THE KAWO DREAMER

There is a boy sitting on the concrete steps outside his family’s modest home in Kawo, Kaduna. The warm glow of the setting sun reflects off the corrugated roofs of the neighborhood, casting long shadows that stretch toward the dirt roads. It’s a quiet evening, punctuated only by the distant hum of a generator sputtering to life. Electricity has been out for hours—again.

Most neighborhood kids are playing football in the open field, their shouts piercing the air. But this boy is elsewhere, though his body remains still. His eyes are fixed on the horizon, his mind a thousand miles away.

He imagines the streetlights of Atlanta, glowing against the backdrop of a bustling skyline. He sees himself walking down Broadway in New York, neon signs flickering, each one calling out to him in bold letters: Dream, Create, Believe.

Kawo might lack steady electricity or sprawling opportunities, but the boy’s imagination hums with a power that no blackout can dim.

Imagination: The Power of “What Could Be”

Every storyteller begins with a single spark of imagination. It’s not enough to see the world as it is—you must see it as it could be.

The boy sees more than his suburban home's dusty streets and intermittent power supply. He pictures the dirt roads of Kawo transformed into smooth asphalt, lined with trees that light up at night. The hum of generators fades into the soft rhythm of well-lit streets. He doesn’t just dream of leaving; he dreams of a world where Kawo can shine as brightly as Atlanta, as vibrantly as New York.

Storytelling begins with this refusal to accept limits. It is a rebellion of the mind, a deliberate choice to see beyond what is visible. The boy doesn’t need a plane ticket to Atlanta to walk its streets—his imagination carries him there.

The Burden of a Creative Mind

But this imagination is as heavy as it is freeing. While others in Kawo accept their world as it is, the boy feels restless. Every flickering bulb reminds him of the bright cityscapes he’s yet to see. Every quiet night without electricity fuels his desire to light up the darkness—not just for himself, but for everyone around him.

This is the burden of the creative mind. To be a storyteller is to live in the tension between two worlds: the one you see and the one you envision. The boy carries that tension in his heart, aching for the unseen while navigating the present. It is both a privilege and a weight, this constant longing to transform reality into something extraordinary.

Kawo, Atlanta, and the World Between

For the boy, storytelling is his bridge between these worlds. In his mind, Kawo is not so far from Atlanta. The same stars that hang over Kawo light the streets of Broadway. He begins to craft stories where these worlds collide: a young boy from Kaduna, walking the glittering streets of New York, carrying the spirit of his home with him. He writes of Kawo’s red earth mingling with the concrete of faraway cities, of how dreams born in small places can reshape the vast world.

Imagination as a Shared Treasure

Eventually, the boy realizes that his imagination is not just for himself. His stories, vivid with possibility, are meant to be shared. They are a gift to his neighbors, his community, and even strangers in faraway cities. Through his storytelling, he shows others that the streets of Kawo can be just as radiant as the bright lights of Atlanta, just as alive with possibility as Broadway.

Imagination is a treasure that multiplies when shared. The boy’s stories inspire others to dream, to believe in what could be. He teaches them that storytelling is not about leaving Kawo behind—it’s about bringing the brilliance of the world back home.

The Storyteller’s Legacy

To be a storyteller is to create new worlds while honoring the old. It’s about finding beauty in the ordinary and connecting it to the extraordinary. The boy from Kawo grows into a man who tells stories that make people see their neighborhoods differently, and their potential more clearly.

In time, his imagination does take him to Atlanta and New York, but it also brings him back to Kawo. And when he returns, he sees not just a suburban settlement, but a place alive with stories waiting to be told.

If you, like the boy, feel the burden of a restless imagination, remember this: it is both your gift and your calling. Let it lead you to new places, but don’t forget to share what you find. Storytelling is the bridge that connects worlds, and every story you tell is a light in someone else’s darkness.