THE POET WHO RE-WROTE THE BIBLE TO SUIT THE AFRICAN NARRATIVE: GLADYS CASELY-HAYFORD

 

Who was Gladys Casely-Hayford?

1.      She was born on the 11^th of May 1904

2.      She was born in the Gold Coast where is presently known as Ghana

3.      She is credited as the first author to write in Krio language

4.      She sometimes wrote under the name ‘Aquah Laluah’

5.      She could sing, dance and write poetry at an early age

6.      She did her tertiary education in Europe

7.      After her tertiary education, she traveled for a while with a Berlin Jazz band as a dancer

8.      On her return to Africa, she became a teacher at the Girls’ Vocational School Freetown, Sierra Leone

9.      She taught African folklore and Literature

10.  She celebrated her blackness with unique poems

11.  Not much of her poetry was published when she was alive

12.  Her poems fiercely promoted Africa and the African

 

“Rejoice”

Rejoice and shout with laughter
Throw all your burdens down,
If God has been so gracious
As to make you black or brown.

For you are a great nation,
A people of great birth.
For where would spring the flowers
if God took away the earth?

Rejoice and shout with laughter
Throw all your burdens down
Yours is a glorious heritage.
If you are black, or brown.

This poem celebrates being African. She celebrates the skin colour of Africans which is seen as ugly or below the standard of beauty by Westerners. At the time of this poem, blackness was almost a criminal offence as black people were oppressed, suppressed and repressed. Hayford celebrated the black skin colour as being the best skin colour. She compares the skin colour of the African to the earth. This poem places blacks at the pedestal of being the mother of all living things. She stresses that without the blacks, the earth will not flourish.

In celebrating being black here, she rewrites the biblical narrative that placed the Israelites as the beloved of God. She emphasizes that just as the Bible praised the Israelites as being chosen by God, Africans are also chosen specially as a beloved race.

 

“Freetown”

Freetown, when God made thee, he made the soil alone

Then threw the rich remainder in the sea

Small inlets cradled He, in Jet black stone

Small bays of transcient blue He lulled to sleep

Within jet rocks, filled from the Atlantic deep.

Then God let loose wee harbingers of sing.

He scattered palms profusely over the ground

Then grew tall grasses, who in happy mirth

Reached up to kiss each palm tree that they found.

‘This is my gem! God whispered; ‘this shall be

To me a jewel in blue turquoise set’

Thus spake the mouth of life’s Eternity;

There God couched, lion-like, each mighty hill.’

Silent, they keep their watch over Freetown still

Silent-

 

Freetown celebrates the city Freetown in Sierra Leone. She places Freetown as the biblical land “flowing with milk and honey.” She describes Freetown as the land chosen by God just as God had chosen Jerusalem in the Bible as His own city.

 

“Nativity”

This poem is perhaps the poem that deeply rewrites the biblical narrative. It re-narrates the birth of Jesus as the birth of an African child.

Within a native hut, ere stirred the dawn

Unto the pure One was an infant born,

These two lines remind us of Jesus being born in a manger. The poet rewrites this as an African born in a hut. Mary the mother of Jesus is regarded as the virgin but this poem places her as the African mother whom she refers to as the ‘pure One’.

Laid on his father’s home-tanned deerskin hide,

The Babe still slept by all things glorified

These lines remind us that as the bible describes the birth of Christ in a manger being born amidst the straw and hay for the animals, the African baby is born on a home-tanned deer skin owned by his father. The Child Jesus is seen as glorious, so is this child born to his African parents.

Spirits of black bards burst their bonds and sang

‘peace upon earth’ until the heavens rang.

All the black babies who from earth had fled

Peeped through the clouds – then gathered round His head,

Telling of things a baby needs to do,

When first he opes his eyes on wonder new;

Telling Him that sleep was sweetest rest,

All comfort cams from His black mother’s breast

These lines are the rewriting of the biblical account of angels coming down from heaven and rejoicing. The Child Jesus is visited by angels and the heavens sang and there was rejoicing as angels came down to earth and celebrated. Here, the bards (traditional poets and singers who compose poems and songs to honour and praise a person) rejoiced till the heavens rang instead of angels as the bible stated. The souls of black babies also visit the child instead of shepherds.

