My Father Olabisi Ajala

Aurora Mizutani, formerly Dupelola Osaretin Ajala, is the daughter of the well-known journalist Olabisi Ajala. Dupelola, a talented writer with an impressive educational background holds a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from London Metropolitan University and is an alumna of Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka Japan. In 2016, Dupelola tied the knot with a Japanese citizen and is currently referred to as Aurora Mizutani.

Aurora Mizutani’s memoir "An African Abroad," tells the story of a direct descendant of the renowned journalist Moshood Adisa Olabisi Ajala. Aurora Mizutani's autobiography is not a sequel to her father's biography. Aurora focuses on her own life and only mentions her father briefly. She believes her contrasting upbringing has taught her valuable lessons, which she wanted to document. Perhaps her goal was to set the record straight. Aurora’s memoirs are a tribute to her father's accomplishments and reflect her life experiences. She has created a historical essay to immortalize her father's legacy and her understanding of it. Her essay serves as a medium for this purpose. Aurora only travelled to a fraction of the countries her father had visited during his extensive travels. Thus far, Aurora has visited a total of twenty-one countries, namely; Nigeria (Lagos, Benin), Italy, (Bologna, Venezia, Firenze, Milano, Como, Rome, Sardinia, Cagliari, England (London, Newcastle, Brighton, Blackpool, Hull), France, (Paris and Lille), Netherworlds (Amsterdam and Roosendaal), Belgium (Brussels), Germany (Frankfort and Munich), Estonia (Tallinn), Sweden (Stockholm), Austria (Zell am See), Wales (St Davids and Llangadog), Scotland (Gretna Green), Denmark (Copenhagen, West Indies (Trinidad & Tobago, Granada, St Lucia, Dominique), former Soviet Union (on the train), China (Hong Kong, Beijing), Korea, Cambodia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Okinawa). Unlike her father, Aurora did not travel solely on a moped. Aurora’s father boasts of numerous remarkable achievements.

Aurora, much like her father Olabisi Ajala, has had the privilege of meeting with numerous heads of state and has had some remarkable experiences. These include meetings with the late Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, Jeremy Corbyn MP, and former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. In contrast, Moshood Adisa Olabisi Ajala accomplished a challenging task by travelling to over seventy countries on a moped and meeting with various heads of state, among other recorded adventures. Olabisi Ajala eluded imprisonment in Russia. If he had been caught in USSR, her father’s ordeal might have been physical in the form of possible torture and brutal imprisonment, perhaps even in the dreaded Gulag. Some people claim that Olabisi Ajala passed away with limited financial resources.

However, the definition of wealth differs from one individual to another. Olabisi Ajala, a true pagan, had the foresight and wisdom to understand that earthly riches are just that. Earthly. Olabisi Ajala had a good understanding of the game 'Monopoly'. Once someone becomes a master of the game, they realize that achieving their goal is ultimately pointless. At the end of the game, all the money and assets go back into the box. It's impossible to bring money or possessions with us beyond this life. Egyptian Pharaohs, for instance, amassed great wealth and buried their treasures in crypts. Nowadays, these artefacts have been uncovered by archaeologists and are showcased in museums around the globe. Olabisi Ajala believed in spending his money on Earth, knowing that we cannot take it with us. It can be argued that Olabisi Ajala passed away with an unescapable level of wisdom and true independence. Regardless, Aurora disputes the notion that Ajala died in destitution. Olabisi Ajala left behind approximately twelve children. Perhaps Aurora’s father wanted to ensure that at least one of his offspring would carry on his legacy. Olabisi Ajala left behind his scions and his written legacy, the true treasures of this material world. Aurora persists in her unwavering belief that Olabisi Ajala died a wealthy man within this reality.