IMAGING HISTORICAL REALITIES IN ODIA OFEIMUN’S POETRY

Abstract

Literature mirrors the social, economic and political realities of the society that produces it and Modern Nigerian Poetry is no exception. Modern Nigerian poetry has proven to be a useful tool in the documentation of happenings in its society. By historising the socio-political traumas of the Nigerian people, Nigerian poets have exposed and criticized the dehumanization and degradation of its people. The paper studies three of Ofeimun’s poetry collections: A Boiling Caracas (2008), Go Tell the Generals (2008) and I will ask questions with stones if they take my voice (2008), as historical documents with which Ofeimun x-rays varieties of evil bedeviling the Nigerian society. Ofeimun images the experiences of oppressed Nigerians during the era of military rule. Also, the disastrous effect of oil discovery and its exploration in the Niger Delta regions were condemned and revealed to be tyrannous. The study affirms the role poetry plays in enlightening its readers because to know your future is to know your past.