The Origin Of Modern African Poetry

by Okpako Cecilia Omotorhe

Spread the love

Ever wondered how modern African poetry

became what it is now: revealing, engaging and impactful.
Well, here is an overview of how it started
Table of Contents
The Origin Of Modern African Poetry
Cultural Nationalism:
Language
The Influence Of Oral Tradition:
Colonialism
The Impact Of Negritude:
Gender Issues
Themes Of Modern African Poetry
Contemporary African Poets
Features Of Modern African Poetry
The Origin Of Modern African Poetry
Modern African Poetry was birthed from the experience of slavery
and colonialism. Poets shifted from the influences of colonialism,
nature, lyricism and used their voices to create an awareness of the
prevailing conditions of the masses who suffered neglect at the
hands of the ruling government in the continent.
They also ensured their poems reflected the African rhythms, the
beats and lyrics of our belief system. African poetry was also
influenced by different factors. These factors which impacted the
growth and development of modern African poetry include:
Cultural Nationalism
Language
Oral Tradition
Colonialism
Negritude
Gender Issues
Cultural Nationalism:
According to Encyclopedia; “Cultural Nationalism can be defined
as movements of group allegiance based on a shared heritage as in
language, history, literature, songs, religion, ideology, symbols,
lands or monuments.
Poets were able to convey their vision of a better community
through this movement and also retrieve their lost cultural identity.
They were able to inspire people to build a new image of
themselves one not stained by colonialism.
Language
Language also impacted the growth of modern African poetry. Due
to colonialism, African poets inherited English language and some
learnt it as a second language. It was even accepted as an official
language in Africa because it was more easily to understand and
read about. So, it was accepted as a tool of communication by the
literary circle and they used it well to portray their views,
observations and thoughts.
This impacted modern poets works and since, it was a language
used by the ancient poets they imitated it and were able to create
an identity for themselves i.e., write their stories using their own
unique voice and style.
Chinua Achebe also talked about the problems modern poets faced
while writing in English and he proffered an advice:
“The African writer should aim to use English that brings out his
message without altering the language to the extent that it’s value
as a media of international exchange will be lost. He should aim at
fashioning out an English which is at once unusual and able to
carry his peculiar experience”
The Influence Of Oral Tradition:
Oral traditions also impacted the works of modern African poets.
Oral traditional poets and storytellers were known to infuse
cultures, beliefs, values and norms in their works so modern poets
were able to interact with that fact and use it effectively in their
works. Although, some of these writings by certain modern poets
were mere imitations and not effective in connecting with the
people.
There were some writers like Amos Tutuola Of Nigeria whose
works had changing effects and growing literary tradition.
Colonialism
Colonialism can be said to be the greatest influencer of African
poetry. It influenced our beliefs, traditions, cultures, norms,
standards and languages. Africans were forced to adopt the western
traditions, cultures, languages and this affected our thoughts and
belief system.
So, poets used it effectively to convey their frustration, plights,
emotion on how they felt about colonialism and slavery. It also
influenced their visions, dreams and they were able to infuse that
pain, hurt into motivating the society to create a valued identity for
themselves.
The Impact Of Negritude:
According to Leopold Sedar Senghor:( a Senegalese poet):
“Negritude is the sum of the cultural values of the black world as
they expressed in the life, the institutions and the works of black
men”
It was an literary movement born out of the Paris intellectual
environment of 1930’s and 1940’s. It was a product of black
writers joining together through the French language to assert their
cultural identity and also an aspect to rejection of colonialism.
This movement influenced the ideology of modern writers to be
able to create an identity and how they viewed themselves.
Gender Issues
Gender issues also influenced the works of modern African poetry
and it is an obvious theme in many poets works these days. They
created a medium to express their displeasures about problems that
dealt with gender and also praise the victories or wins by genders.
Themes Of Modern African Poetry
The major messages found in the literary works of poets includes:
Tributes
Hope And Faith
Nature
Political Issues
Anger
Love
Self recovery
Mental health
Gender
Love
Religion
Social and Moral Decadence
Motherhood
The beauty of emotions
Contemporary African Poets
Some of the modern African poets who make effective impacts in
our societies and continents includes:
Ijeoma Umebinyuo (Nigeria)
Michael Onsando
Yrsa Daley- Ward ( Writer of Jamaican and Nigerian origins)
Liyou Libsekal ( Ethiopia)
Lebogeng Mashile ( South Africa)
Saddiq D Zukiyi (Nigeria)
Harnet Amena (Uganda)
Warsan Shire (Kenyan born Somalia Poet)
Safie Elhilo (Sudan)
Togera Muzanenhamo (Zimbabwe)
Ernest Ogunyemi ( Nigeria)
Titilope Sonuga (Nigeria)
among others.
Features Of Modern African Poetry
Modern African Poetry has basic characteristics influenced by
these themes:
Cultural upheaval
Violence
Post Imperialism.
The key feature here is that every modern poet pieces are inspired
or shaded with hope for the future, protest against imperialism,
African pride and beliefs.
Modern African Poetry has come to stay and I can say poets of this
post- colonial era as some critics call it, have been able to infuse
our indigenous voices into their works and share them in the
continent and outside globally.

