By Anote Ajeluorou
Nigeria is not
exactly renowned for celebrating its past heroes so that their exploits can be
referenced and inspiring points for future generations. But Association of
Nigerian Authors (ANA), Imo State chapter did the exact opposite Tuesday, last
week when it honoured one of its own, a professor of medicine, astute
administrator, playwright and poet, Prof. Anaelechi Barnabas Chukuezi. He was
the first to write a play in Igbo language back in 1974 titled Udokamma, and published by Oxford
University Press (OUP). Like many of his generation, he also wrote the play as an
undergraduate in his fourth year, and it fetched him accolades back then.
But Chukuezi, who is currently on a
wheelchair, had a moment to forget his travails with ill-health and had smiles
plastered on his face as he was the centre of attention. Some of his fellow
alma mater from the famous Government College, Umuahia, including chairman of
the occasion, Chief Chukwuma Ekomaru were in attendance, and they all gustily
sang their old school anthem to the admiration of everyone else. The
association also dedicated its anthology, Ogele:
An ANA Imo Anthology of Creative Writing to Chukuezi for blazing the path
that the crop of writers in the state currently threads.
Ekomaru thanked ANA Imo chapter for honouring
Chukuezi for his pioneering role as playwright in Igbo language. He also said
he held writers in high esteem, as they were the best and richest around,
adding, “They are the highest level of human beings - writers and authors -
those who create ideas; writers have the highest quality of minds”.
Performance in Igbo language inevitably
became part of the menu. ANA Imo PRO, Mr. Nwokedi Nwa Nwokedi became the
town-crier that roused the audience with his Igbo praise performances. First, he
performed Chukuezi’s poem in the anthology, ‘Aki bu ndu’. He also sang the praises of some of the dignitaries,
particularly their mentor, Chukuezi. This was followed with a performance by
another Igbo language writer, Nnenna Ihebom, who performed ‘A B Ch’ from the
anthology also in honour of Chukuezi. These moments of celebrations in Igbo language
together with Hon. Uche Onyeagucha’s flawless presentation of the anthology in
Igbo were highlights of an event dedicated to honouring a man who scored first
by writing a play in Igbo language.
In his welcome address, chapter chairman, Mr.
Chidozie Chukwubuike urged government to promote literature as a way of
avoiding the tag of a failed state, as none patronage of literature invariably
deepens illiteracy in any society.
“According to him, “We intend to use this
convention to draw attention of government to literature because any state
without a robust literary culture is a failed state. A good literary culture
gives birth to high literacy rate. And why does United Nations Organisation
celebrate literacy? It is because literacy is power. Those who acquire it
before others rule the world. ANA Imo is committed to the promotion of
literature and Imo State Government can cash in on that to create a robust
literary culture. That is the smart thing to do”.
Chukwubuike went on to list some of the
chapter’s needs, which he said government could easily provide once it was
ready to eradicate illiteracy in the state. According to him, “Imo writers
deserve a writers’ resort, where they can go to do their creative writing and
run residency programmes. Imo writers want the government to invest in the book
industry and create enabling environment for major publishers to build their
plants in Imo State. Imo writers need government intervention to flush out book
pirates from the state.
“There is need to encourage indigenous
writing by giving preference to good books written by Imo indigenes over books
from elsewhere during book review for schools. And Imo State deserves libraries
(not just a library) of international standard that can patronize local and
foreign authors because Imo writers also deserve to be read (outside). Also, we
urge individuals and corporate establishments to come out and support
programmes that promote literary creativity here in Imo State as it is done in
other states”.
However, in spite of efforts made by the
association, the Rochas Okorocha-led administration in Imo State failed to the
need to celebrate World Literacy Day and be part of the cultural effort the
writers’ group was making to rejuvenating culture in the state. Only the
Commissioner for Information, Mr. Theodore Ekechi made personal effort to
attend; he also contributed towards the anthology presentation.
KEYNOTE speaker,
Prof. Isidore Diala of Department of English, Imo State University, spoke on
‘Bayonets and the carnage of Tongues: Contemporary Nigerian Poets Speaking
Truth to Power’. In his submission, Diala pit the poet against state power
using the military era poetic outpouring as typical example. He argued that such
poetry of protest had its founder in Christopher Okigbo, who, although refuted any
role being ascribed to the poet towards society, wrote some of the
trail-blazing poetry that roused his latter-day protégés into aligning poetry
with the aspirations of the people.
According to Diala, “The 1960s in Nigeria was
not only a period of transition but also one of soul-making. The emergent Western-educated elite, of whom
writers of the period have been considered representatives and mouthpieces,
recognised their privileged status as both a boon and a burden. This is in the
sense of their chastened awareness of their responsibility for a cultural
resurgence even while acknowledging the fundamental role that English which had
become the official national language played in the new syncretic culture of
which they also were the makers. Writing on this history, Dan Izevbaye
considers Christopher Okigbo a representative writer of this period, and
observes that the guilt-ridden return of Okigbo’s prodigal at the beginning of Heavensgate epitomises the situation of
that elite (15). This acceptance of social responsibility deepened as the
political crises of the 1960s assumed graver dimensions and completely
transformed the poetics of Okigbo and his contemporaries. Ben Obumselu
highlights the political upheavals that transformed Okigbo’s poetry and in the
smithy of which the emergent postcolonial Nigerian literature actually took
shape”.
