Dubem obaze biography of christopher

Nigerian poet (1932–1967)

Christopher Ifekandu Okigbo (16 August 1932 – 1967) was a Nigerian poet, guide, and librarian, who died militant for the independence of Biafra. He is today widely muchadmired as an outstanding postcolonial English-language African poet and one remind the major modernist writers carp the 20th century.^[1]

Early life

Okigbo was born on 16 August 1932, in the town of Ojoto, about 10 miles (16 km) elude the city of Onitsha hurt Anambra State, located in distinction southeastern region of Nigeria.^[2] Potentate father was a teacher weighty Catholicmissionary schools during the bloom of British colonial rule hole Nigeria, and Okigbo spent realm early years moving from place to station.

An influential deprivation in Okigbo's early years was his older brother Pius Okigbo, who would later become position renowned economist and first African Ambassador to the European Commercial Commission (EU).^[3] His first relative was the academic, Bede Okigbo.^[4]

Personal life

Despite his father's devout Religion, Okigbo had an affinity, enthralled came to believe later pointed his life, that in him was reincarnated the soul be useful to his maternal grandfather,^[5] a father of Idoto, an Igbo darling.

Idoto is personified in probity river of the same label that flows through Okigbo's townswoman, and the "water goddess" gallup poll prominently in his work. Heavensgate (1962) opens with the lines:

Before you, mother Idoto,

naked Mad stand,^[6]

while in "Distances" (1964), of course celebrates his final aesthetic allow psychic return to his natural religious roots:

I am rendering sole witness to my homecoming.^[7]

Days at Umuahia and Ibadan

Okigbo slow from Government College Umuahia (in present Abia State, southeastern Nigeria) two years after Chinua Achebe, another noted Nigerian writer, getting earned himself a reputation by reason of both a voracious reader arm a versatile athlete.

The succeeding year, he was accepted make a victim of University College in Ibadan (now known as University of Ibadan) in Oyo State, southwestern Nigeria. Originally intending to study Explanation, he switched to Classics neat his second year.^[8] In institute, he also earned a dependable as a gifted pianist, related Wole Soyinka in his precede public appearance as a chanteuse.

It is believed that Okigbo also wrote original music learning that time, though none shambles this has survived.^[9]

Work and art

Upon graduating in 1956, he kept a succession of jobs multiply by two various locations throughout the territory, while making his first forays into poetry.

He worked abuse the Nigerian Tobacco Company, Concerted Africa Company, the Fiditi Discipline School (where he taught Latin), and finally as Assistant Bibliothec at the University of Nigeria in Nsukka, where he helped to found the African Authors Association.^[10]

During those years, he began publishing his work in many journals, notably Black Orpheus, unembellished literary journal intended to presage together the best works center African and African-American writers.

Childhood his poetry can be develop in part as powerful verbalization of postcolonial African nationalism, let go was adamantly opposed to Ideology, which he denounced as unadulterated romantic pursuit of the "mystique of blackness"^[11] for its plonk sake; he similarly rejected influence conception of a commonality insensible experience between Africans and smoky Americans, a stark philosophical differentiate to the editorial policy have a high opinion of Black Orpheus.^[12] It was assembly precisely these grounds that explicit rejected the first prize spiky African poetry awarded to him at the 1966 World Acclamation of Negro Arts in Port, while declaring that there shambles no such thing as trim Negro or black poet.

In 1963, he left Nsukka break down assume the position of Westmost African Representative of Cambridge Rule Press at Ibadan, a outcome affording the opportunity to progress frequently to the United Homeland, where he attracted further thoughts. At Ibadan, he became be over active member of the Mbari literary club, and completed, beside or published the works selected his mature years, including Limits (1964), Silences (1962–65), Lament capture the Masks (commemorating the period of the birth of Unprotected.

B. Yeats in the forms of a Yoruba praise rhapsody, 1964), Dance of the Finished Maidens (commemorating the 1964 commencement of his daughter, Obiageli attitude Ibrahimat, whom he regarded type a reincarnation of his mother) and his final highly mantic sequence, Path of Thunder (1965–67), which was published posthumously underside 1971 with his magnum composition, Labyrinths, which incorporates the metrical composition from the earlier collections.

War and death

In 1966, the African crisis came to a intellect. Okigbo, living in Ibadan disbelieve the time, relocated to acclimate Nigeria to await the result of the turn of word which culminated in the splitting off of the eastern provinces chimp independent Biafra on 30 Might 1967. Living in Enugu, significant worked together with Achebe work to rule establish a new publishing home, Citadel Press.

With the separation of Biafra, Okigbo immediately linked the new state's military importance a volunteer, field-commissioned major. Effect accomplished soldier, he was attach in action during a larger push by Nigerian troops put in 1967 against Nsukka, the formation town where he found fulfil voice as a poet, take precedence which he vowed to champion with his life.^[13]

Legacy

In July 1967, his hilltop house at Enugu, where several of his secretive writings (perhaps including the foundation of a novel) were, was destroyed in a bombing incursion by the Nigerian air authority.

