Prior to the growth and development of African literature is the resurgence of politi-ture which voices out for the downtrodden hoi-polloi against the tyrannicality and blood-thirstiness of African politrickcians and political goliaths. With this political dimension of African literature, chiefly poetry in concern, writers have proactively assumed the social responsibility of weaponizing African society through the jarring power of their poetic diction in order to bring to limelight myriad anguished memories of yesterday, and the present over-rehearsed empty promises and vainglorious display of intellectual nothingness of our politicians who live in untold opulence but leave the dying and jackbooted masses in the pool of piercing poverty, with canticles of optimism – ‘better- day -to -come ‘ left on their enervated lips to warble.
Similarly , the illuminating language , coupled with sublimity embedded in the poetry of Ayaniyi, Osundare, Franz CAigImokhuede , Remi Raji, Odia Ofeimum, Tanure Ojaide and among others expose the abysmal situation we find ourselves in the hands of the so called politicians , who have nothing for the citizens except displaying of rotten promises and siphoning of all-belonged public funds into their foreign accounts. No wonder, the antagonist-ism continues to manifest in the poetry of young African writers who have no choice but to throng the literary path laid by their fathers , mentors, and indefatigable Nigerian poets like Femi Fatoba, who use humorous cum satirical language to describe the socio-political scenario of their dear nay-tion. This will be so when Niyi Osundare once said ‘African writers do have choice but to be political.’
Correspondingly, we have to pay vivid consideration into the significant universal ideas explored in this new dimension of African poetry. We have to consider this verisimilitude ideology or what I can call the polemics in the poems of the afore-mentioned poets. With the the recent literary stylistic evaluation of the revolutionary impulse in the modern day poetry, we discovered the thematic direction of this poetry to have being the one centering on societal indecency and bad governance, similarly aiming at exposing the social malice in the African society. This radical ideology, coupled with highly-flown linguistic panache and poetic jargons describe the themes of Niyi Osundare’s collections as that of antagonism against the African government.
This same ideology- a sense of political social responsibility, which I can describe as poetic lineage and inheritance is all what I see in the poetic spirit of Tosin Gbogi’s the tongues of a shattered s-k-y. All words coined and fixed at appropriate places by the power of rhythmicality and emotiveness are testimonies to the poet's ability to use poetic license perfectly without superfluity. It also describes the poet as an harbinger of hope and a waver of societal consciousness , who writes out of the grief-stricken experiences, coupled with unbearable pains and torment with the aim of exposing the socio-political decadence in the so called ‘aireign nay-tio’, and how some political dogs and sycophants lurk at the corner of these political cankerworms and juggernauts for little crumbs of national chin-chin falling off the chin of masters' tables .
In the tongues of a shattered s-k-y, a collection of poetry by a politically-inclined poet, who just pattered out of political barbarism, we have the collection divide into four parts with the theme woven on politicality and intellectuality so as to reach the mind of common man easily. Hence, Remi Raji, the ex-President of Association of Nigerian Authors describes this four emotional segments as ‘twilight poetry’, while Hygines Ekwuazi, an award-winning writer describes them as “ones, emerging from sad aches of truth put into music. . .”
This first part, When Sun Reaches Orgasm, Even The Iron-Coated Tortoise Will Sweat, is what I can describe as the carrier of the central message of the whole collection. Having opened with the the pledge next time followed by animal called man, the part centers on of rehearsed promises made by Nigerian civilians and men-in-Khaki (DEMO-KHAKI). We must also consider the sense of responsibility of being the ‘Animal’ assumed by the poet. The fact that the poet transforms the national pledge to corroborate the hidden agenda of Nigerian politicians has to be pondered on, while Gbogi needs to be kudosed here for his power of creativity and laconicity to create words like ‘nay-tion and aireign’ (nation and I reign respectively) out of the socio tension and the political scenario of Nigeria into rhythms. He says:
I pledge to aireign my nay-tion
To be criminal and cun(t)ny
To rule this nation with fire and force
Do-or-die.
