I WAN BE PRESIDENT- EZENWA OHAETO

 This is a poem of the contemporary generation which focuses on the situation  of Nigeria after independence. This poem can not be seperated from the African historical experiences.

After the African countries gained independence, the Africans who had expected freedom were disappointed as the Africa leaders became corrupt in their lust for power. The government seats were occupied only for the embezzlement of funds and to satisfy their financial needs, ignoring the need to serve the citizens.


All these influenced the poets and their works. They used their works to address the social injustices suffered by the citizens. They also protest against this by exposing the activities of the goverment. One of such poets is Ezenwa Ohaeto.

I wan be President is a satirical poem dominated by the use of irony. The poet personae longs to become the president of the country so he can also enjoy the privileges attached to this post.

The poet has however intentionally written this poem in pidgin English in order to reach a larger audience. Since the poem is written against the chasis, Ohaeto associates himself with the public  with his use of pidgin. Pidgin is the language of the commoners and it is used throughout Nigeria. The language of this poem is therefore significant.

This poet personae expresses his dream which has been bothering him for a while. The dream is to be the President of the country. His reason for this is to enjoy the privileges, he also wants to be treated as the president is being treated.

Sarcastically, he exposes the corruptive activities of the President. These activities are questioned by noone, he is never hungry nor thirsty and his presence is usually announced by the sound of siren.

He proceeds to relate how the road and air are blocked when the president wants to pass, because he owns the country. His life is in total contrast with that of a commoner, who struggles to survive but the president's needs are taken care of by the country.

The poet personae asserts that there are different types of president. Some are concerned about the affairs of the citizens, some are concerned about their pockets while others kill to attain the government seats.

The president orders for anything of his choice, he does no work nor worry over scarcity. He can even commit crime
because he is not searched at the airport.

All these treatment enjoyed by the President is the reason why the poet personae also wishes to be a president. He claims that he will rename all streets and universities to have them bear his name. He will be given many titles such as Excellency, Field Marshall, Admiral etc.
If anyone however protests against his actions, he will have them killed.

However, all these are mere dreams which may not be realised. This is because the poet personae is a commoner, and it is difficult for a commoner to rise to such positions.

As a whole, this poet used this poem to expose the inadequacies of Nigerian leaders, who enjoy themselves at the expense of the masses. They neglect their constitutional duties and rather embezzle funds and mislead the people.

In conclusion, the poem is only an irony to expose the situation of the contemporary Nigeria. It is ironical because the poet has no intention of being the president. He only wants to relate the activities of the Nigerain government using Pidgin as the means of communication.

OUR EYES ARE BORN AGAIN- OGAGA IFOWODO

The poet was a student union leader and a prominent executive member of the NANS. He was an activist, who often mobilize people into action against the country.

This poem is of the contemporary generation, written to present the hopelessness, lack and poverty in the contemporary Nigeria. This poem captures the social reality of Nigeria, using Lagos as the spatial setting. The poem starts thus:
           'Daily our eyes are born again
            to sorrows wider than the world...

This shows how they daily wake to face sorrows which do not seem to ever decrease. These sorrows are of poverty and lack, which is depicted with the empty cooking pots. Since they have nothing to cook for food, the spiders have taken over while the lizards now rule their kitchen. All these is to depict the level of poverty in Nigeria.

This poverty suffered by the citizens  push them to the streets to illegally seek money. Despite the hot weather, many still fill the streets struggling for naira.

Due to all these struggles, the setting becomes rough and people begin to commit illegal  crimes. They engage in works, whether legitimate or illegitimate, only to get a means of living.

In the midst of all these, preachers parade preaching against sin. This act of the preacher contradicts the action of the street. This is only to present how religion is only a means of escape. People hide under the shadow of religion as strategy to escape the unpleasant realities of life.

The poet moves on to create an image of beggars on the streets and thse images evoke pity. They are kept awake because of the shout of the hungry children, who have had nothing to eat.

