By Oluwaseyi Ayotunde
A Nigerian author, Fausat Omolara Arilewola, popularly known as Fausat Omolara Ayinla, is promoting African storytelling through books, audiobooks, music, visual art and programmes that encourage children to become storytellers.
Ayinla, who has written stories rooted in Yoruba history, mythology, folklore and contemporary experiences, said her interest was to create stories that make readers care about the characters and reflect on issues presented in the stories.
One of her works, Atinukẹ́, explores the fall of the Old Oyo Empire through the experiences of people affected by war, displacement and survival.
She also extended the story beyond the book by producing an original soundtrack and commissioning sand art depicting a traditional Yoruba home and characters from the novel.
Another of her works, ÀTÙPÀ: The Narrative, draws from Yoruba mythology and African folklore, telling the story of Àṣàkẹ́, who embarks on a dangerous journey to save a prince and the kingdom of Iledu from a curse.
The story was later produced as an audiobook narrated by Rafiat Akinwande.
Ayinla’s other works include Career or Family Ties, This Foolish Heart Did Not Forget and The One Left Behind, which explore themes including marriage, ambition, family, grief and loss.
Her children’s storytelling journey began with bedtime stories created for her son, which later developed into Adventures of Bobo and Friends, a series about Bobo, a six-year-old Nigerian boy navigating friendship, curiosity, mistakes and everyday experiences.
The author has also developed the Storytelling Advantage Framework, which seeks to help children and adults use storytelling to develop confidence, voice and a sense of community.
For children, the methodology follows six stages — Read, Think, Discuss, Create, Improve and Publish — encouraging them to read stories, discuss ideas and create and share their own stories.
In 2026, Ayinla began applying the framework through the Storytelling Advantage Programme.
She delivered a virtual session, From Idea to Story, for Leaf for Good Africa’s Rooted and Rising programme in Nigeria, helping young people develop ideas and turn them into stories.
In September 2026, she also held a My First Story session for children at Leicester Central Library in the United Kingdom.
The session featured a reading of Bobo and the Biscuit Playground, followed by discussions and creative activities through which the children developed their own characters, settings and storylines.
Through her work, Ayinla is demonstrating how African storytelling can preserve cultural heritage while providing children and young people with opportunities to express themselves and create stories of their own.
Her journey shows that a story can take different forms — from a book to an audiobook, soundtrack, artwork or a classroom activity while continuing to connect people with culture, imagination and identity
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