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Presentation by: Mubarak Musa

Topic:

The theme, language, and style of African pioneer poets

INTRODUCTION

Modern African poetry, as any other poetry all over the world, has been used to express various emotions and themes ranging from love death, protest, colonialisation etc. The pioneer poets are those who prepared the way for the advent of modern African poetry. African poetry has been used to express the problems, peculiarities and prospects of politics in the African world. Modern African poetry started with the works of the ex-slaves and other nationalist who write and revolted against colonization, racism and the exploitation of the colonial masters.

THE CONTRIBUTIONOF THE EX-SLAVES TO AFRICANPOETRY

Modern African poetry started with the works of the ex-slaves who served as harbingers – few among them are: philis wheatly, juan latino, olaudah equiano etc. Some of those slaves wrote poem to please their masters, some were fascinated by their new religion, some write out of nostalgia and others write fighting for their freedom and pride in being an African.

THE THEMES, LANGUAGE, AND STYLE OF PIONEER EX-SLAVES

The theme of the pioneer ex-slaves range from religion some of them were fascinated by other new religion for instance philis wheatley write in her poem:

‘it was mercy brought me from my pagan land,

Taught my benighted soul to understand that

There is a God, that there’s a savior too.

Philis wheatley denounces her African traditional religion calling it pagan in other to please her colonial master.

Juan latino in his first book, he identifies himself as an ‘Aethiopian christian’ even though latino takes pride in his African identity yet he was still enthralled with his new religion.

Another  theme of the ex-slaves is pride in their African identity for instance latino constantly makes reference to his African ancestry, and his obvious pride in his blackness and humorous signifying riff about white skin being displeasing to black Africans for example in one of his poems:

‘And if my black face displeases

Your ministers, o king

A white one is not pleasing to the people of Ethiopia

There the white man visiting from

Aurora is the suilled one.’

Similarly, he tells king Philip to “let centuries of rulers, let the roman empire rightly envy you, Philip, your black bard” showing Latino has pride in his African identity.

THE LANGUAGE AND STYLES OF THE SLAVES PIONEER POETS

Their poem lack some poetic virtues  as it is written in prose verse for example equiano’s  poem reads:

Well may I say life has been?

One scene of sorrow and of pain;

From early days I grief have known

And as I grew my grief have grown.

Dangers were always in my path;

And fear of wrath, and sometimes death_ _ __

The above line poem is presented in simple prose verse poetic expression are lacking.

Secondly, their poem takes on a mixture of African identity and their new religion for instance-

Philis wealthy’s poem a line reads: “remember, Christians, Negro’s lack as Cain, may be refined, and join the angelic train.

AFRICAN PIONEER POETS NON-SLAVES

The pioneer poets were mainly writers in exile keenly aware of being colonials whose identity was under siege. Thiers’s is poetry of protest, against exploitation, and racial discrimination, of political agitation for indepence, of nostalgic, evocation of African’s past few among them are:

Dennis Osadebay Of Nigeria, Beni Beng Of Blay, Glady Cassely – Hay Ford, R.E.G Armattoe Of The Then Gold Coast Now Ghana, Crispin George Of Sierra Leon, Ronald Tombekai Of Liberia, Senghor, David Diop, Vilakazi of south Africa Etc.

THEMES, LANGUAGE AND STYLE OF THE PIONEER POETS(non-slaves)

The theme of the pioneer poets ranges from struggle for independence, politically, economically, culturally etc.) Hope despite the evils of colonialisation, pride in African hood etc.

For example the francophone poets like Senghor upholds the negritude ideology and seek to fight for Africa’s freedom from colonial domination. Being black or African  is upheld in their poemds e.g

Senghor’s poem “I will pronounce name” and “black women” is a good example in “black woman” Senghor sees Africa as being the symbol of beauty and life. Like the woman that Africa is, she is gentle.

“Naked woman, black woman

Clothed with your colour which is life

With your form which is beauty l.

Africa’s nakedness represents her purity and innocence. Thus, in most of the francophone poems the beauty of Africa is upheld the symbolic presentation of Africa as woman full of beauty.

There is also constant attack on the Europe’s evil of colonialism for instance

David Dipo’s “the vultures”

when civilization kicked us in the face

When holy water slapped our cringing brow

The vultures build in the shadow of their talons

The blood stained monument of tutelage…..

The vultures are used symbolically to represent the Europeans which depict the violent manner with which Africa was acquired by Europe. After depicting the painful memories associated with the colonial rule, Diop expresses hope at the end of the poem thus, showing the theme of hope.

LANGUAGE AND STYLE OF THE FRANCOPHONE PIONEER POETS

There is constant use of symbols by the poets either to show the beauty of the Africa e.g Africa is symbolize as woman in most of the negritude poem or the evils of the colonial masters  are symbolize by things which are bad e.g vulture in Diop’s poem.

Secondly, the francophone pioneer poetss employ language and images that is violent in nature to fight colonial domination of Africa.

Other African poets that were no French speaking have their themes ranging from cultural clash, some lines from Osadebay’s poem reads

or restless youths who are born

Into deep and clashing cultures,

Sorting, questioning, watching –

Thus, there is a conflict of culture as a result the colonialisation of Africa. These poets use the virtues of African tradition to fight for the freedom of Africa.

There is also the theme of pride in Africans heritage and hope despite the political denigeration of African these can be seen in the poem of Gladys casely Hayford “rejoice”

Rejoice and shout with laughter

Throw all your burdens down,’

If God has been so gracious

As to mak e you black or brown.

Hayford attributes a great birth and a glorious heritage to africa and therefore urges all Africans to rejoice inspite of their plight.

Colonialism remains a predominant theme of the pioneer poet .e.g Armottoe’s poem ‘maiden’

Reads:

I once saw a maiden dark and comely

Sitting by the wayside, sad and lonely.

The poem portrays the helpless plight of Africa in the midst of acquisitionist industrial Europe.

Love for Africa is also a dominant theme of the pioneer poets. Deianang in his poem “dear Africa”

Awake,, thou sleeping heart

Awake, and kis

The love corn brow.

The poet call on Africans to woke up from their long slumber and display their love for the continent.

Racism and protest is one of the themes of the pioneer poet dominantly in South Africa vilakzis “on the gold mines” is a good example:

Bellow you frenzied bulls up steel!

Far is the place where first you come to life

And roast by fiery furnace

Until you were ready and only ash remained

The poem alludes the unnecessary use of force, and violence by the colonist against natives. Vilakazik’s poem is thus, a protest against racism.

LANGUAGE AND STYLE OF NON FRENCH SPEEKING POETS

South Africans poets like Vilakazis poem employs protest, and imagery that portrays the evil of racism, others made use of richness of African traditions to portray the beauty of the African culture other than that of the colonial masters, as they equally imitated the European style still using the African virtues to fight for Africa’s independence.

Hymn and Christian view is another dominant issue in the work of some pioneer poets e.g Crispin George’s poems are mostly devoted exclusively to expressing Christian views he uses the phraseology of Christian evangelist In most of his poems.

A live today and dead tomorrow?

Why do you think of death with sorrow?

Embrace your GOD with your entire hearth

And gain perpetual life with Christ.

Even Gladyscasely- hayford also use Christianity and hymns in her poem-

If God full someone ouse wid pickin, e no gree full yours-

If God has filled some houses with children but not yours.

References

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