Celebrating the Professor of underdogs on International Dog day.

One of my favorite authors, Malcolm Gladwell, popularized the idea of the underdog in one of his books "David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants." In this book, he writes about how neglected, rejected, underestimated, unacknowledged, disadvantaged, marginalized, and underserved shepherd boy David defeated a Giant name, Goliath. He uses this idea of an underdog as a springboard to explore how businesses, institutions, and ideas that are not rated become star boy or Stargirl.

I call Professor Saheed Aderinto the underdog professor for many reasons. If you are a beneficiary of his mentorship in any way, you know what I am talking about. Many people look for finished products and then claim the "glory." Not many look for potential. When this man sees potential and even no potential, he gets to work.

Prof Aderinto will help you think your ideas clear and through by asking questions that will make you think deeply. He refines your crude thoughts, gives you "unsolicited" materials (ask for one material and get 20 related ones) to read to help you see the expansive geographies of your ideas, and then steps back like he did not do anything.

I have only known you for less than a decade. Still, I have seen you, shepherd underdogs, those who are mentorless, and some of us who once called our tormentors mentors because we have no template for academic mentorship. I still know my triggers when I hear words like dummy and stupid, but we thank God.

Professor Aderinto is not only the mentor of human undergods but also the historian of the actual dogs (Chuku) and other non-humans (Haruna, Isola, Imade, and more). In the voice of the Idumota Nollywood marketers, "Grab your copy of his latest book on animals now!

Thank you for supporting my "celebrity shenanigans." As you know, you are one of the few people who nudge me while providing clarity and direction on this path. It was an honor to have you and other excellent scholars on my panels at LSA 2022. Your thought-provoking and insightful presentation pushed me to begin to think from cutting edge in celebrity studies to bleeding edge. (Apology to late Professor Aize Obayan, I can't hear or say cutting edge, bleeding edge, and not think of this Amazon).

FIU is blessed with one of the finest Africanists I know. My 2kobo to FIU "Hold am tight before poacher come for him." I envy the students who sit in your classes and drink from the fountain of your never-ending insights and wisdom, often laced with humor.

By the way, Oga mi Jaye global in Florida, if you want to do a mentees group visit, let's start a WhatsApp group and Gofund me quickly( when we land in Florida, we must land softly in Kiss Daniel's voice)

Now that my oga don join mouth let us trabaye with African celebrities studies.

They say God, when spelled backward, is Dog.

Happy International Dogs day in the United States!

Posted on Facebook on August 26, 2022.

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