Their gift was love, caught from the springing sod,

While tears and laughter were the gifts of God.

Then all the Wise Men of the past stood forth,

Filling the air, East, West, and South and North,

And told Him of the joy that wisdom brings

To mortals in their earthly wanderings.

These lines tell of gifts and the visit of Wise men. The bible records gifts of myrrh, gold and frankincense but to this African child, Hayford writes of gifts of love, tears and laughter. The bible tells of wise men from the east who visit Jesus at His birth, but Hayford rewrites this story and presents wise men from the four corners of the earth who fill the air just like the angels did fill the sky in the bible.

The remaining lines in the poem continue to praise the birth of this child while portraying the deep sense of communal spirit in the African society, making great the African wisdom and giving a peep into the birth of a child in Africa.

The non-Africans might call these poems blasphemy but what stops us from debunking the myths that demean and are derogatory to the African and his society? Hayford celebrates the African sensibilities and experiences. She places the African at the center of all things great. Her poems herald the rebirth of the glory of Africa and the African. Black is indeed beauty and all things African are indeed worthy of adoration.

What can you say about these poems by this great poet? 

SYNOPSIS OF 'AN ECHO IN THE BONE' BY DENNIS SCOTT

SYNOPSIS OF 'AN ECHO IN THE BONE' BY DENNIS SCOTT

The Play has two Acts.
Act 1 begins with the preparations for a 'Ninth night wake ' ceremony in honor of a man named Crew by his wife Rachel, his two sons Sonson and Jacko and his daughter-in-law who is two months pregnant. His wife Rachel invites their friends Madam, Stone, Mas P, Lally, Dreamboat and the Rattler. At the Wake, the Spirit of Crew possesses Dreamboat first after he breaks an unblessed bottle of Rum. The Spirit leaves him after a ritual is carried out. The arrival of Jacko from the police station officially opens the Wake ceremony. They smoke weed and talk about Crew. They describe him as a handsome, well built blacksmith and farmer. Crew's spirit possesses Sonson and searches for his cutlass; the rest of the Characters fall into a 'dream-like' state where they are on a slave ship in 1792.Aboard the Ship, they are naked, beaten, dehumanized, tortured physically and emotionally and the Rattlers tongue is cut of for spitting on a White slave trader. The scene immediately shifts to two days before the wake in Madam's shop where it is revealed that Crew's blood stained machete, shirt and a bottle of Rum have been discovered by Lally by the river but the items are confiscated by the Police to use as a proof that Crew killed Mas Charlie, a White Man.
    The scene suddenly shifts to 1820 where three slaves are sold out in dehumanizing conditions but are made to believe that they should be happy.
    The scene again shifts to 1833 in a bush where a White man is chasing his run-away slave who has run to the hills. Jacko intercepts him, he tries to kill Jacko but Sonson arrives in time to save Jacko and tries to kill the White man. Jacko intervenes and the finally tie the White Slave master's hands and feet and stuff a handkerchief into his mouth to humiliate him.
     Act 2 opens still in the Wake ceremony with the characters describing the harrowing experiences of slavery and the 'false' freedom they have earned due to the fact that they are still treated as 'dirt' because they are Blacks. They also criticize the Mulattoes who side they Whites against the Blacks because of their fair skin.
      There is a flashback here. Rachel remembers four years before the Wake ceremony when Mas Charlie returns from England and requests to employ her as a House keeper in the 'Great house.' She rejects his offer though he reminds her of their sexual intimacy and her adoration of the Whites. Brigit and Jacko become engaged and plans for their marriage begins.
      The scene shifts to 1934 when slave trade is abolished. A slave girl flees from her master after she realizes that she is now free. Her master moans his love for the Island and his loss.
       The scene again shifts to 1937 on Crew's farm. Sonson still possessed by Crew's spirit complains about the sufferings of the Black particularly about the drying up of the River that flows into his farm. Rachel tells him that due to their poor financial state she would work in the Great House for Mas Charlie. Crew sees this as a loss of dignity and pride and rejects this vehemently. He decides to talk to Mas Charlie to channel some of the River's water flowing through the Great House to his farm. He is a bit drunk and Mas Charlie turns his request down abusively and in a degrading manner. To retain his pride, Crew strikes Mas Charlie on the chest with a sharp cutlass and he dies. Crew immediately plans to commit suicide to prevent jail terms and possible hanging.
      Sonson still possessed by Crew's spirit climbs to the roof of the house and tries to jump. Jacko persuades him to climb down so he would not kill himself. Sonson climbs down and as soon as he washes his face, Crews spirit leaves him. The characters who were formally in dispute are brought together by the revelation of the secret behind Crew's death and murder of Mas Charlie. They all realize that their past experiences, present events and future occurrences can not be reversed but that together, they can overcome. They celebrate this unity though they are mourning.

