Pelu Awofeso
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Pelu Awofeso | |
|---|---|
| Occupations | Journalist, travel-writer, tour guide |
| Known for | Tour guiding, travel writing |
| Awards | CNN/Multichoice African Journalists Award |
Pelu Awofeso is a Nigerian journalist, travel and culture writer, based in Lagos, Nigeria. He is a winner of the CNN/Multichoice African Journalists Awards in the Tourism Category. He is often described as "Nigerian foremost travel writer."[1] He is also a published author.
Awofeso claims to have become interested in travelling after a first encounter with the city of Jos in Plateau State of Nigeria in 1998.[2] The encounter, which involved being awed by the beauty of the city as well as coming across "writing from the past by the British" who documented their travels during the times they lived in Nigeria as colonialists, inspired him to take up travel as a hobby.
Isaw images from 1930s, 1940s, 1950s; they were so strong I felt like I was seeing that time. After they left I don't think many people were doing that any more. Those encounters seeded me to want to follow in their footsteps, to travel extensively in Nigeria and document what I’ve seen. It made me develop more interest in Jos and also in travelling, to also write about this beautiful place people have written about 50 years ago. I wanted to write something that could actually benefit society. And I had to think about writing about Nigeria in such a way that people appreciate the country. Not just the foreign audience, but also Nigerians.[3]
As of 2017[update], he has visited over 32 states out of Nigeria's 36[4] and written about a number of them. His work has been compared to Looking for Transwonderland by Noo-Saro-Wiwa.[5]
In 2010, while he worked for 234Next, Awofeso won the CNN/MultiChoice African Journalist of the Year Award in the Tourism Category.[6][7]