If one should consider
what poets pass through to produce a piece being laced with aesthetic use of
language and effective command of though in a condensed way, they must be
respected. Poets weave words to produce thoughts that are familiar in a way
that is not familiar. This is usually done purposely to produce novel
expressions. The language of poetry may be simple or complex. If it is simple,
the interpretation may not. If the language is difficult, meanings are embedded
in words, lines and stanzas. So only those who live in the literary realm are
able to dig in very well to get the message of the poet. But interpreting poems
does not necessarily mean you should write one, the necessary tools to decode
messages in a poem is one’s knowledge about the language of a poem is written must
be efficient, then one’s knowledge about the word has to be wide, because poets
write about the world.
While writing about the
world, different things are considered by the poets. Poet writes to shed light
on darkness of the world in order to clear ways for humans when man get lost in
the labyrinth of existence. World is created for conflict and resolution.
Conflict reigns forever if there is no one to solve it. Though there is God, it
is human that He sends to human. His messengers to earth are prophets and
priests. In the beginner of life, prophets came to the world for resolution of
conflict. While prophets are no more on earth, priests place them and they are
reliable. Just like existence of prophets and priests on earth, poets live for
ages in the world to direct man to the right path, though it may not be in a
religious way like priests and prophets. In achieving this, poets serve as
models on earth and paper. Their works speak for them even after their death. So,
poets live after their death.
Poets also foresee the
future. Since their attention is on humanity, they ensure that no one falls in
the traps of the world. They consider the past events, presence and give the
world the possible outcome of the future. Many a time, prophesies they make are
real. But many people always turn to priests and back the poets, instead, both
poets and priests must be given the same attention. The instance of prophesy by
poet is not far fetch. In his poem, William Bultler Yeats foresaw the coming of
the Second World War in his poem
‘The
Second Coming:’
‘Turning
and turning in the widening gyre
The
falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things
fall apart; the centre cannot hold
Mere
anarchy is loosed upon the world
…
Surely
some revelation is at hand
Surely
the second coming is at hand…’
It can be noted that
poets tell the truth about life. But the truth may come in a way that is not
familiar. Apart from the fact that poets foresee the future, novelists and
other creative writers have the same like mind. In other words, creative
writers think in the same realm. Even from the W.B Yeat’s lines quoted above,
another writer, a novelist from Nigeria, which is Chinua Achebe also use the same thought by Yeat to write his novel
about political ‘jingoism’ in Nigeria. Since Achebe got the inspiration from
Yeat, he titled his novel ‘Things Fall
Apart.’ Indeed, creative writers must be respected like priests.
On this note young
Nigerian poets who are drinking wine from the poetry gourd of their fore fathers
must be commended for their intellectual contribution to humanity. They also
write about the present situations of their country and continent. They are
passionate about their literary world, thinking in the same realm in order to
realize the same goals. To show their commitment, they applied for the contest
organized by ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIAN AUTHORS OSUN STATE CHAPTER (OAU BRANCH)
and wrote on AFRICA AND INSURGENCY.
Their mission is to use the ink to curb violence in Africa which is their home.
Thus, ANA OSUN-OAU commended them,
yesterday, by giving out #50,000 as
the first prize, #30,000 as second
and #20,000 as third prize. Forty
poets applied for the contest and ten emerged as winners. They are:
WINNERS
|
Name
|
Title
of the Poem
|
Institution
|
Prize
|
|
Opeyemi Rasak
Oyediran
|
Blackout
|
Olabisi
Onabanjo University
|
1ST #50,000
|
|
Olabode Karimot
Olabisi
|
Voices of despair
|
Obafemi Awolowo
University
|
2ND #30,000
|
|
Olatunji Tolulope
|
Homeless-Maiduguri
2014
|
University
of Agriculture Abeokuta
|
3RD #20,000
|
SHORTLISTED
|
NAME
|
TITLE
OF THE POEM
|
UNIVERSITY
|
|
Danladi Sunday
Lawrence
|
A wall of flame
|
University of Ibadan
|
|
Ajise Vincent
|
Threshold of history
|
University of
Agriculture Abeokuta
|
|
Alao Osieka Osinimu
|
A
new civilization
|
Redeemers
University
|
|
Aliu
Toyin Abdul
|
Buried
peace
|
University
of Ilorin
|
|
Etsekhumhe Samson
|
Fears
of a black earth
|
University
of Ibadan
|
|
Ogunleke Adekunle
Emmanuel
|
Streams
of Blood
|
Osun
State University
|
|
Aladesuyi Olakitan
Toyin
|
Terrorism:
The unending darkness
|
Obafemi
Awolowo University
|
While ten contestants
above were given prizes, other thirsty whose names were not shortlisted were
given books to show that ANA OAU is interested in promoting writing in Nigeria
that poetry is not for business. The purpose of the contest is to encourage young
writers in Nigeria. They are poets and there is need to respect them like
priests.
OLANIYI
ABDULWAHEED (PENMIND)
Deputy Editor-in-Chief, ANA OSUN-OAU