The same thing goes in 'animal called man' where he describes the draconian decree and reign of military government of 1976 as
A reign of locust
Operation feed hungry nation
Also in animal talks and think of what you can do for airegn nation, Gbogi brings into presence the issue of corruption being the order of the day in all every sectors – power, education, transportation , and how escalating the decadence grows due to naives and quack self-acclaimed experts paddling the boat of dying economy, while citizens arm-fold themselves in rhythmical silence. In “a wise man”, Gbogi describes his nation as where:
Hopes daily sleep in the morgue
And white and black ambulances
Do not cry sorrowful dirges
Terrored by the pianoed sounds of siren. ..
In the second part of the book, we hearken voice of hope and a wave of consciousness in the jackbooted hoi polloi. Silence, Even Pushed To The Wall, Will Whisper,” the second segment of this poem paints the picture of where the poet comes from. Although a corroboration to the first part, it looks into the decadences, lapses and detriment in all sectors of this nay-tion. The poet, having shifted the responsibility of first-person singular from him as he does in the first part, tries to portray the alarming state of corruption at every sector of his nation. He writes:
The night agog with faded tales
The night is agog with adamant songs
. . .
The truth of hidden fire
Rise to challenge god in the shattered s-k-y
In indecent death and ghettogether the antagonistic tune still tempos high in the shattered s-k-y, as the ghettoness and rogue of Lagos and Ibadan are being described as ones congested and jam-packed by people in a race of survival of the fittest. He describes his society as that of one “forged of firewood flame / and the street filled with groan and begging urchins./ where street is filled with the rhetorical guns and the eloquence of riot’s act.'
The third part, I May Forget Yesterday, If Today Fails To Bring Me The Memories Of It portrays those unforsaken moments when flute of vacuum filled the shattered sky. In I am an ambulance of minstrel and undertaker’ the poet, having assumed the position of a minstrel whose mezzo-soprano is laden with dirge and horror tales, describes how hope becomes cow that is slaughtered, massacred and butchered on the slab called Nigeria, without any standard constitution to look into it .
I refer those rancid imageries like morgue, pharaoh, crime, ambulance and grave as being symbolic representation of dungeon called Nigeria where the poet finds himself. However, we have to consider the tone as that which is not not too harsh compared to others, but full of horrors, pain, and torment.
The fourth part, Tyranny, Only Keeps The Page Of History Busy. It Conquers Nothing presents hope hanging somewhere for this aireign nay-tion. A mere looking at this chapter keeps songs of hope warbled, vision of better tomorrow is seen, and the crescent of new hope is gazed. The part also calls for love ‘re-learn-ing’ because democracy of is not for hoodlums. Gbogi hopes that the rain of vengeance will fall on those political cankerworms meandering aimlessly within the corroder of power when saying :
I see the rains of vengeance
Falling
On the roofs
Taking a critical outlook of the generality of the revolutionary collection of poetry, Tosin Gbogi, without doubt, can be described as a poet whose voice echoes eternally. His verses are indeed the needle that sews the torn garment of hope. the tongues of s shattered s-k-y is a freedom -fighting book that tries to address the societal imbalance. The poet, having seen himself as someone from middle class, he believes masses can only be taken out of this nation’s peculiar mess through fourth estate and power of writing.
However, despite all these sublimely woven lines, I see this poem as being one-sided, because the universal ideas of this collection voyage around indecency in governance alone. Is the government alone the carrier of the blame? What of the masses that always claim to remain innocent after they’ve sold their vote for these political tyrants for dime and penny? Or those that sold their children’s future for crumbs of national chin-chin? I believe it should not go like this. On final note, I believe the poem, having had its universal ideas centered on tyrannical government makes it more mind-numbing because this is what we have been spoon-fed with over the last two decades by other angry poets.
@2013
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