BOOK REVIEW

SILENT WHISPERS by Joe Osi

Number of pages: 312

Number of chapters: 29

PLOT/ SYNOPSIS

       The narrative is a comedy. It has a prologue and an epilogue. The narrative is a fast , thrilling and breath-taking story of ignorance interwoven in superstition and pride. The narrative tells the story of a vibrant community in Lokoja. The waterside community made up of mostly fishermen and farmers is held bound in ignorance, and mistake nature to be associated with a wicked spirit "Sefinatu." "...People could talk about Sefinatu in hushed tones in the safety of their houses."

      They associate the confluence with "Yaruwa," a mermaid spirit which they believe controls the Niger River and demands for sacrifice each year by the floating of water Hyacinth before the first rains in May (Page 43). "Annjenu" is the river goddess and dictates the time of sacrifice. "...O, great one, queen of the great river, Annjenu of the sea yonder..." (page 31)

      The strange death of people starting with the death of "Talatu Pam" sets the conflict between modern medical science interpretation and ancient superstitious beliefs in a mermaid (Sefinatu) (Pages 112-113;222).

       A young man who is a reporter for 'Daily Witness' named Sam Durueke and the Editor, Tunji Johnson are determined to get to the roots of the deaths in the villages and towns around the Niger River (pages 160-161). He unravels and reveals the mystery of the deaths as 'Lassa fever' (page 293). He meets Dr. Kay, an American who explains to him how this disease is spread and saves a dying girl she meets (page 290).

Sam also reveals the secret behind the flickering light on Ekitiva Island (page 310).

       Meanwhile, a ten year old boy begins to hallucinate after visiting Waterside to witness the scene of the place which captivates him in a poem written by Henry Fletcher titled "Elfinatu." "...A ten year old boy was going to unravel a mystery, and he was so excited about his mission..." (page 1). He is deeply entrenched in his belief in "Sefinatu" that he easily believes that Sefinatu has cast a spell upon him when he visits the Waterside. "...He knew he would never get away any longer. He had gotten the spell...He began to cry." (page 39). His name is Amaechi and he begins to hallucinate in fear (pages 65-71) and is taken to Dr. Williams shortly after Talatu Pam is taken out of the hospital by her father.

      Dr. Williams, Sam Durueke and Mary Bassey are able to unravel the mystery of the various deaths and enlighten the populace that Sefinatu is not real and superstitions are fairy tales (page 310).

      The narrative ends with the characters in a new dawn and the belief in herbal remedies are emphasized not the belief in spiritual remedy which is false and leads to death (page 312).

