A REVIEW OF AKINLABI OLOLADE’S WORDS FROM THE LITERARY CHAMBER—By ABDULWAHEED OLANIYI

Title: WORDS FROM THE LITERARY CHAMBER (A CHAPBOOK)

Author: Akinlabi Ololade Ige

Genre: Poetry

Publication: pdf online

Number of poems: 20

Reviewer: Abdulwaheed Olaniyi

For years, Nigeria as well as other African countries has been suffering from one problem to the other. The story keeps repeating itself years after years. The causes of the problems are palpable but those who seem to proffer solutions to the societal menace are the major culprits of the hazard masquerading in the countries. Yet, writers, poets as well as human right activists cannot relent in their evangelism for a better society. They speak through the heart of their pens without any personal gain. Their words travel across different minds. So as an advocate of change in the society, Akinlabi Ololade Ige, in his chapbook, WORDS FROM THE LITERARY CHAMBER, speaks about the menace ravaging the country.

Akinlabi Ololade’s WORDS FROM THE LITERARY CHAMBER, a chapbook marking one year anniversary of his journey in the literary world, is a collection of poems that unveils the truth about the challenges that a common man encounters every day in Africa. The poems focus on: state of the continent and the state therein; love and youthful exuberance; moral and values in African tradition.  The chapbook talks about corruption, poverty, social injustice, love, moral as well as hope for a better future. The chapbook is a reflection of the poet’s thought about his society and he feels that there is the need to correct the ills of the society with his pen just like other poets and writers, like Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Christopher Okigbo, Denja Abdullahi, Remi Raji and others, did and still doing.

The first section of the chapbook reflects the state of the continent. This section majorly focuses on the challenges bedeviling the continent. It is all about common malady of the countries in Africa. The first poem in this section, ‘Africa; the sleeping Giant,’ talks about the image of Africa outside the continent. The poet reveals that the continent is endowed with certain potentials, ranging from culture, history and human values but the world sees her as inferior. Some of other poems that follow, in this section discuss problems that people face every day. A poem is dedicated to ‘Mosquito Melody’ and the persona echoes that ‘Tonight like every other/ My arrays of thoughts are in disorder/ Your melodious hums…/ Let my night be in peace/ Little mosquitoes with no mercy…. Some other poems focus on bad leadership, poverty among people and environmental hazard that people encounter in society. Despite the fact that society is being enveloped in destitution, the poet speaks about hope that the sun will rise on the rubble after rain. Such hope might not be seen the way people expect it. Here the persona says:

‘To the crying babies in the south…

To the wandering widows in the north…

There is hope, hope; hope from the epileptic rain ...’

The poet also focuses on the lives of the youths. Some poems discuss love while some focus on youthful exuberance. Other poems, to the end of the book, focus more on moral and African traditional values. In terms of love, the persona adores his belle in elegant manners. He describes his fiancé as dew that showers love in his heart. Yet, he says that he must be patient for his beautiful rose to make radiant flowers and by time he will pluck it gently on marital bed. In terms of the section on youthful exuberance, the poet preaches values of time to the youth that life is very short and that they must be extraordinarily conscious of whatever they are doing because they are going get old very soon. The persona cautions young girls on unnecessary free mixing with opposite sex that they should not allow deception from men out there to pluck their juicy fruit unripe and leave them rotten. He then encourages them to keep their virginity to that fateful day for their right husband.  Meanwhile, the poem bemoans the loss of values in African traditions due to western civilization in Africa. The poet laments that some do not value the importance of bride price in Africa.

The language of the poems is elegant. The chapbook contains messages for everyone in the society: male and female; young and old. It is recommended for all especially the youth and those who hold the mantle of leadership in Africa. This text is a mirror for everyone to check oneself and to see the future. However, the poet is not expected tell his reader the theme he is discussing in each section of the text. He should have left his readers to determine what the messages are all about.