I had the pleasure of being part of the first Lagos International Poetry Festival. Though for personal reason I could not commit myself to all the events especially the two day poetry concert. But I was opportune to be in two master classes.
Open Heart Surgery with Titilope Sonuga, a poet, performer and civil engineer, whom adding to her long list of accomplishment, performed at the inauguration ceremony of President Muhamadu Buhari. And From Imagery to Metaphor and Back: Reducing and Exploding Narrative Poetry with Inua Ellams. A cross art form practitioner, a poet, playwright and performer and also a graphic artist and designer based in London
Regrettably I missed the combined class which climaxed into conversations with professor John Pepper Clerk-Bekederemo, one of the writers of renown, whose poetry I studied in my Literature in English classes back in secondary school and have written my own version of one of his many poems ‘Ibadan’.
As a young poet, the journey so far can be likened to the lonely walk of an unwanted pilgrim. There is hardly any recognition or prospect for poets in Nigeria, or so I thought. But meeting people like Titilope and Inua against the background of what they have accomplished has given me new perspectives to my creativity. Not only have they inspired me to keep writing, they thought me new angles to poetry.
The benefits of such a program is that the close contact interaction with real life, accomplished and successful poets, writers and performers is the direct mentorship and motivation it avails young talents. A feeling that cannot be gotten from reading the complete works of Shakespeare. It is to this end, I salute the initiative of the Lagos International Poetry Festival (LIFP).
Below are two of my favourite Afrocentric poems including my version of ‘Ibadan’.
Ibadan
Ilu Eba Odan
City ever in great transition
Land between the forest and the plains
Land of Lagelu's progeny
Jagun of Ife, become seer
Land of vision and prosperity
Burnt down in Sango's rage
Rebuilt on dexterity and fortitude
As quiet as a shy maid
But pregnant as a gloomy weather
Vegetation sired by your heavy rains
Who taught your warriors to fight?
Eba'odan, city of a great multitude
Out of the dark, you made yourself a light
Isale Eko at Dusk
Ah! At last sun down
Night is near, darkness falls upon us
Mothers, let out our friends
Friends, leave your mothers’ sides
The party tents are set
Our sisters have cooked a banquet
Look, the drummers have arrived
Our beautiful maidens: talk of the town
Eagerly await our presence
The moon and stars like disco balls
Cheer us on, childlike impetus
As we Celebrate till sunlight calls
By: Olamide Santos
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