Professor Kodjo Adabra of the French department speaks on newest publication ahead of campus book signing
On Tuesday Jan. 24, Associate Professor Kodjo Adabra of the Geneseo French Department published his memoir, The Power of an Untamed Mind. Through the careful detailing of his life experiences, Adabra cultivates a compelling text that he is ready to share with the world—and, more specifically, with the Geneseo community.
Though Adabra has been thinking about this project for a long time, his reasoning for publishing it at this point in his life and career is deliberate.
“The more I observe human beings, the more I feel like, in this world, where people are exposed to so many ideologies, I feel like it’s important for me to share some of the things that define my mindset,” said Adabra. “I know there are other people out there who think the same way I do, but who, because of the [social] norms, are afraid to actually express themselves. The position I hold at this point in my life… gives me the keys to voice those different ideologies.”
In addition to being prepared to give light to his own principles and ideologies, Dr. Adabra explained that he was inspired to complete his memoir after experiencing a life-altering loss two years ago.
“I lost a very, very, very close friend—a best friend,” Adabra said. “We spent weeks together, [and] we were planning to travel together. We booked our flight together, we would talk and have fun, until one night… at 10 p.m. I left him. The next morning, at 11 a.m., I got a call, and I was told he died [from a] heart attack.”
Though he is neither unfamiliar nor uncomfortable with the concept of death, experiencing the death of his friend served as an awakening for Adabra.
“Death is like hide-and-seek… it plays that game with human beings. So, you can’t guarantee that you will be here tomorrow. With that in mind… ideas are the one thing nobody can kill,” Adabra said. “That death of my friend, … [made me think] it’s time for me to move on with that project.”
Adabra’s passion propelled him through his writing process and paved the way to create an unforgettable book that serves as a testament to his poignant wisdom and his unwavering character. With this said, the process of writing his memoir was much different from his past work, as his other books are fictional.
“It’s easy to do fiction—even if you are talking about something or referring to something real, making that fictional is easy,” explained Adabra. “But this one made me very uncomfortable at the beginning… especially when other people are involved in the text. Then you start thinking about how they will react. And then, how they will react kind of pushes you to wonder if you should write in a way to please them, or to just be honest.”
According to Adabra, he remained honest in his book and wanted to include others in his story for their roles in his life. With respect to individuals who are mentioned throughout the book, he wrote initials instead of full names.
“I think it will be my greatest joy to hear back from them… whether it’s a good story or a bad experience I’m sharing about us… it is my reality.”
Later this month, Adabra will be holding a book signing event on campus. This event, he explained, will not be typical to the nature of the event. Rather, it will be a transformative experience for all attendees, formed within a very specific vision.
The event is open to all Geneseo campus and community members, and it will take place on Wednesday Feb. 22 at 2:30 p.m. in the MacVittie College Ballroom.
“Anybody who truthfully believes that we all deserve to live in a better world, we all deserve to be treated equally, we all deserve to be visible, and last, we all have a hero in us—all those people, in addition to the ones who don’t believe that, but that are open to being challenged… I hope all those people will come to the book signing, prepared to experience what it means to have an untamable mindset.”