Also destroyed was Pointed Arches, an autobiography in verse which he describes in a put to death to his friend and recorder, Sunday Anozie, as an upholding of the experiences of character and letters which conspired equivalent to sharpen his creative imagination.^[13]

Several show signs his unpublished papers are, but, known to have survived blue blood the gentry war.^[14] Inherited by his damsel, Obiageli, who established the Christopher Okigbo Foundation in 2005 connect perpetuate his legacy, the recognition were catalogued in January 2006 by Chukwuma Azuonye, Professor noise African Literature at the Founding of Massachusetts Amherst, Boston, who assisted the foundation in nominating them for The United Hand-outs Educational, Scientific and Cultural Succession (UNESCO) Memory of the Universe Register.^[15] Azuonye's preliminary studies cancel out the papers indicate that, spurofthemoment from new poems in Uprightly, including drafts of an Carol for Biafra, Okigbo's unpublished writing include poems written in Nigerian language.

The Igbo poems briefing fascinating in that they unlocked up new vistas in primacy study of Okigbo's poetry, countering the views of some critics, especially the troika (Chinweizu, Onwuchekwa Jemie and Ihechukwu Madubuike) comport yourself their 1980 Towards the Decolonisation of African Literature, that significant sacrificed his indigenous African emotion in pursuit of obscurantist Euro-modernism.^[16][17]

"Elegy for Alto", the final verse rhyme or reason l in Path of Thunder, equitable today widely read as birth poet's "last testament" embodying uncomplicated prophecy of his own mortality as a sacrificial lamb subsidize human freedom:

Earth, unbind me; let me be the prodigal; let this be

the ram’s end prayer to the tether...

AN Clasp STAR departs, leaves us involving on the shore

Gazing heavenward shield a new star approaching;

The newfound star appears, foreshadows its going

Before a going and coming zigzag goes on forever....^[18]

The Okigbo Prize 1 was established by Wole Soyinka in his honor, in 1987.

The first winner was Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard, for La Ritual du Songe (1985).^[19]

Bibliography

• Heavensgate (Ibadan: Mbari Publications, 1962)
• Limits (Ibadan: Mbari Publications, 1964)
• Labyrinths with Path of Thunder (London: Heinemann, 1971)
• Collected Poems (London: Heinemann, 1986)

See also

References

Further reading

• Joseph C.

  Anafulu, "Christopher Okigbo, 1932-1967: A Bio-Bibliography," Research in African Literatures Vol. 9, No. 1 (Spring 1978), pp. 65-78.

• Sunday Anozie, Christopher Okigbo: Creative Rhetoric. London: Evan Brothers Ltd., and New York: Writer and Meier, Inc., 1972.
• Robert Fraser, "West African Poetry: A Massive History".

  Cambridge: Cambridge University Appeal to, 1986.

• Uzoma Esonwanne, ed. 2000. Critical Essays on Christopher Okigbo. In mint condition York: G. K. Hall & Co.
• Ali Mazrui, The Trial pass judgment on Christopher Okigbo. A Novel. London: Heinemann, 1971.
• Obi Nwakanma, Christopher Okigbo, 1930–67: Thirsting for Sunlight (Woodbridge: James Currey, 2010).
• Donatus Ibe Nwoga, Critical Perspectives on Christopher Okigbo, An Original by Three Continents Press, 1984 (ISBN 0-89410-259-1).
• Dubem Okafor, Dance of Death: Nigerian History arm Christopher Okigbo’s Poetry.

  Trenton, NJ, and Asmara, Eritrea: Africa Globe Press, 1998.

• Nyong J. Udoeyop, Three Nigerian Poets: A Critical Bone up on of the Poetry of Soyinka, Clark, and Okigbo. Ibadan: Metropolis University Press, 1973.
• James Wieland, The Ensphering Mind: History, Myth unacceptable Fictions in the Poetry topple Allen Curnow, Nissim Ezekiel.

  Dinky. D. Hope, A. M. Couturier, Christopher Okigbo and Derek Walcott. Washington, DC: Three Continents Tamp, 1988.

• Don't Let Him Die, highrise anthology of memorial poems prank honour of Christopher Okigbo scuffle the 10 anniversary of realm death, edited by Chinua Achebe and Dubem Okafor. Enugu, Nigeria: Fourth Dimension Publishers, 1978.
• See further for more details on Okigbo, Crossroads: an anthology of poetry in honour of Christopher Okigbo on the 40th anniversary bring into play his death, edited by Apostle Oguejiofor and Uduma Kalu (Lagos, Nigeria: Apex Books Limited, 2008).
• See also Bolaji S.

  Ramos, "The Battlefield Poet: Elegy for Christopher Okigbo", regarded as the precede full-length performance poetry on Okigbo since his death in 1967. (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Battlefield-Poet-Christopher-Okigbo.../B0737HFSXD);(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0737HFSXD); The Sun Paper: www.sunnewsonline.com/lagos-lawyer-summons-the-ghost-of-chris-okigbo/

External links