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A Boiling Caracas and Other Poems was published by Hornbill House in 2008. It has twenty-three poems. It takes its main currents from the capital city of Venezuela which the poet visited in 2004. It was a city in turmoil at the time. This has informed the images of confrontation in the collection. But it is essentially a poetic journey. The title-poem begins: “I am weighed down by the lightness of being/ Poetry, governing, holds my spirit as I walk/between Bolivar Square and El Ilaguno….” The capacity of poetry to evoke discourse is shown here. Poetry is the vehicle of self-understanding as well as it is for participation in the struggles and triumphs of a new environment.

The concern extends to Columbia where the poet had attended the XI International Poetry Festival, prior to his visit to Venezuela. In poems like”Tango in Medellin” and “Columbiana”,the interaction between art and its social space is celebrated. It is ultimately a global phenomenon and the poet is indeed in pursuit of a global community (as seen in a poem entitled “In the Global Village”).
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London Letter and Other Poems was published by Hornbill House in 2010. It is in four parts: “Lagoon” (five poems), “London Letter” (four poems), “Oxford Summer” (eleven poems) and “Travelogue” (six poems). There are twenty-six poems in the collection. “London Letter” is both the title-poem and the title of the second section. The collection has a title that gives primacy to an international slant but it begins with poems on Lagos. The first section has poems like “Lagoon”, “Full Moon”, “Demolition Day”, “Self-Portrait of a Lagosian” and “Eko-My City by the Lagoon”. The poet had come to Lagos in 1969 as a young man of nineteen. He has been in love with the city since then. It is the kind of love that is not blind to the minuses of the city. Amongst other things, “Full Moon” speaks of “streets overrun by garbage mountains/ and soldiers and policemen collecting toll/ on the service lanes of life”. It also speaks of “winds that blow ill/in our dream-starved cement jungles”. “Demolition Day” speaks of a woman at Maroko undone by power and crass development and abandoned by “God”. “Self-Portrait of a Lagosian” speaks about the conflict between the old and new Marokos of the mind. “Eko” is both a praise and a love poem. The city is described as “a woman to love whose beauty hides/ in tantrums and shredded decorum.”

Niyi Osundare

The “London Letter” section covers the poems inspired by the period of the poet’s stay in London between 1991 and 1993. There is a poem on John La Rose, founder of the Radical Black and Third World Book Fair, entitled the “Ogbeni of Stroud Green Road.” “Giagbone” is a nostalgic poem (and more) in which the persona meets his “father’s face in every mirror” in London. The poet’s father had died when the poet was in Britain, and “Giagbone” uses this loss as a trope for discussing a history of pain inflicted by the colonizer on the colonized. The title poem, “London Letter” depicts a series of observations on London, spiced with recurrent pidgin phrases. “Na London we dey…/we dey for London like we no dey at all.” There is a sensual poem simply called “London”; it shows the poet- persona “toasting” a white girl until “the blonde olokun touched [him] / where words could not fail/ because words had no place.”

The “Oxford Summer” section has the highest entry in the collection(eleven poems). The poet lived in Oxford from 1989 to 1991 as a scholar. The issues raised are consistent with the facts of migration; a postcolonial figure in a former colonial “centre.” But even this does not rob the personae of community. There is a ceaseless search for community. The same extends to the six poems in the “Travelogue” section where the poems touch a number of cities: Rome, Bologna, Calcutta, Palermo, Berlin, Zaghreb, Kuwait, etc.
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The world should expect to see One Country is not Enough soon. It is a collection of Ofeimun’s latest poetry. The highlights of the poetry point to a harvest that is consistent with his previous work. The central poem is entitled “For Tajudeen Abdulraheem.” It is dedicated to Tajudeen Abdulraheem who was the poet’s friend. Abdulraheem was a Nigerian Pan-Africanist who died in Nairobi, Kenya on a tour of duty. The poet uses this tragedy as a backcloth for his poetic discourse on nationality and Pan-Africanism. Another related poem is “For Munira” which is based on Abdulraheem’s widow. The poems for Munira and her late spouse are different in texture from the rest.

