... appreciating the African society through its arts
Sunday, 19 April 2015
Jonathan and His Dollar Desperations: Deconstructing Niyi Osundare’s ‘The Emperor and the Dollar (T)Rain’
Niyi Osundare is a distinguished professor of English, a prolific poet in whose hands poetry fires more than Avtomat Kalashnikova- AK-47.
‘The Emperor and the Dollar (T)Rain’ is one of the most recent of his poetic vituperations. The poem is divided in to two parts, each part containing five (5) six-line stanzas making 60 lines in all.
This poem, at the risk of restraining arts, is a satirical expose of the last minute desperate effort of Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, with his ‘train’, to bribe the traditional rulers so that he can be returned re-elected in the March 28 Presidential election.
The first part of the poem deals with the desperate effort of an emperor who doles out dollar to the obas and obis seeking in return from them something worthwhile. The poet persona leaves out not the emperor’s wife, the empress. While the emperor is on the dollar raining mission, his empress is taking care of the womenfolk with ‘her cache of gold’.
In the second part, the persona comes out of his poetic shell and makes it unequivocal that Nigeria is the target of his poetic outburst. He affirms that, ‘In the house called Nigeria, Corruption has a room’. The emperor, his ministers, the pastors, etc. are all involved in all sorts of political misdeeds capable of steering the ship of a country aground.
With this latest masterpiece, Osundare rhythmically captures the current political situation in Nigeria. Some of the poetic instruments deployed are; metaphor, alliteration, repetition, sarcasm, simile, etc. These shall be critically explored to bring out the beauty and expatiate exegetically the content of the poem.
Emperor Goodluck Jonathan, DSM: the Dollar Spraying Machine
With a fitting visual imagery couched with effective repetition, the poet presents the picture of the desperate Nigeria president who ‘hits the streets’ spraying dollars on the traditional rulers to gain their loyalty in the March 28 presidential election. Using cacophonic series of alliterative phrases, one could, without blur, picture the president and his train running from the obis to the obas with a ‘cargo of cash,’ ‘lustful loot,’ and ‘sparkling sterling’. For Emperor Jonathan, the poet asserts, what democratic governance means is to:
Bribe the Pastors, bribe the Thugs
Pound and plunder the national treasury…
And to successfully return for the second term:
Press the flesh, pull the polls
Rake in the gains of your hard-bought treachery
Empress Patience Jonathan: the Nigerian Mrs Malaprop
The poet persona spares not the empress’s wife, madam ‘Peace'. Apart from being exposed as an accomplice in his husband’s plundering of the national treasury, the persona, with a dexterous blend of sarcasm and alliteration, makes reference to the embarrassing (linguistic) display by Nigeria’s first lady—who ironically refers to the great Wole Soyinka as an embarrassment. Visualise the poetic portrait of Madam Patience Jonathan in the following lines:
With her cache of gold for the womenfolk
Every word is a Malaprop Moment.
Does anyone remember the hilarious Mrs Malaprop in The Rivals, a comedy of manners play by Richard Brinsley Sheridan? Madam Patience seems to be her Nigerian representation!
‘The Royal Grovelling that Greeks the Gift’; Forget Not the Actions of Your Ancestors
While the rain of dollar is falling, it’s disastrous that some of the traditional rulers, without asking necessary questions, hurriedly brings out their basins to have their shares of the presidential dollar rain. Very unfortunate! This only brings to memory the collaborative role of their forefathers in one of the most dehumanising trade in the world history; slave trade. Their ancestors sold out their subjects to slavery in exchange for material things like gins, mirrors, gun powder etc. and now, they are also bent on repeting the sad history, selling their people to the vote-buying emperor in exchange for dollar. Obviously, ‘there is nothing beyond purchase/in the land of venal crawlers’.
{Note: fortunately, the presidential rain of dollar could not get him the second term, thanks to the emerging enlightened Nigerian masses}
Sadly though, out of the deep respect the persona has for tradition, he declares that:
The royal grovelling that greeks the gift
Is way beyond my plebeian telling
Yet, before the ‘royal grovelling’ brings back the autocratic acts of their forefathers, is it not the high time they got disrobed of the toga of traditional reverence?
Corruption: a ‘drug-defying malaria’ Afflicting Nigeria
Using an apposite simile of the pandemic disease, malaria, the poet persona captures the distressing rate of corruption in Nigeria. Sitting atop the heaps of this corruption is none other than the emperor himself who in his characteristic ‘litany of lies’ redefines corruption as ‘mere instances of stealing’. Every institution in Nigeria—government, media, religion, etc. — is fully garbed in corruption toga. While ‘The Minister looted the Treasury….His/her Pastor praised the Lord…’. Naira, the Nigeria currency is now useless. The economy is crushed and yet we are the number one economy in Africa. Do people even care to ask why the emperor himself favoured Dollar instead of his own Naira in his vote buying campaign? Very soon—if we haven’t already—we will make another record: the largest importer of dollar in the world!