This pathetic condition of the people cause daily death. To the poet however, this death should be seen as a miracle. This is because, death which has now become a normal phenomenom is not ideal and not meant to be. Dead bodies are seen daily and the grave- diggers are overworked.

So, if the beautiful things we used to experience have now been replaced by sorrowful situation, it is then a miracle.

The last four-lines are protestive. The poet asserts that, if they daily wake to experience sorrow, they should revolt rather than accept their situation. Just as they suffer, their blood  should also boil in anger to fight the forces responsible for their sorrow.

As a contemporary poem, it is preoccupied with the social realities of the country. It presents the pathetic condition of the poor Nigerians and how religion is used as escape from these realities. The poet however call everyone to action to fight for their rights rather than accept this dehumanzing condition.

THE MINSTREL'S HONOUR- TANURE OJAIDE

This poem is both personal and public. It treats both private and public themes. The poet addresses the challenge writers face, as people often see them as their messiah. People see them as being endowed with a lot of riches and wealth. However, they are all misconceptions, and this is what the poet tries to correct.

The belief in the minstrel is depicted in every stanza of this poem. The first three stanzas relate how the poor run to the minstrel for financial assistance. The citizens also believe his writing can help fight corruption. This belief is because many writers have taken their writing to the streets, protesting for human rights. The poet happens to be an example of such writers.

Ojaide was a social activist, just like Wole Soyinka. He did not limit his activism to books, but extended it to the streets. He was involved in fighting for human rights, just as expressed in his collection, the Niger Delta Blues.

The poet has a new status aside writing, many spot him protesting on the streets and this led to his imprisonment. This new status has only brought him burden, as he is unable to cope with its consequences. Though the poet may enjoy the honour, but it is burdensome.

This experience of the writer parallels what happens today in our society. The writers are worshipped, placed more than their worth. This poet address this issue, saying this is only a misconception. The writers are just like every human being, so they may not be able to solve their problems.Their are even many who are richer than them. People should not judge by their fame and affluence.

The honour they enjoy is just like an heavy load, and this is is why the poet asserts thus:
                 ...but what load is placed on me by the muse
                    isn't an honour to carry with sings?

NIGHTFALL IN SOWETO- OSWALD MTSHALI

This poem creates a picture of Nightfall in South Africa during colonialsm. Night became a period characterized by insecurity, fear and violence. It is ironical that night which is supposed to bring peace is feared by people in Soweto. The natural role of night to bring rest to man after daily activities, is rather replaced as the poet compares nightfall to a dreaded disease.
This disease, the poet says seep through the pores of an healthy body and ravages it beyond repair. This is to say, the peaceful setting is forcefully invaded by Nightfall as its effects is dreadful.
Nightfall is here personified, giving to it the role of human capable of destroying and ravaging the town. Nightfall becomes a mask for criminals, when different inhumane crimes are committed.
The image of a murderer with a dagger on his hands is created on Stanza 2. This murderer strikes down an helpless victim, a victim who is unable to fight back in the face of a dagger.
The poet personae says he is the victim of this barbaric act. When night comes, the fear of his helplessness make him hide.
He asserts that man has ceased to be man, a man is a beast and another, the prey. Disunity now reigns among humans, the unity which had existed has ceased as a man now kill a fellow man.
The poet personae is a representation of all South Africans, who are the preys, while the white colonialists are the beasts. The use of beast to qualify the whites is to parallel their attitude to that of a beast.
The poet personae has no place of refuge nor a place to lay his head. After the heavy works during the day, the blacks see night as a period they can be relieved of their burdens. It is this night that provides them cover to move about as they can't move freely during the day without a pass. This often cause people to move illegally at night, so the law agencies also parade.
The actions of these law agencies is what the poet personae fears. His little home where he barricades himself is not even  enough to keep him from the horrors of the night, as their peace is invaded by the heavy knocks of these law agencies.They bark like a dog thirsty for the poet personae's blood.
In the last stanza, he directly addresses night, calling it his mortal enemy. The creation of night is being questioned, as the poet personae wishes life can forever be in daytime.