2.0

Understanding African Poetry And Its Origins;

Generations
by Okpako Cecilia Omotorhe
Spread the love
Poetry could be said to be the oldest genre in Africa. It began with
themes, rhythms, histories, rituals and ideas which grew from
cultures of different regions within the continent. It was created to
bring people communally and open a platform for them to share
common experiences. In this article, we are going to look at
African Poetry and Its Origin.
Table of Contents
Understanding African Poetry And Its Origins
Themes Of African Poetry
Importance Of African Poetry
Understanding African Poetry
Language:
Code Mixing
Diction
Proverbs
Figures Of Speech:
Understanding African Poetry And Its Origins
Before colonialism, African poetry was mostly in oral form,
spoken in the languages of the people which created a mutual
understanding between the audience and the orator. Oral poetry
was usually done with vigorousity, gestures and emotions. It was
either in songs, dirge, elegy, panegyric or riddles.
Then, colonialism came, and oral poetry took another form, it was
transcribed into written form and some of these poems lost their
flavour and messages.
The first generation of poets during this era wrote poems with
shades of colonialism in them.
Some notable names includes:
Kofi Awoonor
Wole Soyinka
Lenrie Peters
Chinua Achebe
P Clark
Sembene Ousmane
Ama Ata Aidoo
Most of them also used their languages to convey their messages to
the audience. They wrote consistently on oppression, freedom,
injustice and independence from colonialism.
The second generation were post colonialism poets. They were a
mixture of the first generation and new creatives. They learnt from
the first and infused in their poems the struggles, falls of the new
government, the vices and challenges. Some of them also made
good use of their languages to pass out their messages and connect
deeply with the readers.
They include:
Niyi Osundare
Ken Saro Wiwa
Jack Mapanje
Isidore Okpewho
Femi Osofisan
Mandla Langa
Tanure Ojaide

The third generation are combination of the second and new

poets who witnessed the post colonialism and the changes it
brought. They wrote poems about the societal values, crises in their
respective countries, the unending falls of their governments. They
used poetry to create a voice for every African trying to survive
and thrive in society facing moral and societal decadence.
They include:
Titilope Sonuga
Yrsa Datey Ward
Ijeoma Umebinyuo
Michael Onsando
Abubakar Othman
Remi Raji
Themes Of African Poetry
African poetry have come from a long history, faced obvious
changes and have been an impactful tool in political/ societal
criticism, entertainment and a way of keeping poetry alive and
continuous in the continent.
Poets of the colonialism, post colonial period included some of
these themes in their works:
Colonialism
Liberation
Personal relationships
Traditions
Rootlessness
Religion
Mysticism
Now, in the modern age poetry, poets in Africa are focusing their
works on the healing, purging of their countries and using it to
keep the government in check and enlighten the society of the
former ills, falls and successes. They also use poetry these days to
bring to light the influence of western standards on indigenous
cultures, its effects and impacts.
The themes of their works mostly includes:
Nature
Urbanism
Moral And Societal Decadence
Tributes
Hope And Faith
Political Criticisms
Emotions
Importance Of African Poetry
African poetry isn’t just significant because of its connective
settings, resonating storylines and relatable languages. It is also
important because of the following:
◆It increases our social and physical consciousness to the
happenings of the society
◆It raises awareness and attention of social, political, economic
and cultural crises that affects the African continent
◆To communicate ideas, values, emotions and beliefs of the
African traditions.
◆To appreciate life and the gifts of nature.
◆To educate, enlighten and impact the thinking of the societies.
Understanding African Poetry
For African poets to be well understood, you need to understand
the languages they use to convey their messages. You need to be
able to interpret their words and understand what they are trying to
pass across to you.
The tools African poets employ in their poems includes:
Language:
It is the vehicle which the poet uses to convey his or her messages,
thoughts and ideas.
It helps to clarify meanings and make it straight forward with no
clichés.
Code Mixing
It refers to the mixing of two or more language varieties.
It helps to enhance the message intended, specific ideas and terms.
Examples:
1. I have a palm kernel smeared in Ukpaka and Mangala fish.
2. I painted your eyelashes with otengele dark as indigo.
(Asika Ikechukwu’s Omelei)
Diction

It is the poet’s choice of words used to convey his or her message.

It could be technical, free verse or plainly complicated.
Proverbs
They are used as the backbone for the interpretation of the
messages of the poem.
It helps to construct the flow of thoughts and ideas in a structured
way.
Examples:

1. The leopard know in his head whose skin adorns the shoulder of
the mighty king.
2. The mother goat knows on whose skin the drummer rattles.
(Asika Ikechukwu’s Omelei, pg 8)
Figures Of Speech:
They refer to group of words used to give certain emphasis to an
idea or to gain a particular effect. It is mostly used by poets to
strengthen their style of literary composition through which they
express their ideas.
Examples includes:
Hyperbole: It is the use of exaggeration in which any event is
expressed in a greater term than the actual event.
“… the entire continent of Africa is here… Yes, the whole of
Africa knows of your reputation in that direction”
(Wole Soyinka’s A Play Of Giants)
Imagery:
It can be referred as the symbolic vision of what happens in the
reader’s mind.
“and i rise now
with long drums of laughter
to slaughter a thousand dragon-dreams of pain”
(Remi Raji’s I Rise Now)
Irony
It is the saying of the opposite of what one has in mind
“beat back the rust souls of warriors
who never won a war…”
(Remi Raji’s Old Havocs)
African Poets are the voices of their societies who help to show the
indigenes or citizens the societal norms, ills and evils of their
countries.
Through their writings they hope to win peace and freedom for
their countries. They also hope their works can be seen as a
channel to inspire growth, educate and resonate effectively with
the readers.