From the emperor and his empress to the ministers, pastors, and the brainwashed thugs, Niyi Osundare in ‘The Emperor and the Dollar (T)Rain’, captures, satirically, the wretched condition of ‘A sick, sad country…’ called Nigeria.
Nurudeen Lawal
Note: Read ‘The Emperor and the Dollar (T)Rain’ on www.saharareporters.com
Treading the Lonely Path: a Review of Omotayo Yusuf’s Hero
Omotayo Yusuf is my friend. The one I am proud of. Together we navigated the literary ocean at Obafemi Awolowo University. Omotayo is a storyteller with literary simplicity, the kind akin to that of the great African literary icon; Chinua Achebe. When he writes, the English language flows and slickly draws in his hand as the rainy-season okro would do in the hands of a great cook.
Today, he has many short stories to his credit—some have won him laurels; while some are still in his mail waiting edgily to be unleashed. The one that however caught my attention of recent is his winning entry in ZODML short story contest titled Hero.
Set in the Nigerian military era, Hero is the story a journalist, nicknamed Scholar, who actively uses his column to challenge the oppressive status quo; the dehumanising activities of the Nigerian Supreme Military Council. With his unrelenting effort in writing against the military government, Scholar is arrested for ‘planning a coup’ and sentenced to fifteen year imprisonment. He remains undaunted! As a ‘committed’ journalist and defender of the common masses, Scholar looks forward to heroic and ‘epochal’ welcome from his colleagues at Real News and the members of his family when he eventually finishes his jail term. Unfortunately however, nobody seems to care about his existence, let alone his values, after fifteen years of suppression. Nobody came for him—even his colleagues at the prison, particularly Kojo who sees him as his ‘Idol’ cares less about him when he finally regains his freedom. It is a great disappointment, like that of the most popular fictional character Okonkwo (Things Fall Apart), after his return from exile. Scholar gets out to discover that things are no longer the same; there have been tremendous changes, just like the sea of changes that hit Okonkwo on his return from exile. Scholar’s family has changed; his six-year old daughter, has become twenty-one. Real News, where he works has altered; the Editor, his friend is no more the old self, his (Scholar’s) exclusive page 3 column where he tackles the government has become a display of nudity— where young girls, including Scholar’s daughter displays their nakedness in the name of displaying beauty.
Scholar is ‘hit by a wave of disappointment’. His thought is that he is a hero, and should be treated as such—with heroic welcome and celebrations. Little does he know that the path of heroism, in as insane setting like Nigeria, is a lonely path, the path of the unacknowledged. ‘Be right, may your road be rough’, says the legendary Tai Solarin, but the enormity of this statement seems to elude Scholar.
Hero arrests my attention due to two foremost factors: the writer’s ingenious descriptive power and the story’s historical relevance.
The Descriptive Power
The strength of the story is in its apt descriptiveness. It begins on a note of a powerful suspense, the kind that compels the reader to read non-stop until the last page is turned. In addition to this is the apt use of imagery—all forms of imagery: visual, tactile, auditory, etc. are ingeniously engaged. As I read through, I couldn’t help but picture, in my mind’s eye, the ‘wave of disappointment’ that hits Scholar after his uncelebrated welcome; the page three ‘half-nude girl…hugging a pole lightly (with) her wet dress clung to her skin’; and listen with my imaginative ear to the sound of the ‘vehicles blaring their horns maniacally and swerving to overtake the other vehicles’. With powerful nifty description, Omotayo, cryptically highlighting the differences two epochs in Nigeria—the Nigerian oppressive military period with people with cherished values ready to die for even at the face of death threat and the succeeding corruption-filled civilian period characterised with people of no cherished values filled with selfish and materialistic ambitions—narrates the ordeal of a Nigerian journalist who remains negligible and uncelebrated despite his heroic selfless sacrifices to the cause of the common masses.
Historical Significance
While reading through, the character of Scholar, the frustrated journalist, brings to mind a notable and distinguished Nigerian journalist, Kunle Ajibade. Kunle Ajibade is a Nigerian journalist arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment (later changed to fifteen years due to international outcry) for his anti-establishment writings during the Abacha regime. However, he spent only three years in prison as his chief jailer, Abacha, died three years in to the jail term. Scholar shares some semblance with Kunle Ajibade. Let me briefly attempt a comparative assessment of the characters of the fictional Scholar and Kunle Ajibade:
Kunle Ajibade is a journalist and was sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment just like Scholar.
Kunle was arrested for writing against the military government. Similarly, Scholar was arrested for ‘planning a coup’ through his anti-military column at The News.