       The characters are finally enlightened and they understand that nature is beautiful and harmless. "...Ahead, small bunches of water hyacinth floating down the river greet them with the same refrain: life and death are two sides of the same coin." (page 312) 

POINT OF VIEW

Third person Omniscient point of view

SETTING

 The narrative is set in Lokoja, Lagos, Abuja, Aburu village. The era is the post colonial era in Nigeria.

CHARACTERS

Sam Durueke

Jamiu Garba

Amaechi

Dr. Momodu Williams

Nyarinya Mai Karfi

Talatu Pam

Engineer James Ugwu

King Tobias Chenge

Tunji Johnson

Dr. Jeremiah Ameh

Dr. Kay

Rajiv Singh

Dr. Mary Bassey

President Maman Nurudeen

THEMES

1. Superstition and ignorance

2. Death

3. Religion

4.Corruption

5. Poverty

6. Enlightenment 

* There is also a clash of beliefs: modern medicine against ancient religious practices and superstition (page 222)

* "SILENT WHISPERS" is about the misconception of nature by ignorant people. It is a book about the beauty of nature degraded by superstition. "...A light flickering over the isle and whispering silently to the ears that listened." (page 32)

BOOK REVIEW

ANALYSIS OF THE LAST OF THE STRONG ONES BY AKACHI ADIMORA-EZEIGBO USING THE CRITICAL THEORY OF COLONIALISM

 