A number of the poems are related poems on fundamentalism and violence. They are “Yan Boko”, “Alamajirai”, “ Almajirai Boko” “ Boko Almajirai” and “ Haram”. All of them dwell on the collapse of the society, a pattern of consistent descent that has finally culminated in a breakdown of law and order in Northern Nigeria. The scale of violence in the society has become a provocation for the poetry of engagement. There are other poems like “Soldiers Rule as Soldier Know” and “Oronto.” Whereas the former resumes the poet’s quarrel with military rule, the latter is a dirge. It is a tribute to his friend, the late Oronto Douglas, who was a key officer in the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
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Ofeimum has written poems for dance drama. They are: Under African Skies, A Feast of Return, Nigeria the Beautiful, Itoya, and Because of 1914. These poems for dance drama express the tremors of the African continent. Under African Skies shows Africa and its pleats; A Feast of Return offers a South African tenor and Nigeria the Beautiful highlights the challenges and prospects of Africa’s most populated country. The newer dance dramas like Itoya and Because of 1914 return to the recurrent themes with fresh thrusts. Itoya is the story of Black people from the Trans-Sahara slave trade, through the Pan-African Congresses from 1900 to 1945, to the present. Because of 1914 follows a similar pattern but it focuses on Nigeria. It is the poet’s engagement with Nigeria’s centenary. It examines a troubled history that runs from precolonial, through colonial, to postcolonial eras. The picture has been dark but there is a sense of hope in the capacity of Nigeria’s component units to work out a progressive system.

Ofeimum has written poems for dance drama. They are: Under African Skies, A Feast of Return, Nigeria the Beautiful, Itoya, and Because of 1914. These poems for dance drama express the tremors of the African continent. Under African Skies shows Africa and its pleats; A Feast of Return offers a South African tenor and Nigeria the Beautiful highlights the challenges and prospects of Africa’s most populated country. The newer dance dramas like Itoya and Because of 1914 return to the recurrent themes with fresh thrusts. Itoya is the story of Black people from the Trans-Sahara slave trade, through the Pan-African Congresses from 1900 to 1945, to the present. Because of 1914 follows a similar pattern but it focuses on Nigeria. It is the poet’s engagement with Nigeria’s centenary.

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Ofeimun has edited or published a number of anthologies on the platform of the Hornbill House of Art. These books have impacted the literary landscape significantly. They are Salute to the Master Builder, Lagos of the Poets and Onomonresoa.

Salute to the Master Builder is an anthology that focuses on the personality of Obafemi Awolowo. It features poems by poets like Christopher Okigbo, Wole Soyinka, Niyi Osundare, Okinba Launko, Ogaga Ifowodo, Afam Akeh, etc. It is edited by Ofeimun. Lagos of the Poets is an anthology of poems on the city of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial centre. Over 100 poets are featured. The poets cut across generations. And there are even a few non- Nigerian poets featured in it. It is edited by Ofeimun. Onomonresoa is an anthology of Nigerian poets on mothers and motherhood. Although this project was inspired by the transition of Ofeimun’s mother (Mama Elizabeth Onomonresoa Ofeimun), it is a platform that has collected poems on the mother-motif written by Nigerians. It features poets across generations: from Dennis Osadebey to Iquo Eke and Abike Akintuyi. It is edited by Obari Gomba and published by Ofeimun’s Hornbill House.