This protest against social anomaly of the
period came to a climax in what Diala calls “the generosity of self-giving and
in the process bequeathed to generations of Nigerian poets after him a creed of
rebellion consecrated by his blood and a poetics of dissidence with the form
and language carefully thought out. These continue to reverberate in Nigerian
poetry, even if the commitment to truth unto death is often mere posturing.
“…The core of Nigerian literature is the
lived experience of the people. The landmark historical national experiences in
other words constitute the subject matter of Nigerian literature. The kind of
literature developed around each important historical moment is determined by
what I could refer to as the heroic resonance of such a moment. The civil war
undoubtedly has been the epicentre of our national history. It raises
fundamental questions about human freedom that have political, philosophical,
and even aesthetic consequence and has resonances that are of epic, tragic and
mythic dimensions. Continuing debates and recent writing on the civil war
evidently demonstrate its enduring grip on the national imagination and
consciousness. Military despotism for similar reasons caught the imagination of
the Nigerian writer. Indeed, the militarisation of the psyche of the Nigerian
public and even of the Nigerian artist may well be one of the greatest exploits
of the Nigerian army. Niyi Osundare, Odia Ofeimun, Tanure Ojaide, and Femi
Osofisan regarded as some of the most distinguished voices of the second
generation of Nigerian poets are all renowned for the talent with which they
have consistently spoken truth to power even when it also required great
courage. But like the first generation poets, this generation lacks no
commentators. I have chosen therefore to focus on the generation after them,
the so-called third generation of Nigerian poets but not without paying
Osundare’s Waiting Laughters fleeting
attention as it seems to me to stand out by the philosophical depth and
resonance of its political theme”.
Rather than review the anthology, Dr. Gbenga Ajileye
also used the moment to pay tribute to Chukuezi for his inspiring and
pioneering role in helping to nurture literature in the state in spite of his
health condition. He said, “In Imo State, our aim is to continue to nurture
creativity. Ogele was inspired by the
foundational work of Chukuezi, author of first Igbo language play Udokamma, which won best prize in that
category in 1974.”
On his part, Onyeagucha thanked Chukuezi for
inspiring the publication of Ogele;
he also thanked God for inspiring ANA. He said writing is a crucial and
immortal vocation unlike other fields, where their practitioners are easily
forgotten, adding that writers’ works outlast them. He noted, “It is important
we set aside a moment to honour Chukuezi, a man who is accomplished in
character and learning in medicine and for writing the first Igbo play. It’s
important at this time when Igbo literature and language are undergoing a
battle. We stand in one with ANA to help lift writers and writing and make Imo
State a beacon of writing”.
Imo State Commissioner for Information, Mr.
Theodore Ekechi, said students needed to be encouraged to read and write, as
there was much to be desired from the performance of students coming out of
tertiary institutions. He noted, “We encourage our students to read and write;
most of our students of higher education leave much to be desired anywhere you
encounter them, job interviews or personal interaction. They cannot express
themselves properly in English. Also disappointing is their grasp of their own mother
tongue – Igbo language; they just can’t speak it. Other languages, apart from
English, especially Asian languages, have been adapted into technology except
ours. We need to show commitment and enhance our indigenous language. I thank
ANA for honouring Chukuezi, an Igbo writer. We have come to celebrate our
heroes past and that their works should not be in vain”.
RECOGNITION awards were given to
some deserving Nigerians, who have performed creditably in the arts, culture
and education sectors. Apart from Prof. Chukuezi, others were Dr.
Basil Nnanna Ukegbu, a philanthropy and human rights defender, who was award a certificate
in Excellence in Pioneering Education in Igboland; Nze Dan Orji of Peacock’s International fame for Excellence in
High-life Music in Igboland; Godwin Kabaka Opara of Oriental Brothers’ fame for
Excellence in High-life Music in Igboland; Chief Azuka Efoagui (Ajofia Nnewi) for Excellence in Musical
Poetry in Igbo Language and Mrs. Salome Okeke for Excellence in Drama and
Culture Preservation (for her work as actress in Nollywood).
Also, winners of the creative writing competition were
given their prizes. There were no winners in the poetry and drama categories.
However, Emmanuel Ibe James won the prose fiction category with his book Under Bridge, Charry Ada-Onwu Otuyelu
won in Children’s Literature with her book, Ada
Marries A Palm Tree while Ben Igbokwe won Igbo Literature with his book, Ogbu Mmadu Ndu Na-Agwu.
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