THE SUBLIME POETRY OF CHRISTOPHER OKIGBO

By Akeem Lasisi (PUNCH, Nigeria)

The Christopher Okigbo Foundation rallied family and friends and of legendary poet, Christopher Okigbo, to the University of Ibadan (Nigeria), where the 50th anniversary of his death has been marked.

The legacies of poet and activist, Christopher Okigbo (pix, above), were celebrated in Ibadan this week, when the Okigbo Foundation held the 50th anniversary of his death.

Okigbo, author of acclaimed poetry volumes, Labyrinth and Path of Thunder, died on the battle field, fighting on the side of Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War.

At the event held at the University of Ibadan, writers, especially Okigbo’s contemporaries such as Profs. Wole Soyinka, JP Clark, Chukwuemeka Ike and Dan Izevbaye, noted that his contribution to the growth of literature in the country and beyond was enormous.

Some of them, however, situated his adventures in the country’s struggle for identity, justice and progress.

According to Soyinka, Okigbo lived his life on conviction. The Nobel laureate said that he was not just an activist, but also someone who put his life on the line.

He also described Okigbo as a “multi-variant and a renaissance person.

Expressing worries that Nigeria was still stranded in the kind of situation in which Okigbo died, he said, “It’s telling that his anniversary is taking place at a critical period for us as a nation. We are confronting a choice brought up by mis-governance, leadership alienation and lack of opportunities. We are moving slowly, intermittently out of a menace called Boko Haram but which is now being succeeded by cattle rearers who feel they own every square inch of the nation.”

At the programme attended by Profs. Kole Omotosho, Remi Raji and The NEWS publisher, Mr. Kunle Ajibade, Soyinka expressed regret about the Indigenous People of Biafra issue, as well as the military’s reaction,  saying there must be a way out of what he called the periodic cycle of stupidity that overtakes the country again and again.

He also condemned the militarisation of the country and asked the military to probe the video of IPOB youths being punished by soldiers, as they were seen lying in mud.

In his keynote address, Izevbaye highlighted aspects of  Okigbo’s life as an accomplished poet and gave an insight into how musical his poetry is.

According to him, Okigbo was a cosmopolitan poet as evident in the Greek and Latin that echo in his works. He said his forage into war was an act of heroism, adding that the deceased embraced the gun because he knew the limitation of poetry when it comes to missiles and grenades.

Also at the event were the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Chief Alake Adeyemo; Okigbo’s wife, Ambassador Judith Attah, revered publisher, Chief Joop Berkhout, and Chief Alex Ajayi, who was Okigbo’s principal at Fiditi Grammar School.

The foundation’s head, Mrs. Obiageli Okigbo, who was supported by a former President of the Association of Nigerian Authors,  Dr. Wale Okediran, to organise the programme, noted that several events and projects were being carried out to propagate Okigbo’s ideals.

Courtesy of The Punch (Nigeria) - slightly modified here

MAFIKA GWALA REMEMBERED

Almost exactly three years ago, Mafika Gwala, a prominent, renowned, veteran South African black writer, died. Many literary aficionados have been remembering his life and work...and published here is the pertinent South African Minister's tribute to Gwala at the time.

SOUTH AFRICA (Pretoria) :  Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa has sent his condolences to the family and friends of legendary poet and short story writer, Pascal Mafika Gwala who has passed away.

“It is with deep sadness that we learned of the passing of legendary poet and short story writer, Pascal Mafika Gwala after an illness.

“We offer our condolences to his family, relatives, friends and the writing fraternity in the country, continent and all over the world. In fact, his impulse to testify through literature defined the vision for a new society and contributed to the resilient spirit among the oppressed,” the Minister said.

Gwala was a committed anti-apartheid critic and cultural activist who, from a young age, was part of the Black Consciousness Movement that championed the principle of self-determination for African people.

Gwala was born in Verulam, north of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal in 1946. He spent most of his adult life in Mpumalanga township, west of Durban.

He was at the forefront of the revival of African writing in the 1960s. He published short stories and poems in The Classic magazine, founded by Nat Nakasa in 1963.
His generation of writers, including Mongane Wally Serote, Njabulo S. Ndebele, Oswald Mbuyiseni Mtshali and Sipho Sepamla, among others, became major contributors to the South African literary landscape after the banning of political parties and the imprisonment of many activists in the 1960s.

He authored two volumes of poetry, Jol’iinkomo (1977) and No More Lullabies (1982), and he also contributed to several literary journals, including as the editor for The Black Review in 1973.

He co-edited Musho! Zulu Popular Praises with Liz Gunner in 1991. 
As a student activist, Gwala was a prominent member of the National Union of South African Students (NUSAS) in the 60s. Together with Steve Biko, Gwala and others who espoused Black Consciousness, broke away to found the South African Student’s Organisation (SASO) in December 1968. 

He was a regular contributor to The Black Review and the SASO Newsletter.
Gwala inspired and mentored many writers, who later became household names in the South African literary landscape.

At the time of his passing, arrangements were at an advanced stage for him to contribute his wealth of knowledge and skills to the arts fraternity through the Arts in Schools project.

This would have provided him with the platform to mentor and impart critical thinking and writing skills to nurture new voices in poetry and prose at schools in the Hammarsdale area.

“We convey our deepest condolences to his family and all those who were touched by his work. His passing is a great loss not only to his immediate family, but to South Africa and the world at large.

“We find solace in his words which will never die. May his soul rest in peace,” Minister Mthethwa said.
Courtesy of  SAnews.gov.za

Works

• Jol'iinkomo (1977)
• No More Lullabies (1982)

Edited

• Black Review (1973)
• Musho! Zulu Popular Praises, with Liz Gunner (Michigan State University, 1991)

FOR NTSWAKI

 F O R   N T S W A K I

It is a hackneyed cliche
But how appropriate!
Oh NTSWAKI! You were too young to depart this world!
What a Calamitous Loss!
The loss of a prized daughter, sister, mother...
Excruciating. Devastating. Unpalatable
Oh the trenchant pain of your Mother!
Swirling over to engulf siblings
And Oh what an unbridled, irreplaceable loss for your children!
Alas, the Grim Reaper is unrelenting
Spreading shards of Melancholy. Grief.
Pattering of feet to pay tribute to thee
Oh our Darling you were unadulterated Bliss
Bearer and embodiment of sweet-trolleyed gifts
Our jagged emotions, split Raw. Scorched
Now we are left only with Memories. Elusive and Illusive
Tantalising, Fleeting, Evanescent
Oh, Enmeshing the Unwholesome Reality
Congenial. Our hearts will always go out to your Offspring
Permanent reminders of your sweet, uncomplicated self
We envisage you now ensconced in flowery meadows
Until we meet to part no more...

- O Bolaji