Ogaga Ifowodo's representation of "unhomeliness" in The Oil Lamp
In his collection of poetry, The Oil Lamp, Ogaga Ifowodo represents Nigerian residents in a state of post-colonial unhomeliness. The Nigerians native to the land are being "unhomed" by foreigners who are collecting oil from their land. This makes the land that the Nigerians call home unlivable and dangerous. Each section of Ifowodo's poetry gives a representation of the destruction, both to the land and the inhabitants, that is being caused by the extraction of oil.
Ifowodo was strongly influence by Ken Saro-Wiwa, and because of this Ifowodo uses poetry to address growing despair and frustration in Nigeria. The delta poet finds inspiration among the people living in the delta area, and writes narratives of resistance (Caminero-Santangelo page). Both Ifowodo and Tanure Ojaide (another delta poet), "revitalize Saro-Wiwa's project of imagining an alternative trajectory of development in the Niger Delta" (Caminero-Santangelo page). [use signal phrases and page references--remember bookending from IWC?!!]
Ifowodo's The Oil Lamp contains two sections of poetry that best represent Homi Bhabha's concept of unhomeliness. [a quote from Bhabha explaining the concept would be effective here--and remember to add the source to your works cited list] The two sections are Part 5 "Cesspit of the Niger Area" and Part 6 "The Agonist". While all sections in Ifowodo's collection give a native's representation of the desolation to Nigeria, these sections will give the most insight to the specific area and significant Nigerian individuals.
Part 5 references people's living conditions in specific Niger areas. In Ifowodo's "Cesspit of the Niger Area", he writes about a woman living in the Niger area whose child has fallen ill, "But there's no doctor in Asaba-Ase,/ no clinic in a hundred miles,/... If you must go to Port Harcourt/...take enough garri and smoked fish/ say a prayer to Mamiwata" (Ifowodo 60). This passage alludes [refers?] to Port Harcourt, the capital of the river state in Nigeria (where a doctor would likely be found). Ifowodo shows how far the sick must travel to receive medical treatment. The red dot on the map represents Asaba-Ase. The green dot on the map represents Port Harcourt. [can you calculate from this how far the journey is, how long it would take?] Ifowodo also references saying a prayer to Mamiwata. In the footnotes of the collection, Ifowodo has written that she is a "mermaid, believed to have magical powers" (Ifowodo 60).
[say more to wrap up your section on Part 5 by connecting your examples more directly to the concept of unhomeliness before moving on to the next section.]
Part 6 references the Ogoni 9 as Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni 8. The passages in Part 6 that are most relevant include "Memory was His Savior and His Death" and "Hurry Them Down into the Grave." The first of the pair is in tribute to Ken Saro-Wiwa. This powerful poem portrays his life in a way that is a call to people. The audience reading this piece understands the sacrifice of Saro-Wiwa and the depravity involved with his death. [are you saying the audience that takes the time to find and read the poem already knows this or that the poem itself conveys the story in such a way that audience understands? Show us how the poet effectively conveys this understanding by zeroing in on a few lines like you did in the previous section.] The second pair is in tribute to the other Ogoni 8. The repetition of "Hurry them down" is a powerful message to readers, especially with the knowledge that they were executed by hanging. [develop and conclude this section with your own analysis of the significance of this part of the poem.]
Ogaga Ifowodo speaks the hard truth of what is happening in the Niger Delta. the publication of his collection of poetry spreads the powerful word of the destruction that is being done to the people and land of Nigeria. It is in this way that Iofwodo helps his readers understand the concept of slow violence. The oil that is supposed to be Nigerian salvation turns into a point of damnation. [can you follow through more at the end here in response to Caminero-Santangelo's point that Ifowodo attends to points of resistence and imagines "an alternative trajectory" for those unhomed by the slow violence in the sacrifice zone?]
Click here to learn facts about the oil destruction that has hit the Nigerian land and people.
Works Cited
Caminero-Santangelo, Byron. Different shades of green: African literature, environmental justice, and political ecology. [city of publication:] University of Virginia Press, 2014. Print.
Ifowodo, Ogaga. The Oil Lamp. [city of publication:] Africa World Press, Inc, 2005. Print.
