ODIA OFEIMUN AND NIYI OSUNDARE AS REVOLUTIONARY WRITERS

 

 


 When we were under the colonial masters,we[Africans fought tooth and nail to acheive independence. We thought it was better that Africa should be ruled by Africans.We acheived independence and we were happy,not knowing a greater danger lays ahead of us. We said goodbye to the ''oyinbos',and we started to rule ourselves,but this ''change'' was actually ''chain'',It was colonialism to neo-colonialism.Writers then begins to write to express their disappointment in the system. OdiaOfienum's ''Their Excellencies'' and ''The Messiahs are poem which clearly state and eexpresses the issues in the country,these poems reflect a socio political event in a language  that  is striking. They are both post colonial poems which satarise politicians,politicians who are referred to as ''Excellencies''as  far from being excellent  and ''Messiahs'-messiah is supposed to mean saviour but in the poem,they are not saviour but destructors.
They are political leaders who are supposed to serve humanity but they are dictators. Odia Ofeimun presents a society that is burdened with the following issues
1. political  insensitivity
                  ''They move in their merry go rounds
                    oblivious of the grunts and groan
                      .........................................
                     theydo not see the shruken bellies''
[extract from ''Their Excellencis]. The politicians do notcare about the sufferings of the people.
                         ''Theyare not doing  abad job
                           the messiahs''
[Extract from 'The Messiahs]This statement is ironical becausethey leaders are actually doing abad,becausethey have grown insensitive to the cries of the people.
2.Tyranny-The political leaders are dictators,they  do as they please
                      ''They move in their merrygo round
                       satiated
                       they ignore the asthmatic pales of aworld dehdrated by the fear......''
[extractfrom 'teir Excellencies]


                  ''They are riding high
                  on the  fervid winged horses
                  of their triumphal entry
                   ........
                  feeding the hungry
                  with 21 gun salute
                   .......on
                  on horse back
                 they issue the word;we dance"
[extract fromThe Messiahs]
absolutepower corrupts absolutely.power has made the leaders to be dictators

3;hunger;the people wallow in poverty,yet the political leaders are
              ''They do not seee the suken bellies
                the harrowing faces outling their rounds''



               ''Their harvest reports says the barns expolde
                with tubers of plenty............
                as  if we  were born to feed on only harvest reports"
[extract from The Messiahs]

     Odia Ofeimum and Niyi Osundare also wrote protest poems die to consciousness rising. They protested against bad leadership, tyranny and oppression. In Niyi Osundare's " A villager's protest, a person's voice is heard,the poem is a peacfuk protest poem. The themes of the  poem are political hypocrisy and protest, The first part of the poem contrasts with the second part of the poem. The first part which is the period before thee election contains the use of exaggerated words and promises made by the politicians, to build schools,hospital,supply water,provide electricity,roads and make poverty a thing of the past. Now,the  second part of the poem,which is the period after the election shows us that all the electoral pro!owes were unkept. The political leaders did not fulfill their promises, rather they go  after fat cars,juicy damsels,fat salaries. The become inaccessible and this triggers the protest.



       Devices used to achieve the theme of protest are
A. Imagery: The use of animal imagery to describe the inaccessibility of the political leaders
   " our man becomes like locust seen but once in several season"
B.Contrast: The poem congtrasts the first part(illusion) with the second part of the poem (reality)
C.Hyperbole: The poet uses hyperbole to express political hypocrisy.

    Odia Ofiemun's " The drought and us" on the other hand is a revolutionary protest poem. In the poem, the people are experiencing hardship, poverty ,starvation and instability.

      " The rains will not come
        Vultures alone hive where
        Sweet birdsong
        should  tell the tale of morning

       The green grows not
        Burst pipes from  sick drains
        Defames our paths"

     The lack of rain symbolizes hardship. The green symbolizes agriculture. Burst pipes symbolizes lack of social a!entities. The society is sick,there is moral decandence ,social decandence. Yellow weed is an agricultural imagery which symbolizes lack of good leadership.
     The people however cannot bear this hardship,hence the need for protest.
           " let the million rise"
This is the call to revolution.



My note: let the million rise,let's take Nigeria to a better place.
#iseeanewnigeria #istandagainstcorruption #newnigeria #odiaofeimun #niyiosundare #protestpoem.