       Jurgen Osterhammel defines colonialism as "A relationship between an indigenous (or forcible imported) majority and a minority of foreign invaders. The fundamental decisions affecting the lives of the colonized people are made and implemented by the colonial rulers in pursuit of interest that are often defined in a distant metropolis. Rejecting cultural compromises with the colonized population, the colonizers are convinced of their own superiority and their ordained mandate to rule."
     Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo in The Last of the Strong Ones explores this statement. The theme of the novel is "Colonialism and its negative impacts on the African society." The narrative follows the town of  Umuga which is plunged into "chaos" (page 1) "...The manner of change in Umuga was not positive...my soul cried out against the violation our tradition suffered and would suffer for a long time to come if nothing was done to counter the headlong rush to destruction."  (page 1). The coming of the colonial masters refered to as the "Kosiri" is considered "violation." "...Kosiri infested us with their presence" (Page 2).
       The coming of the Kosiri is also associated with ills and evils "...Ever since the day that Kosiri and his escorts entered Umuga from Akwaihedi, and camped in the sacred forest of Agwazi...danger pervades the place and life of anyone who goes there is threatened. Agwazi's anger has remained unabated." (page 5)
       The narrative explores that with the coming of the Kosiri (White colonial master) apart from unfortunate punishment from the gods, the Kosiri also try to impose strange policies on Umuga. "Kosiri tried to cram unfamiliar food into our mouths but we resisted and spat it out." (page 9)
        The people of Umuga try at first to resist the policies of the Kosiri as was done in many African tribes during the colonial era. The lives of the people and their tradition is torn apart by the Kosiri. "...Is there an act of humiliation Kosiri would not inflict on our people?" (page 10)
        The White man came with strange laws "...The fundamental decisions affecting the lives of the people are made and implemented y the colonial masters..." This statement made by Osterhammel is depicted in the novel as the people are forced to attend the White man's court and punished for not doing so. "Yes, four heads of families compelled to fetch water like slaves...They were accused of not attending, regularly, the Native court at Awka, where the White man sits in judgement of the black man, applying his own senseless and strange laws." (page 10)
       The tone is of humiliation and the language portrays lamentation of the humiliation and embarrassment inflicted on the Black man by the White men. "...They were forced to draw water from Obibia stream, for Kosiri's cows, as a punishment for what Kosiri described as their negligence of duty." (page 10)
        The authorial voice explains that the colonized people are treated lower than the animals by the White men (Colonial masters). The men fetch water for the "Kosiri's cows," the animals are considered better than the Black man.
        The Colonial masters are considered 'meddlers' and evil men and they undermine the culture, judicial system and economic well being of the Black man. "Oluada refused to co operate with any power(...) that planned to undermine the culture, the traditional judicial system and the economic well being of Umuga...Life had to go on inspite of the Kosiri and their meddlesomeness." (page 12)
        The foreign invaders come into Umuga and act as if they are convinced of their own superiority and attempt to rule the people of Umuga. This makes the people see the foreigners as the enemy. "Kosiri and their agents are the enemy and our anger should be directed to them." (page 17)
         The evils of the Colonial masters' presence runs from page 1 to page 212`(the whole novel). The White man is an "evil", "an enemy", "a meddler", "a social disintegrator", and "an economic destroyer." The Umuga people tried at first to plead and reach a point of Compromise with the White man but the Kosiri as described by Osterhammel rejects cultural compromises with the colonized population "It is the visitor that leaves the homestead not the land owner...We made no progress in talking to the Kosiri and his agents. Let us try writing a letter." (pages 21-22)
         The letter written to the Kosiri is rejected "How can I explain to you our surprise the way the Kosiri responded to our letter? Did we not breathe peace into the words of that letter? Was there anything we did not do to see that the letter carried words meant to clear the ground for future friendly association with the Kosiri?" (page 74)
       The church and the school become the prominent symbols of the Colonial presence in Africa. The youth's of Umuga realize this and burn down the school and church "...the symbol of Kosiri's presence in Umuga." (page 156)
        The Kosiri was brutal and is thus cast in the novel. The Kosiri made the first move to war against Umuga to prove their own "superiority and their ordained mandate to rule." "We heard that Kosiri was preparing to invade Umuga and had moved his troops to Isuohia" (page 178)
         The Colonial masters used the 'Black man to fight the Black man.' The Colonial masters considered the Black man unimportant and therefore used them against themselves. "But the meddlers did not fight with our warriors. Those who fought our men were black people like us." (page 184-185) "We heard that the commander, who was called Captain Gunn was a White man, but our warriors never set eyes on him." (page 185) "They used us against us and from the look of things, they would use us again and again against us." (pages 194;195)
        The White man fought Umuga with the intention to subdue them to bring them to their knees in surrender. "...Umuga was overwhelmed by enemy troops, shooting to kill and destroying anything in sight." (page 189) "...Government and all its agents were determined to bring Umuga to their knees...Kosiri did not want to destroy Umuga completely, but rather to teach her a lesson." (Page 192)
       The Colonial masters are also seen as greedy and decide to destroy Umuga's economy "The elders and warriors agreed to hand over all the male Obuofo and Ezeagha to the government; to mobilize eight hundred men to work at the Milikin Hill in groups of four hundred each time they were called upon to do so; to pay a fine of one hundred and fifty pounds and to surrender three hundred guns to the government." (page 197)
        The Kosiri left Umuga inactive, disillusioned, frightened and confused. "Umuada were inactive. Kosiri and the government had restricted meeting of all social and cultural groups. Thus it was not possible for our people to meet and discuss their pains and problems." (pages 200-201)
        Ejimnaka's sudden death symbolizes the sudden death of the culture and traditions of Umuga due to the colonial presence (pages 201-204).
        After Ejimnaka's death, Umuga is plunged into the dizzy spiral of confusion designed by the White men. "The alien intruders neutralized every activity or ritual that was not in their interest." (Page 205) "We are people who believe that both the eagle and the kite have a right to perch and that disaster awaits the one that insists that the other should not perch. The meddlers who took over the land did not share this belief." (page 206)  "...The visitor has driven away the landowner and taken over the homestead." (page 207)
        The coming of the White man bring in many strange experiences to the land of Umuga. Yams with "arms, legs and male genitals" are harvested by a farmer. A woman gives birth to a baby with hair on "its jaw and two upper and lower teeth locked in its gums." "Rain fell without cease...famine stared us in the face...awigu descended upon us and started to consume the leaves on the trees..." (page 209)
         The picture painted by the novel reveals that the Colonial presence in Umuga (Africa) is an abomination and a desecration of the land.