POETS MUST BE RESPECTED LIKE PRIESTS

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