We Have Crossed Many Rivers

Description

We Have Crossed Many Rivers: New Poetry from Africa is a fascinating anthology of some of the finest contemporary poetic voices from twenty-nine African countries. Inspired by the examples of first generation African poets like Wole Soyinka, Christopher Okigbo, Dennis Brutus, and Mazisi Kunene, the poets in this anthology display rootedness in, and preoccupation with, the discourses of identity and political freedom. At the same time, they engage the more contemporary themes of human and economic rights, governance, the natural environment, love, family and generational relations representative of the African continent. Poems from Tanure Ojaide, Yewande Omotoso, Reesom Haile and Frank Chipasula are inlcluded and in all there are contributions from 68 poets.

Sujets

• Collections
• Poetry
• Collection

Informations

• Publié par: Malthouse Press
• Date de parution: 31 juillet 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 4
• EAN13: 9789788422884
• Langue: English

Extrait

We Have Crossed Many Rivers
New Poetry from Africa
Malthouse African Poetry Idris Amali, Generals without War J. P. Clark, A Lot from Paradise Gesiere Brisibe-Dorgu, Reflections Harry Garuba, Voices from the Fringe Taban lo Liyong, Homage to Onyame Angela Miri, Running Waters Tanure Ojaide, The Endless Song Tanure Ojaide, Fate of Vultures Other Poems Tanure Ojaide, The Daydream of Ants Tanure Ojaide The Beauty I Have Seen Dike Okoro, Dance of the Heart Dike Okoro (ed.) Echoes From the Mountain by Mazisi Kunene Dike Okoro (ed.) A Long Dream: Poems by Okogbule Wonodi Tayo Olafioye, Arrowheads to my Heart Tayo Olafioye, A Stroke of Hope Abubakar Othman, The Palm of Time
We Have Crossed Many Rivers
New Poetry from Africa
Edited By
dik okoro
Published by
Malthouse Press Limited
43 Onitana Street, Off Stadium Hotel Road,
Surulere, Lagos, Lagos State
E-mail: malthouselagos yahoo.co.uk
Tel: [phone]
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system or translated into any language or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, chemical, thermal, manual or otherwise, without the prior consent in writing of Malthouse Press Limited, Lagos, Nigeria.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not by way of trade, or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher s prior consent in writing, in any form of binding or cover other than in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
Dike Okoro 2012
First Published 2012
ISBN 978-978-8244-32-7
Distributors:
African Books Collective Ltd
Email: abc africanbookscollective.com
Website: http://www.africanbookscollective.com
Dedication
To the Memory of My Mother Clara Okoro
Acknowledgements
The editor and his publisher gratefully acknowledge the poets themselves and the following copyright holders for permission to reprint the poems in this anthology:
What Ola Says , News from Harlem , New name , all unpublished, used by author s permission (Kwame Dawes); The River is Rising , by Patricia Jabbeh Wesley; copyright: The River is Rising , Autumn House Press, 2007. Coming Home: for Besie-Nyesuah, by Patricia Jabbeh Wesley; copyright: The River is Rising , Autumn House Press , 2007; We Departed Our Homelands and We Came, Patricia Jabbeh Wesley: Copyright: Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, Where the Road Turns , Autumn House Press, 2010. When Monrovia Rises first appeared in Black Renaissance Noire: Vol. 11 Issue 2-3, Spring 2012. The Rain Storm : From Gerald Moore Ulli Beier, eds. The Penguin Modern African Poetry . London: Penguin, 1998. The Kiss published by Frank Chipasula, ed, in Bending the Bow: An Anthology of African Love Poetry . Carbondale, IL. Southern Illinois University Press, 2009. Lament for a Teller of Tales Lost in a Season of AIDS , From Drocella Mwisha Rwanika Nyunda ya Rubango, eds. Le Destin Unique de Sony Labu Tansi. Ivry-sur-Seine, France: Silex/Nouvelles du Sud, 2000. Haven t We Forgotten Something, published by author s permission. A Song in Spring (for Masauko) , published in The Literary Olympians (Boston: Ford-Brown, 1992). Histories, Sanctificum, published in Sanctificum , Copper Canyon Press. Both appear here by author s permission (Chris Abani). The following poems by Ogaga Ifowodo: Homeland For Onoriode taken From Homeland and Other Poems , revised edition (Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 2008. Published by author s permission. History Lesson by Ogaga Ifowodo first appeared in: Drumvoices Revue , vol. 13, nos. 1 2, Spring-Summer 2005; Freetown by Ogaga Ifowodo first published in: Poetry International , Special Double Issue Featuring English Language Poetry from Around the World, 7/8 2003-4, and included in the anthology, Voices from all Over: Poems with Notes and Activities , ed. Rustum Kozain (Cape Town: Oxford, 2006). God Punish You, Lord Lugard, by Ogaga Ifowodo appeared in: From Madiba (Trenton NJ: Africa World Press, 2003); From Scetis to Sohag Nile Procession appear by author s permission (Matthew Shenoda); Between Neighbor Nation : published by author s permission (Matthew Shenoda) Seasons of Lotus, Seasons of Bones , BOA Editions, 2009. Mwogo War by Alexandre Kimenyi appear by permission of author s family. Song for Lost Fruits, Waiting, Iroko in the Wind , Flowers in the Tomb by Chimalum Nwankwo