Meanwhile, the two have the same mind set towards their jailers. At the 5th series of the monthly Bookjam hosted by Igoni Baret and the Silverbird lifestyle stores, Kunle Ajibade was reportedly asked about his relationship with his former jailers. His reply:
I hold no grudge against them…they worked under a system where they might have even killed their own mothers had they been ordered to. They were much a victim as I was.
Similarly, when Scholar eventually regains his freedom, he leaves the prison without any ill feelings towards his jailers:
He didn’t hate them. He saw them as emissaries who had no choice but to do the bidding of their masters.
Considering these striking similarities, one may want to conclude that Omotayo intentionally created the fictional character of Scholar after Kunle Ajibade’s personality. It is nonetheless interesting to note that this was not the case as Omotayo, as at the time of penning down this story, is not aware of the history and personality of Kunle Ajibade. It’s just a pure happenstance, and a viable argument in psychoanalytical literary discourse.
Today, Kunle Ajibade is more than doing well. He is the Executive editor of The News, the newspaper publication of Independent Communications Network Limited. But, it is not a matter of doubt that ‘in a saner clime’, as Isaac Anyaogu puts it in his article ‘Kunle Ajibade: A Profile in Courage’ published on saharareporters.com, ‘Mr Kunle Ajibade ought to matter more.’
Regrettably, for journalists like Scholars, and indeed Kunle Ajibade, Dele Giwa, and others, they could not ‘matter more’ for the path they have decided to tread is a solitary path, the path of the selfless but the unsung, the path with little or no material gain; the sacrifice for fighting for the ignorant. The path abandoned by Reuben Abati and the like.
Nurudeen Lawal
Read Hero at http://zodml.org
Today, he has many short stories to his credit—some have won him laurels; while some are still in his mail waiting edgily to be unleashed. The one that however caught my attention of recent is his winning entry in ZODML short story contest titled Hero.
Set in the Nigerian military era, Hero is the story a journalist, nicknamed Scholar, who actively uses his column to challenge the oppressive status quo; the dehumanising activities of the Nigerian Supreme Military Council. With his unrelenting effort in writing against the military government, Scholar is arrested for ‘planning a coup’ and sentenced to fifteen year imprisonment. He remains undaunted! As a ‘committed’ journalist and defender of the common masses, Scholar looks forward to heroic and ‘epochal’ welcome from his colleagues at Real News and the members of his family when he eventually finishes his jail term. Unfortunately however, nobody seems to care about his existence, let alone his values, after fifteen years of suppression. Nobody came for him—even his colleagues at the prison, particularly Kojo who sees him as his ‘Idol’ cares less about him when he finally regains his freedom. It is a great disappointment, like that of the most popular fictional character Okonkwo (Things Fall Apart), after his return from exile. Scholar gets out to discover that things are no longer the same; there have been tremendous changes, just like the sea of changes that hit Okonkwo on his return from exile. Scholar’s family has changed; his six-year old daughter, has become twenty-one. Real News, where he works has altered; the Editor, his friend is no more the old self, his (Scholar’s) exclusive page 3 column where he tackles the government has become a display of nudity— where young girls, including Scholar’s daughter displays their nakedness in the name of displaying beauty.
Scholar is ‘hit by a wave of disappointment’. His thought is that he is a hero, and should be treated as such—with heroic welcome and celebrations. Little does he know that the path of heroism, in as insane setting like Nigeria, is a lonely path, the path of the unacknowledged. ‘Be right, may your road be rough’, says the legendary Tai Solarin, but the enormity of this statement seems to elude Scholar.
Hero arrests my attention due to two foremost factors: the writer’s ingenious descriptive power and the story’s historical relevance.
The Descriptive Power
The strength of the story is in its apt descriptiveness. It begins on a note of a powerful suspense, the kind that compels the reader to read non-stop until the last page is turned. In addition to this is the apt use of imagery—all forms of imagery: visual, tactile, auditory, etc. are ingeniously engaged. As I read through, I couldn’t help but picture, in my mind’s eye, the ‘wave of disappointment’ that hits Scholar after his uncelebrated welcome; the page three ‘half-nude girl…hugging a pole lightly (with) her wet dress clung to her skin’; and listen with my imaginative ear to the sound of the ‘vehicles blaring their horns maniacally and swerving to overtake the other vehicles’. With powerful nifty description, Omotayo, cryptically highlighting the differences two epochs in Nigeria—the Nigerian oppressive military period with people with cherished values ready to die for even at the face of death threat and the succeeding corruption-filled civilian period characterised with people of no cherished values filled with selfish and materialistic ambitions—narrates the ordeal of a Nigerian journalist who remains negligible and uncelebrated despite his heroic selfless sacrifices to the cause of the common masses.