All in all, the poem addresses the violence experienced at night in South Africa. Just as the colour of the night, black, is associated with evil, evil things are done at night in this place.
At the end of Apartheid, South Africa was rated having the highest violent crimes in the whole world. It was a society characterized by inhumanity to man, just as exemplified by the beast's attack of the prey. This is a metaphor that expresses the inhumane nature  of man.
Images of violence, destruction, fear, insecurity are all created with a metaphoric framework

LET'S LIVE IN PEACE- MICHAEL DEI-ANANG

This is a philosophical poem. It was written in the 50s, when most of the poets used their intellect to culturally engage the colonialists. Just as the title of this poem implies, the poet rejects the whites' domination telling the whites to leave so they can live in peace.
The whites have caused enough disaffection and disunity among Africans. The Africans were made to become enemies of themselves as a result of different chaos and crisis. The once beautiful and colourful Africa has now been marred with the blood stain from various wars.
These chaos refer to the condition of the Africans during slave time. The whites attacked Africa violently, capturing people, destroying their villages and turning Africans against themselves.
This dehumanizing condition is what made the poet to call on the whites to allow them live in peace. The poet asserts that they are satisfied with their rustic, yet peaceful environment.
The poet however shifts his tone to address the futility of life. He says, sooner or later, all their huts will be destroyed by storm and human existence will be wiped off as all will return to the dust they were earlier created from. This assertion is an allusion to the Holy Bible, Ecclesiates 3:30- ' Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
All these is to say the action of the whites will all end in death, so they are all vanity as all men shall return to God, where they will all be one.

YOUNG AFRICA'S PLEA- DENNIS OSADEBEY

A one- stanza poem written in celebration of Africa and its culture. The poet was a nationalist, politician and activist before independence. In most of his poems, he fights against the domination of the African culture.
This poem has both cultural and political undertone. In its cultural undertone, the poem is a plea to all Africans not to be ashamed of their colour and culture. The poem starts thus:
          "don't preserve your customs
            as some fine curios
            to sort some white historian's tastes..."
With the European coming, the Africans suffered inferiority complex as the whites became superior to them. The poet however condemns this, asserting that Africans should not keep their culture to suit the taste of the whites. Rather, they should be proud of their blackness and culture because nothing artificial beats the natural way.
He elevates the blacks asserting that their naturaliness is superior to the artificial ways of the whites.
However, the poet still advises Africans to accept what the whites bring. They may follow their ways but they should use the African brain and intelligence.
The tone of the poem changes on Line 10, where the poet plegded to rise in rebirth as a better man. After they have been made new, they will no longer be ashamed as those who once doubted their abilities will now be forced to acknowledge the strength in Africa. The poet here addresses the white's inability to see the strength in Africa due to pride, they only acknowledge their strength in secret. The whites only see the negativity in Africa forgetting that they are no less a man, that is, no man is perfect.
TThe poet tells the whites to bury their prejudice and show their noble  side in allowing the blacks also live an unrestricted live.

In conclusion, just as the title of this poem implies, it is a plea to Africans to take pride in their african culture.

REJOICE- Gladys Casely Hayford


This is a poem of the pioneer generation of African poetry. As a pioneer poem, it is short, simple and straightforward. The poem can almost be classified as a prose, because of its words which are prosaic. The words employed are day-to-day words which lack complexity.
This poem celebrates blackness, exalting Africa to redeem its lost image and identity. The poet calls on every black who has been weighed down by the whites' domination and degradation. The poem opens thus:
           "Rejoice and shout with laughter
             throw  all you burdens down..."

This is to say, all blacks should rejoice and laugh off their sorrows in order to be relieved of their troubles. Laughter here becomes a character, which influences their actions and also hides their true feelngs. This laughter may also be partly because they have hope for the future.
The poet proceeds to say if God has been gracious enough to make them black, they are indeed a great nation and of great birth. He also refers to them as having a glorious heritage.
All these attributes used to qualify the blacks are worthy of glory and admiration. Against the true connotation of black, the Africans are here portrayed not as ill-omened nor of bad-luck, but as being glorious. The poet elevates the position of the blacks to debunk the various misconceptions about Africans.
The main concern of the poet is to glorify the blacks and call them to self-assertion. They should redeem their lost image in the face of colonization.

