Why I am passionate about life, art, youth empowerment — Hermes

Hermes Chibueze Iyele, is a performance artist, basketballer, model, actor, public speaker, among other things. He was one of the most striking personalities in the recently concluded Big Brother Naija ‘Level Up’ edition. In this interview, he spoke about his time on the BBNaija show and his aspirations for uplifting young people, Excerpts.

Coming on a show like Big Brother Naija, you definitely had an aim you wanted to achieve, would you say you have achieved it? And what was the goal for you?

Before I went into the house, I was doing a lot, I felt like everything I was doing could have gotten more projection, it wasn’t getting the life that I wanted it to get. The amazing people that were running my page, we have done a lot with the kids and young adults in our community. I just felt like there was a lot that I was doing and there was a lot of capacity that I carried to serve humanity, but it just took a lot to believe that I carry the capacity that I knew I carried and I just thought, if I have the capacity to serve, maybe I will just get the resources that I needed to work, and that was why I went on the show.

Looking back at your journey in the house, do you think you played your game well?

I honestly didn’t go in there to play a game. I went in there with the mindset of that this is a platform that would project me in a certain kind of light. And what did I want to do? So, I carried everything, all the energy that I’ve got. I was looking out for the cameras, I wanted to be seen as the artistic individual that I am. So, whenever the camera was on me, I gave a show.

I went in with the mindset that if I am going to be on there, then I am going to give a show in my capacity. And it was quite strange because the few people that knew that I was going in, out of necessity, asked what my strategy was. I didn’t even know people went in there with a strategy. I felt like I didn’t need a strategy, I just needed to project my life or my capacity for service and that was exactly what I did on the show. It wasn’t a game, it was a platform to get myself, and I did exactly that.

So, it is safe to say that you would not change anything throughout your journey…

There is nothing to change. I was truthful and 100 per cent myself in most of the moments because I think life happens in moments. Sometimes I didn’t have tolerance for certain things so I probably lashed out sometimes. I knew I didn’t have the tolerance so I stay away from the chaos and sometimes, I organise it. I just express myself within my state of being at the time and that is exactly what I did. It is something I can take back because I was who I was, and I don’t regret that.

Before the merger of the two levels in Biggie’s house, you mentioned a couple of times that you would want to get to know the level two housemates while you were in level one, despite the fact that some housemates in your level were not particularly friendly with level two housemates. What made you think that way?

I, for one, have had to go through a lot of castigation based on my individuality outside the house. Because I know how that feels, it would be hypocritical of me to give that same energy that didn’t make me feel good. I just felt like we are amazing individuals. We were competing against one other and every time I had to do that, I knew the reason we had to, when we are in the arena, we compete. In my opinion, we were at our individual level to give a show, we gave a show.

And when we were set to give a show within a competition in the arena, we did that. But when we were not doing that, I just felt like I had to get to know people. You know this community of loving individuals just wanting to know people and see whom I can form a bond with and whom I can’t form a bond with.

Are you taking your relationship a step further with Allyson?

In the house, I had a beautiful relationship with Allyson. I love her. There are a lot of possibilities from my perspective. We had a lot of conversations in the house about what we had. It took four weeks for her to even consider me because she wanted a monogamous relationship. Within the template of what the house gave us, we were able to exercise that. It was a beautiful thing. We also had a conversation about coming out of the House, we would have to have a conversation.

I just wanted the truth; I told her everything about who I am and what my relationship was and still is outside the house. She also expressed her inability to cope with that and her unwillingness to do that. We agreed that when we come out of the house, this conversation will happen and we will decide individually. I would want to have it but I would not want to be selfish and say I want it.

Your eviction shocked a lot of viewers. How did you feel when you got out and found out that you were loved? How did that make you feel?

I was shocked that I was evicted. When I was on the show, I was very intentional about giving a show, I really felt like that was what everyone wanted to see, coming out the ninth week, was a massive blessing by the way. I didn’t even know what the voting poll was or how to vote, I didn’t make plans for that, it just happened. Thank God for the team from my community.

Oworonshoki did an amazing job. I was shocked coming out because I put up a good show and I thought I would be pleasing to watch and people would vote for me. But I was more shocked at the fact that I was loved because all my life, people have tried to tell me how to or not move, how a man should or not look like. Going on to that platform, I knew I was going to be seen by the world, and I didn’t know how they would understand me.

I just wanted the projection for all the things that I had been doing that I felt could have got more projection and it gave me a kind of resource that I needed to grow. I was looking to create platforms where young people could really thrive, and that was why I went in there. I was willing to take the castigation on that level only to come out to this much love. I think that was the shocking thing for me and I really appreciate this, it is such a massive blessing to be out right now.

What’s next for Hermes?

Exactly everything I wanted going into the house. I have been doing a lot before BBNaija. I started my own production company where I wanted to create art within the theatre. I wanted to create a platform where young people could be projected. I spoke a lot in the house about how much hope the Big Brother space inspires and what I think about it and I would like to replicate that within my capacity to do that and to grow within that.

I know about how brands could get involved, and how much training would go into it. You know digging into the potential that we have in our country and just making that work. Getting people paid, giving brands value for their money and is also within the art. We have already been doing that, a lot of kids from our community are taken care of, teaching as much as we have the knowledge to give.

I have had the opportunity to travel the world and that is such a great thing to happen because growing up, it was an opportunity I didn’t get. I had to work harder than I feel was necessary, but it was my life. There were no plans to get on and get the attention that I needed. Now that I am here, I realise that it was a difficult thing. I would like to solve that problem for young people and that is what I am most interested in. Definitely, I want to be in films, I want to be friends with brands and act on my talent as well. I also want to play basketball and do everything that my talent allows me to.