African Heritage Press Permission; Kofi Anyidoho to Heinemann Educational Books and African Commentary; for Tanure Ojaide to Per Contra for To the Janja Weed and the author; for Tijan Sallah for permission to publish; to Lupenga Mphande for permission to publish; to Mxolisi Nyezwa for permission to publish; Emmanuel Sigauke for permission to publish; for Mbizo Chirasha for permission to publish; for Prince Mensah for permission to publish; for Roland Bankole Marke for permission to publish; Go Crazy Over Me by Saba Kidane first appeared in Who said Merhawi is dead : Contemporary Eritrean Poetry in Tigrinya, Tigre, and Arabic . Translated by Charles Cantalupo and Ghirmai Negash, eds. Used by permission of Hedri Publishers; Reesom Haile poems are taken from We Have Our Voice (Lawrenceville NJ Asmara: Red Sea Press, 2000) and We Invented the Wheel (Lawrenceville NJ Asmara: Red Sea Press, 2002); Used by permission of the publishers; Remembering Sahel by Paulos Netabay first appeared in Rattapallax 13: 50-51. 2006; Amadou Lamine Sall, to Editions Simoncini and Nouvelles Editions; for Analla Gnoussira, to Nouvelles Editions; for Abena P.A. Busia, to Africa Heritage Press; for Syl Cheney Coker, to Heinemann Educational Books; for Iyamide Hazeley, to Zora Press and Women s Press. The editor and his publisher also gratefully acknowledge Faustine Boateng Gyima for translations from French to English of the poems by Veronique Tadjo and Amadou Lamine Sall; poems by Smahan Zaim, Anas Filali, Abdeslam Mesbah, Mohamed Said Raihani, Abdelkarim Tabbal and Mohamed Said Raihani all appear by permission of authors and as translated by Mohamed Said Raihani.
Where it was not possible to contact poets or their publishers by the time of this publication, we publish the works in the hope of advancing the poet s reputation. We apologize for any errors and/or omissions in this volume, and welcome any queries or corrections for future editions.
Introduction
This volume attempts to showcase and contextualize established and emerging poetic voices of contemporary Africa by creating a medium through which they may be read as they engage in dialogue regarding the realities of the African milieu.
Most of the poems published here are by established and emerging poets born on the African continent but are now resident in the West. Also, poets born on the continent and currently serving academicians in African universities, poets working outside of academia, and those poets currently making their mark in the continent s poetic circuits are represented. Above all, this collection attempts to show the kind of maturity in form and affection for themes that reveal the attempt to use literature to engage the realities in the African milieu.
As editor, I have read and selected poems that work along the lines of what the Nigerian scholar-poet Tanure Ojaide refers to as literature that reproduces social experiences. This is a major role the poems included in this book serve. Each poem merits its own selection and straddles the ideology that inspired this book: to showcase through contemporary African poetry how African poets use art to illustrate their philosophical, cultural, geographical, spiritual, political and sociological ties to the continent. By no means are these poems mere representations of voices staking hold to their identity as Africans. Rather, these poems are conscious texts because of the serious connections they have to the environment, human condition, plight of the people, preservation of history, culture, beauty, both physically and spiritually, of the continent of Africa and its peoples.
For years, Africa has been noted for its civil wars and ethnic conflicts that often result in loss of lives, genocide and permanently scarring ethnic groups. The poets Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, Tanure Ojaide, Ogaga Ifowodo, Benjamin Kwakye, Alexandre Kimenyi, and many others profoundly deal with these conflicts thematically in creative ways that make their language memorable to readers. Through striking images that illustrate the harsh living conditions of people in a time of war, the brutality of ethnic violence influenced by greed and religion, and the adverse effect of war crimes on the lives of survivors we see hope and loyalty to truth projected in these poems. While they may not be serving deterrents to the crimes committed or actions enforcing the hand of the law, they convey ethical measures needed now and more than ever to educate the young and adults enrolled in schools across the continent and poetry lovers across the world, who admire quality poetry, irrespective of where it is written or what culture informs its composition.
Unlike previous anthologies of African poetry that seemed to be dominated by male voices, this anthology attempts to strike a balance in terms of gender representation. In fact, this is the only anthology of African poetry featuring female voices comparable to their male counterparts. In large part this aspect of the book has more to do with the representation of quality rather than a mere attempt at fixing a gender norm that has been heavily criticized for decades. The women featured in this book are mostly published creative writers, university professors, journalists, PhD students in the area of English and independent writers