work as a journalist allows me, I will keep writing and keep putting out more content.”
