Badetona was genuinely possessed of a retiring temperament. Left to him, he would even have discarded his princely title but, that was now part of his existence, and it also had its advantages. Jaiyesola however saw it differently. The position lacked public recognition. A prince without a throne – it […]
Writing is fighting. That is the dictum of the fiery African-American writer Ishmael Reed who wrote a book entitled Writing is Fighting. Whether taken literally or otherwise writers fire bullets with words, and in some instances actually take up guns to go shooting. A landmark example was Nigeria’s most influential poet, Christopher Okigbo, who died young […]
SOME NIGHTS AFTERWARDS, a furtive hand knocked on the door of Professor Belejayan. The Professor woke up his wife. “Go and open the door, dear.” “What is it?” she inquired drowsily “Someone at the door.” “I am asleep.” […]
So Hilary Mantel is not going to make history by winning the Booker Prize three times. I’m a bit disappointed – I thought all three novels about Thomas Cromwell: Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies and The Mirror & the Light, were absorbing, often terrifying and utterly brilliant. Not even to get on to the shortlist for the 2020 […]
In Atlanta, the President of my university, William Chace, prompted by my Head of Department, Rudolph Byrd, had initiated the process for acquiring a Green Card. The routine – for the edification of the uninitiated – required you to remain within the United States until all processing was completed. If […]
By Vladimir Mayakovsky ORATOR. Hello! Hello! This is the Chairman of the Institute for Human Resurrection speaking. The motion has been circulated by telegram and discussed. It is clear and simple. At the junction of 62nd Street and 17th Avenue in the former city of Tambov a brigade digging foundations has discovered an ice-filled cellar […]
Austin Avuru arrived Nsukka he could tell that the civil war had taken its toll on the university town but it was still a place of grandeur. The young man from Abbi was amazed by what he saw: “When that taxi took me from the motor park to the […]
Those songs that cease to fade They blank not For they are written in imprint, calligraphic bold Taking prominence of prime recall On sober nights of fond remembrance Mental verses scripted in stanzas Strong in stagecraft definitions Positioning players acting roles defined by fate Urban drama urbanize unfold Along din […]
A bearded writer invades our dream begging for bearing to thoughts we shared on global commons. Ogun in seven parts replicates in the G7 without their knowledge. The carnage on the paths of history traces its roots to the revolution of machines with dreams of power on motherboards […]
There are two boys on the avenue Those my eyes call to me Two pigeons also on the telephone wire And my flying thought thrown halfway To the doors of neat bars Thrown knowingly to Hamburger joints And glitzy cocoons And roadside tarts And fashion coves I am praising […]