The new and anticipated anthology projects are The Child and Youth of Our Time, Nigerian Women Poets and An Anthology of Nigerian Poetry in the First Century. These are important projects. The Child and Youth of Our Time, like Onomonresoa, is an anthology that cuts across generations of Nigerian poets. It focuses on the subject of childhood and youthfulness as represented in the poetry of Nigerians. It is edited by Obari Gomba and it will be released by Ofeimun’s Hornbill House.Nigerian Women Poets is an anthology of immense significance. It seeks to represent the poems of Nigerian women in order to create a reference point for readership and research. Even if the book fails to be exhaustive, it can boast of a robust collection on how our women have negotiated their existence. It is edited by Ofeimun. An Anthology of Nigerian Poetry in the First Century is an anthology of poetry written before the present century. For a literary tradition that has continued to grow, it is important to have a collection that seeks to capture its protean dimension. The idea is to collect Nigerian poetry in the last century. There has not been such a book until now. For a poetic tradition that is over 100 years old, it is great that Ofeimun has dared to give us a reference point for our national output.

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Ofeimun has written/is writing books on politics and culture. He has never failed to raise or join a conversation on Nigeria’s/ Africa’s position in the world. Even when we choose not to agree with him, it becomes impossible not to listen to him. His book projects in this area include: The Truth of The Matter: Interviews and Exchanges, Forewords and Prefaces, Taking Nigeria Seriously, When Does A Civil War Come To An End?, This Conference Must Be Different, Remaking the Nigerian Project, Media Nigeriana, June Twelver’s Dilemma, A Houseof Many Mansions, Imagination and the City: A Lagosian View, In Search of Ogun: SoyinkaIn Spite of Nietzsche, Impossible Death of the African Author, Breaking Deaf Walls in Nigeria Literature, My ANA File, Letters to Bose on the Arts and Society, and Up and Down the Yellow Mountain.

J P Clark

Some of these books have been released and some are in the process of being released. We pray they should all come to fruition. All in all, it is a rich corpus of ideas. A brief summary of each title is necessary. Taking Nigeria Seriously is an insightful book on the Nigerian project. It stems from the author’s public lectures and interventions on the state of the nation. The author hopes that many Nigerians would love to take Nigeria seriously enough as to understand its challenges and to effect re-construction. It posits that the components of Nigeria have roped themselves into a tragic bind that has to be undone. This is why the idea of a confab is proper. In This Conference Must Be Different, the writer examines the necessities, challenges and possibilities of the National Conference of 2014. The objections and affirmations of that gathering point to the cracks in our understanding of Nigeria. The author offers practical argument on the areas of angst and defeat, and he calls on citizens to discuss and triumph over the country’s limitations. The citizens must commit to remaking the country. Thus, Remaking the Nigerian Project discusses a lot of recent issues in Nigeria (from the death of Festus Iyayi to the 2015 elections). The author does not shy away from any matter that is relevant to national interest. He situates his view within the context of public good. Remaking the Nigerian project is a collective responsibility but the primary responsibility is that of those who occupy the seats of power, if only they will listen and allow collective stake-holding to count.

There must be no room for the replication of dilemmas. The country has had enough of it. June Twelvers’ Dilemma takes the reader back to the history of one of Nigeria’s most troubling elections, the Presidential Elections of 12th June 1993, which was annulled by Gen. Ibrahim Babangida. The book examines the convolutions, the somersaults and the lessons of that dark moment of history. The lessons are naked before all eyes. We must learn them and avoid the pitfalls of our polity. Like that election, the civil war is another pointer to how the country has failed to rise above its conundrums.

When Does a Civil War Come to an End? is a revealing book on the disturbing issues of Nigeria’s civil war. The author’s argument has been consistent concerning the wrong and false motivations of that war. He has also sought to put its execution and aftermath in clear perspective. Although his argument predates Chinua Achebe’s There Was a Country, that book has come to become the immediate provocation for this book. The author insists that Achebe’s argument is misleading in a number of ways. He sets out to keep things straight.
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A House of Many Mansions is a collection of literary and cultural essays. They are incisive, expository and even polemical as expected of Ofeimun. Some of the essays were originally written for West Africa, Africa Forum, Africa Events, The Guardian, Glendora and Nigeria Tribune. The essays touch a large number of personalities such as: Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Derek Walcott, Toni Morisson, Anthony Appiah, Nadine Gordimer, Kole Omotoso, Ken Saro-Wiwa. Ofeimun is not afraid to agree or disagree with any of them. This book is a cultural strong room.