Harvest Of Laughter-REMI RAJI

this is an anthology written in the year 2013 by the 1997 winner of the ANA Poetry prize, Remi Raji. It is however a revised version of A Harvest of Laughters which first appeared originally in 1997. Remi Raji, on the reason for revising this anthology, said thus;
       "...a book out of circulation soon becomes a roughly remembered document,
            something akin to an archive full of hearsays and forgotten metaphors."
The poet's decision to revise this anthology  therefore becomes a wise decision, especially the anthology's attempt to use laughter as a means of escape among humans. Laughter therefore becomes a mask used to hide one's true inner feelings. It is on this note that Remi-Raji asserts thus;
          "In humanity, the rather unacknowledged mystery of laughter is its suprasegmental capability of knowing and expressing without recourse to metaphors."

As a whole, this anthology addresses the power of laughter and the forces that make this  laughter almost impossible to corroborate.
Below are the analysis of some of the poems in this anthology:



INTROIT
 The title of this poem already explains what it entails. The dictionary meaning of Introit is, an introduction that is sung before the main part of something. So this is to say, this poem is an introduction to the other poems, giving an insight to the anthology.
This is furtherly justified by the beginning of the poem which reads thus:
     "I will spread my songs in a sunlight
      of webs..."
The poet's intention is to express his innermost thoughts, represented with the use of songs. These thoughts however will be spread in a sunlight of webs, meaning they are inter-connected thoughts and just like the sunlight, they are of hope and brightness.
The poet progresses to assert that these songs won't be a tale of sick knights nor wilting metaphors of pain wrights. This is to say, the poet do not intend a song without hope and happiness. He intends to write not of pain, but of one with a positive outlook.
As a whole, this poem is only an introduction to the anthology, making readers acquinted with the poet's intention to write of hope and happiness, rather than pain.
Some of the devices employed include:
Run-on-lines: This device is employed throughout the poem. The poet's thoughts extend on the next lines.
Metaphor:  "...the twilight tales of sick
                         knights"
                     "...the wilting metaphors of
                        pain-wrights"
                     "...lemon-smell of laughter"


I RISE NOW

The poem presents the situation in a particular setting. This situation is devastating and pathetic, where the victims suffer untold hardship. However, despite this condition, the poet personae rise above it all seeking refuge in laughter.
The first stanza presents the condition of the neighbouring lands, where they often hear of acid rain
In the second stanza, he describes how locusts often destroy their harvest tracks, causing severe damage and death.
This devastating condition explains why nobody seems to know how to smile again on Stanza 3. Even a grin is not seen on anyones's face.
The mist of blood now pervades the environment.
The poet draws readers attention to the muzzle-grip of hell, where mushrooms of hate grow. The love that once ruled the land has been invaded by hatred  because of these news of acid rain and locust train. They have been robbed of their peace and joy
However, the poet personae rise above all these saying thus:
      ...I rise today
         the memories of slaving rites
         gone out my veins"
The poet personae has resolved not to allow these memories to linger, rather taking refuge in laughter as a means of escape. This laughter is however exxagerated with the use of ...long drums', to show that the laughter will be a long- lasting one, enough to slaughter a thousand dragon-dream of pains.
Laughter is addressed as a legacy of mask, showing its ability of hiding one's true feelings.
The poem therefore offers a solution to difficult situation, because there is always hope for the future.
 Some of the literary devices found include:
Metaphor:  "...news of acid rain"
                     "...the blighted clouds of a
                          locust train"
                     "...muzzle-grip of Hell"
                     "...mushroom of hate"
                     "...dragon-dreams of pain"
Personification: "...not even a grin colours
                                the face"
Anaphora:  "In the wind
                      in the rash of times
                      in the bellies of lovers"
Hyperbole: "...long-drums of laughter"
Run-on-lines



BLACK LAUGHTER

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