Homeland & Other PoemsIfowodo was a frontline student leader in the early eighties and is a lawyer and civil rights activist. In 1996 he was a writer-in-residence at the Heinrich Boell Foundation. He was imprisoned between 1997 and 1998 and was subsequently adopted by PEN. This is his first collection of poetry which won the 1993 Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize. Many of the poems are responses to politics; or spring from the tensions between writing political poetry, or art for art's sake, and other competing subjects of poetry, such as romantic love. The poet, quoting Neruda, first asks the reader expecting a poetic celebration of his natural world to 'come see the blood in the streets'. In the section section he writes tributes to Tracey Chapman, Winnie and Nelson Mandela and Margeret Thatcher ('the butcher'). The subject of the third section is the rediscovery of romantic love, amidst and beyond turmoil and oppression. |
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Page 2
... Fear , winner , 1992 All Africa Okigbo prize for Literature & Honourable mention , 1993 Noma Award for Publishing in Africa Nnimmo Bassey : Patriots and Cockroaches Okinba Launko : Dream - Seeker on Divining Chain Onookome Okome ...
... Fear , winner , 1992 All Africa Okigbo prize for Literature & Honourable mention , 1993 Noma Award for Publishing in Africa Nnimmo Bassey : Patriots and Cockroaches Okinba Launko : Dream - Seeker on Divining Chain Onookome Okome ...
Page 26
... fear how I may still share creed with comrades who with me are victims of the evil that unlocked your purse- in search of a final cure ? Earth bears the signs of a deluge in flooded homes , farms and rivers , even in roads closed by ...
... fear how I may still share creed with comrades who with me are victims of the evil that unlocked your purse- in search of a final cure ? Earth bears the signs of a deluge in flooded homes , farms and rivers , even in roads closed by ...
Page 38
... fear reigns as to who shall be next to grace their graves . Now even curses sound like prayers the orange boy twirls his sling and recalling David and Goliath asks : what will kill the beast ? They now walk on the streets ' bushy ...
... fear reigns as to who shall be next to grace their graves . Now even curses sound like prayers the orange boy twirls his sling and recalling David and Goliath asks : what will kill the beast ? They now walk on the streets ' bushy ...
Contents
For arts sake | 11 |
Poem to the child of my time | 32 |
Mandelas mantle | 41 |
Copyright | |
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anger anguish arms asked August battle bear beast beneath bitter bleeding blood bones break breath broken brows carved cast child close colours count crocodiles cross daily dance death December deep dust dying earth evil eyes face fading faith fear feet fire flesh flowing forest gathered graves grow guns hand harvest head hear heart heat hope horns January kill laughter lay dying leaves light living marched mark memory mouth muscle needing night pain past paths plead pledged POEMS poetry poison prize rain rising rivers roads sadness sand season seek serve shadow soldier song Soon sorrows soul space stars stone streets surer taste tears teeth terror things thirst tongue tree truth turn voice walk walls wear weeping whip wider winds wondered wounds