Historical Significance
While reading through, the character of Scholar, the frustrated journalist, brings to mind a notable and distinguished Nigerian journalist, Kunle Ajibade. Kunle Ajibade is a Nigerian journalist arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment (later changed to fifteen years due to international outcry) for his anti-establishment writings during the Abacha regime. However, he spent only three years in prison as his chief jailer, Abacha, died three years in to the jail term. Scholar shares some semblance with Kunle Ajibade. Let me briefly attempt a comparative assessment of the characters of the fictional Scholar and Kunle Ajibade:
Kunle Ajibade is a journalist and was sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment just like Scholar.
Kunle was arrested for writing against the military government. Similarly, Scholar was arrested for ‘planning a coup’ through his anti-military column at The News.
Meanwhile, the two have the same mind set towards their jailers. At the 5th series of the monthly Bookjam hosted by Igoni Baret and the Silverbird lifestyle stores, Kunle Ajibade was reportedly asked about his relationship with his former jailers. His reply:
I hold no grudge against them…they worked under a system where they might have even killed their own mothers had they been ordered to. They were much a victim as I was.
Similarly, when Scholar eventually regains his freedom, he leaves the prison without any ill feelings towards his jailers:
He didn’t hate them. He saw them as emissaries who had no choice but to do the bidding of their masters.
Considering these striking similarities, one may want to conclude that Omotayo intentionally created the fictional character of Scholar after Kunle Ajibade’s personality. It is nonetheless interesting to note that this was not the case as Omotayo, as at the time of penning down this story, is not aware of the history and personality of Kunle Ajibade. It’s just a pure happenstance, and a viable argument in psychoanalytical literary discourse.
Today, Kunle Ajibade is more than doing well. He is the Executive editor of The News, the newspaper publication of Independent Communications Network Limited. But, it is not a matter of doubt that ‘in a saner clime’, as Isaac Anyaogu puts it in his article ‘Kunle Ajibade: A Profile in Courage’ published on saharareporters.com, ‘Mr Kunle Ajibade ought to matter more.’
Regrettably, for journalists like Scholars, and indeed Kunle Ajibade, Dele Giwa, and others, they could not ‘matter more’ for the path they have decided to tread is a solitary path, the path of the selfless but the unsung, the path with little or no material gain; the sacrifice for fighting for the ignorant. The path abandoned by Reuben Abati and the like.
Nurudeen Lawal
Read Hero at http://zodml.org
Friday, 10 April 2015
Arts: For What Sake?
Some say arts is for arts’ sake, that is, arts does not extend beyond the matter of aesthetics. On the other side, some believe there is nothing like arts for arts’ sake, arts is for society’s sake.
Aesthetic experience is enjoyment for its own sake, is complete and self-contained, and is terminal, not merely instrumental to other purposes—John Dewey
In the world today all culture, all literature and art belong to definite classes and are geared to definite political lines. There is no such thing as art for art’s sake, art that stands above classes or art that is detached from or independent of politics—Mao Tse-stung
For us, arts is both for its sake and the society’s. To say that arts is not for its sake is to deny the ‘innocent’ appreciation of arts for its aesthetic value and to say arts is just for arts’ sake and nothing more is an inconclusive assertion, the one that denies the ‘committed’ nature of arts. Without denying the centrality of aesthetics in arts, we strongly assert that arts goes beyond the façade of aesthetics. Arts, robed with the toga of aesthetics, contains critical contents, for those who can see, and who want to see. Arts and society influence each other. Arts speaks to society, society speaks to arts.
ArtsandSociety.Com is built on this aesthetic-functionalist approach. Thus, it’s a platform created for critiquing the Nigerian society through its arts; appreciating the beauty and analysing the content.
Here we value the beauty and the function does not elude us. Ours is a balanced approach. What is your opinion?
Aesthetic experience is enjoyment for its own sake, is complete and self-contained, and is terminal, not merely instrumental to other purposes—John Dewey
In the world today all culture, all literature and art belong to definite classes and are geared to definite political lines. There is no such thing as art for art’s sake, art that stands above classes or art that is detached from or independent of politics—Mao Tse-stung
For us, arts is both for its sake and the society’s. To say that arts is not for its sake is to deny the ‘innocent’ appreciation of arts for its aesthetic value and to say arts is just for arts’ sake and nothing more is an inconclusive assertion, the one that denies the ‘committed’ nature of arts. Without denying the centrality of aesthetics in arts, we strongly assert that arts goes beyond the façade of aesthetics. Arts, robed with the toga of aesthetics, contains critical contents, for those who can see, and who want to see. Arts and society influence each other. Arts speaks to society, society speaks to arts.
ArtsandSociety.Com is built on this aesthetic-functionalist approach. Thus, it’s a platform created for critiquing the Nigerian society through its arts; appreciating the beauty and analysing the content.
Here we value the beauty and the function does not elude us. Ours is a balanced approach. What is your opinion?
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