It shares the same tenor with In Search of Ogun: Soyinka In Spite of Nietzsche which makes a case for proto-science based on the personality and action of Ogun. There is an application of mytho-history as a tool for development and nation-building. Ogun Ewuare, human before deification, has offered the author a basis for discussing the paradigms that can be harnessed as we face contemporary challenges. The book begins by matching Soyinka with Nietzsche, takes on Femi Osofisan, and anchors all of them in a deep matrix of development. Furthermore, the Nollywood industry is also positioned alongside literature, in the final part, in order to reveal the limits and possibilities of narratives in relation to development. A major point here is the involvement of the artiste in his society. The narratives that the cultural artiste renders must impact society. To this end, Impossible Death of the African Author is a critique on the place of the writer in relation to art and/or society. Against the assumption of a strand of European scholarship, such as exemplified in Roland Barthes’ declaration on the death of the author, Ofeimun insists that the African author is alive to his/her art and people.

The imagination of the artiste has a social construct. Imagination and the City: A Lagosian View is a book on Nigeria’s commercial city. It is also a city of creativity and the hub of entertainment. The author has enjoyed a long relationship with the city and has written a lot of poems on it. It is great that the author has committed himself to highlighting the place of Lagos as a city of imagination. He goes even further, outside the shores of Africa, in Up and Down the Yellow Mountains which is a collection of conversations between the author and a number of Chinese poets, exiled and home-based, after feats of mountain climbing. The conversations cover the creative process of individual poets and also reveal the nature of existence within and outside their national boundaries. The Truth of The Matter is another collection of interviews and exchanges with the usual candour of Ofeimun. Most of his interviews have been polemical. He has always pricked the society to re-examine itself in the light of truth. He hits hard sometimes, but we cannot deny the largeness of his heart.

We see more of his large heart in Forewords and Prefaces which reveals that the author has written several forewords and prefaces for other authors through the years. He is a perfect example of a writer’s writer. He understands that such pieces should not only promote books, they should help us to understand them and the issues in them. Thus, he positions his prefatory writing to help us grapple with issues. The point is simple. Every book belongs to the public…just like the media. His connection with the media is seen in Media Nigeriana. The book examines the media: its relevance, pitfalls and prospects in the Nigerian environment. He has been a man in the media and he understands the media, its warts and all. Given that the media is the fourth estate, its failures and triumphs should not be ignored.
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My ANA File is a book on issues, projects, reactions and arguments that were triggered by years of Ofeimun’s involvement in the leadership of the Association of Nigerian Authors. All through his days in various positions (Assistant Secretary, Secretary and President), he never dodged from empathy and controversy. It will appear that the sections of this book on controversy will be the main attraction. The commitment is geared towards one purpose: breaking down walls and creating greater understanding. Breaking Deaf Walls in Nigerian Literature reveals the author’s commitment and understanding of Nigerian literature. The author has taken it upon himself to bring down “deaf walls”, a metaphor for the stock habit of bad discourse. This kind of discourse should not be allowed to infect society. This explains why he pens a series of letters to clarify the place of art in the society. Letters to Bose on Art and the Society is a collection of letters addressed to a young girl who had asked the author a series of questions on literature and society. The book is in keeping with a time-tested tradition among writers. The publication of the letters opens up the “actualities” of the writer’s experience and it also indicates the depth of relationship.
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Ofeimun was born on 16th March 1950 in Iruekpen-Ekuma in Edo State of Nigeria. He is possibly the only one who spells the name of his hometown in that manner. He believes that Ekpoma is a corruption of Ekuma. He studied Political Science at the University of Ibadan. He has been a factory worker, a journalist and an administrator. He is popular as a writer, an activist, a producer and a publisher. He won the 2010 Fonlon Nichols Award. Kole Omotoso says “Ofeimun occupies the crossroads of Nigerian literature and politics” (xvi). Perhaps it is better to simply say he occupies the country. He wants the country to heal the terrible sores of postcolony.