Ogaga Ifowodo's representation of "unhomeliness" in The Oil Lamp
By Casey Max
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.According to Byron Caminero-Santangelo, author of Different Shades of Green: African Literature, Environmental Justice, and Political Ecology, Ifowodo was strongly influence by Ken Saro-Wiwa. Because of this influence, 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 170). 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 170).
Ifowodo's The Oil Lamp contains two sections of poetry that best represent Homi Bhabha's concept of unhomeliness. According to Charles Bressler's chapter on Postcolonialism, Homi Bhabha's unhomeliness can be described as "this feeling or perception of abandonment ... caus[ing] the colonial subject (the colonized) to become a psychological refugee" (205). Being "unhomed" can make people feel as if they no longer have a place in the world. Because the indigenous have been forced into a situation where their land is overtaken by an outside force, their home no longer feels like home. The two sections of poetry that best capture unhomeliness 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 living conditions for people in specific Niger areas. In "Cesspit of the Niger Area," Ifowodo 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 / and paddle off in the dead of night" (Ifowodo 60). This passage refers to Port Harcourt, the capital of the river states 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. According to Google Maps, the journey is almost 120 miles, and would take 3 hours to drive in a car although they "will go by speedboat" (60). Ifowodo also references saying a prayer to Mamiwata, the legendary river goddess. In the footnotes of the collection, Ifowodo has written that she is a "mermaid, believed to have magical powers" (Ifowodo 60).
Ifowodo's depiction of how far one must travel to be cured shows his use of unhomeliness. The Nigerians are being unhomed in multiple ways. Nowhere near is a doctor or healer, making it next to impossible to get immediate care. It also speaks to unhomeliness that Nigerians are living in destruction that in turn could make them ill, as the oil being collected from their land is creating horrific conditions for the inhabitants.
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" (66-67) and "Hurry Them Down into the Grave" (67-68). 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. Ifowodo writes, "he came to know cities floated on the oil/ plundered from the land under his feet" (Ifowodo 67). Saro-Wiwa's memories and intimate knowledge of the people that lived in the cities destroyed by oil give his execution a powerful meaning. His memories became his savior in which he died for a cause. His memories and shared passion of the issues also became the reason for his death.
The second of this pair of poems 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. Two of Ifowodo's most powerful lines are the first two: "Hurry them down into the grave/ hurry them down before their bones nail my guilt" (Ifowodo 67). Hurrying the hanged Ogoni 8 into the grave emphasizes the unwanted guilt of either (or both) the bystanders or the executioners. These lines are powerful because Ifowodo stresses the act of hurrying them into a grave, such as hiding their bodies. If their bodies are in the grave, it's easier not to think about what the victims endured, and why the audience of the hanging feels guilty.
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. Caminero- Santangelo's point that Ifowodo addresses the despair and frustration of the Nigerians living in the Delta area becomes clear as both sections are analyzed. The oil has completely destroyed the living conditions, and in some cases the health, of Nigerian inhabitants. So much so that writers have taken to the cause. It is in this way that Ifowodo helps his readers understand the concept of slow violence. The oil that is supposed to be Nigerian salvation turns into a point of damnation. Ifowodo urges readers, in a fashion similar to Saro-Wiwa, to become informed on the issue as he exposes the difficulties of Nigerians living in the Delta area.
Click here to learn more about the oil destruction that hits the Nigerian land and people, just after postcolonial independence gives them hope for self-determination.
Works Cited
- Bressler, Charles E. Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. 5th edition. New York: Pearson, 2011. Print.
- Caminero-Santangelo, Byron. Different Shades of Green: African Literature, Environmental Justice, and Political Ecology. Charlottesville: U of Virginia P, 2014. Print.
- Ifowodo, Ogaga. The Oil Lamp. Trenton, New Jersey: Africa World Press, 2005. Print.
