Interview with Osa Iyayi

In August 2003 Osa Iyayi joined EGA as the new administrator. She had just graduated from Birmingham University in England with a BSc in Environmental Science and decided New York City was the place for her. Polly Withers sat down with her recently in an attempt to discover the real Osa––

P: What is your earliest memory of appreciating the environment and seeing it as an issue of interest?

O: I went to school in the hills of Surrey, England and enjoyed living in such beautiful surroundings. If sneaking out to the woods in the middle of the night would count as appreciating the environment, then my earliest memories would be around the age of 12. I was aware of the negative impacts humans have on the environment from a young age. I grew up in Lagos, which was the capital of Nigeria until a few years ago and is a very populous city. I used to have to cross Ikoyi bridge to get from Ikoyi (where I lived) to Victoria Island (where my school was) every morning and noticed that at some points during the year there was a layer of green things (which I later discovered to be algae) on it. I found this to be odd and later learnt that this was caused by eutrophication (condition in an aquatic ecosystem where high nutrient concentrations stimulate blooms of algae). I began to see the environment as an issue of interest when I got to university.

P: When you took your degree in Environmental Sciences at Birmingham University, what was the subject of your final dissertation?

O: Comparative analysis of Air Pollution Policy in the UK and US.

P: Having lived in Lagos, Nigeria; Birmingham and London, England; as well as Chicago and New York, you’ve experienced very extreme contrasts in culture. What is your impression of the US?

O: American culture is emulated a lot thanks to MTV and therefore there hasn’t been that much of a culture shock moving here. I wouldn’t say the food is that much different from the UK though there is nothing like English candy. I would say Nigerian food is more traditional though, the food here in the US has been influenced by the immigrants that came over.

I find the news stations in the US very odd. They substantiate the feeling that Americans believe they are the center of the universe. World affairs hardly feature in the news and when they do it is not impartial. I find it hard to keep up to date with world affairs; thank God for BBC and the internet. One thing I find very intriguing about the US is the way in which the culture is evolving. African American culture is becoming an integral part of American culture. I think this is due to the unique dynamics in the US. In England tradition is the rule of thumb and likewise with Nigeria––though the younger generations are becoming more American thanks to globalization.

P: What’s the most frequent question you get from EGA members?

O: Is that Polly?

P: How do you relax after a stressful day handling EGA’s administration?

O: After slogging away at the EGA office, I like to go home, put my feet up and read a good novel.  I've just started reading Carson McCullers "The Member of the Wedding".