Abimbola Gbemi Alao is a British-Nigerian literary scholar, author, and

dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...

researcher. She is known for her contributions to creative writing,

children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...

, and dementia care, including the development of psychosocial non-pharmacological programmes for individuals with dementia. Alao has authored books such as ''Desert Haiku'' and ''Dear Toriola, Let's Talk About Perimenopause'', translated children's classics, and collaborated on projects like the

Alzheimer's Society Alzheimer's Society is a United Kingdom care and research charity for people with dementia and their carers. It operates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while its sister charities Alzheimer Scotland and Alzheimer Society of Ireland co ...

's memory café initiative, which resulted in the

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

"Narrative Adventures from Plymouth Memory Cafes". Alao has also held academic positions at universities in the United Kingdom, where she taught

creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes beyond the boundaries of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on craft and technique, such as narrative structure, character ...

and

medical humanities Medical humanities is an interdisciplinary field of medicine which includes the humanities (philosophy of medicine, medical ethics and bioethics, history of medicine, literary studies and religion), social science (psychology, medical sociology, m ...

. Her work in dementia care earned her the Prime Minister's Dementia Friendly Award in the Schools Category and the BBC Breeze bursary. She also performs storytelling, poetry, and radio musicals for diverse audiences.

Biography

Born in

Ibadan, Nigeria Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and nearly 4 million within its metr ...

, Abimbola's academic journey began at the

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public university located in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Initially founded as the University College Ibadan in 1948, it maintained its affiliation with the University of London. In 1962, it became an independe ...

, where she earned a BA (Hon) degree in classics in 1988 and an MA Classics in 1991. She later moved to the UK, where she pursued further studies, obtaining a PGCE and an MA in Creative Writing from the

University of Plymouth The University of Plymouth is a public research university based predominantly in Plymouth, England, where the main campus is located, but the university has campuses and affiliated colleges across South West England. With students, it is the ...

in 2001 and 2009 respectively. In 2023, she completed her PhD at the

University of Lapland The University of Lapland ( Finnish: ''Lapin yliopisto'', Swedish: ''Lapplands universitet'') is a public university in Rovaniemi, Finland. It was established in 1979 and is the northernmost university in the European Union. Around 4,000 und ...

, Lapin yliopisto in Finland. focusing on the prevalence of Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) and raising awareness for early diagnosis. Abimbola is the author of several acclaimed books, including ''Desert Haiku'' (2023), ''Dear Toriola, Let's Talk About Perimenopause'' (2019), ''Trickster Tales for Telling'' (2016), ''How to Enhance Your Storytelling With Music'' (2016),''The Legendary Weaver: New Edition'' (2003 and 2011), and ''The Goshen Principle: A Shelter in the Time of Storm'' (2010). Her creative works extend beyond books, with poems, short stories, and plays to her credit. In 2008, her short play, 'Legal Stuff', won the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

and

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

'24 Degrees' Writing Competition. Her dedication to storytelling also extends to her role in developing a collection of fables for KidsOut World Stories, a project that won the 2013 Talk Talk Digital Heroes award for the East of England. Her contributions to children's literature are equally significant, particularly as a translator. Abimbola has translated several classic children's stories, including: 'Hansel and Gretel', 'The Little Red Hen and the Grain of Wheat' and several other books, published by Mantra Lingua publishers. Abimbola’s teaching career began at the Institute of Education,

, where she was a tutor from 2003 to 2007. In 2007, she was appointed as a lecturer in creative writing at the

University of St Mark & St John Plymouth Marjon University, commonly referred to as Marjon, is the trading name of the University of St Mark and St John, a university based primarily on a single campus on the northern edge of Plymouth, Devon, United Kingdom. Formerly named Un ...

(MARJON), Plymouth, where she taught for 11 years. During this time, she received the prestigious Mayflower Scholarship in 2017, which supported her ongoing research into the efficacy of psychosocial interventions in dementia care. Abimbola’s research interests and passion for dementia care culminated in the creation of the "StoryWeavers for Dementia" program. From 2016 to 2023, she served as a visiting lecturer at the Peninsula School of Medicine and Dentistry, Plymouth, where she led a Special Study Unit (SSU) in Medical Humanities. This innovative program explores non-pharmacological approaches to dementia care, offering support to individuals living with various forms of dementia. In 2015, in collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Society, Abimbola led a 12-week project in Plymouth’s memory cafes, resulting in the anthology ‘Narrative Adventures from Plymouth Memory Cafes’. Abimbola’s efforts to bridge the gap between psychosocial interventions and dementia care earned her further recognition in 2014, when Stoke Damerel College, which participated in her StoryWeavers program, won the Prime Minister's Dementia Friendly Award in the Schools Category. A regular guest on

BBC Radio Devon BBC Radio Devon is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Devon. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios in the Mannamead area of Plymouth. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of ...

, Abimbola continues to share her expertise and experiences in dementia care, creative writing, and storytelling, making significant contributions to both the academic and healthcare communities.

Awards

*2022, Winner The Box Plymouth After Dark Project. *2005, BBC 'Breeze' bursary award. *2008,

'24 Degrees' Writing Competition.

Live performances

Abimbola is a speaker at literary events. She also performs Storytelling, Radio Musicals and Poetry on stage. Her audience includes children, young adults and adults.

Bibliography

Fiction and Non-Fiction

* ''Desert Haiku'' (2023, ) * ''Dear Toriola, Let's Talk About Perimenopause'' (2019, ) * ''Trickster Tales for Telling'' (2016, ) * ''How to Enhance Your Storytelling With Music'' (2016, ) * ''The Legendary Weaver: New Edition'' (2011, ) * ''The Goshen Principle: A Shelter in the Time of Storm'' (2010, ) * ''World Stories'' (2011) * ''The Legendary Weaver'' (2003, )

Translations

* ''Hansel and Gretel: ''"Hansel ati Gretel" Dual Language Yoruba translation by Abimbola Alao. (2005) Mantra Lingua. * ''The little Red Hen and the Grains of Wheat: ''Adie Pupa Kekere ati Eso Alikama' Dual Language Yoruba translation by Abimbola Alao. (2005) Mantra Lingua. * ''Floppy's Friends: '' "Awon ore e Floppy" Dual Language Yoruba translation by Abimbola Alao. (2004) Mantra Lingua. * ''Nita Goes to Hospital: '' 'Nita lo si ile iwosan' Dual Language Yoruba translation by Abimbola Alao. (2005) Mantra Lingua. * ''Grandma's Saturday Soup: '' 'Obe Ojo Abameta Mama Agba' Dual Language Yoruba translation by Abimbola Alao. (2005) Mantra Lingua. * ''Welcome to the world baby: '' 'Kaabo sinu aye Omo titun' Dual Language Yoruba translation by Abimbola Alao. (2005) Mantra Lingua. * ''My Talking Dictionary & Interactive CD ROM'' Yoruba & English – Yoruba translation by Abimbola Alao. (2005) Mantra Lingua.

References

External links

World Stories - Yoruba
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alao, Abimbola Living people Yoruba women writers Writers from Ibadan Nigerian women educators Nigerian emigrants to the United Kingdom University of Ibadan alumni Alumni of the University of Plymouth Life coaches 21st-century Nigerian writers 21st-century Nigerian women writers English–Yoruba translators Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century translators Yoruba academics Yoruba writers