On the hunt for
palatable poems, while I was surfing the internet, I came across the following
poem describing about how animals, in this case insects, camouflage themselves.
It then relates this fact with mankind’s foibles of fickleness. I was stunned.
Thus I contacted the Nigerian poet for an interview, as this falls in line with
The Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition’s objective— gradually taking
Africans’ from different walks of life aboard as interviewees, readers and
contributors.
C A M O U F L A G U E
— Brethren Beware
Hear my mama’s caution
what she told me
with so much raw passion:
It’s not what it seems
until you’ve looked at it
through the sole eye of a needle
The snake blends with the grass
the chameleon hides behind
the curtain of his own skin;
humans behave akin
Hear my mama’s caution
what she told me
with so much raw passion:
son, you must have heard
this before,
that things are not always
what they seem to be,
that’s a universal lore.
She said,
it’s not what it seems
until you’ve looked at it
through the cold eye of a needle.
The above poetic gem is penned down by Akwaeze Anthony, a Nigerian blogger. He studied at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts and United States. He lives in Abuja and Nigeria (From Umuleri, Anamaba, Nigeria )
Anthony Wole Kay is his pen name.
The Ethiopian Herald has just interviewed him.
Herald” “When did you develop interest for writing?”
Akwaeze Anthony : “I have always had interest in writing since I was a kid!”
Herald : What about your role models?
Akwaeze Anthony : Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is my role model in writing. She inspired me to be a writer. After reading her book titled Purple Hibiscus I was awed. Then I felt the urge to create an imaginary world with my pen as a means of escaping depression.
Herald: How do you define poetry?
Akwaeze Anthony : Poetry, for me, is the food of the soul!
Herald : What are the challenges you encounter in finding a niche in poetry penmanship?
Akwaeze Anthony: Some people try to discourage me saying ‘you write like a child!” But many admire my work. So I give heed to the constructive feedbacks.
Herald : Do you participate in blogs/anthologies/books?
Akwaeze Anthony: Unfortunately, none. This will be hopefully the first. I do post poems on Facebook and on inspireaders.com though.
Herald: “What do you advise to fellow aspiring and emerging writers of Africa?
Akwaeze Anthony: “Well, as you know, writing is not something you do for the money. You’ve got to have an unquenchable passion for it. Keep writing, one day someone will notice you.”
Herald : Could poetry be used to address societal problems like moral decadence?
Akwaeze Anthony : Yes poetry is instrumental in fighting social ills like lack of integrity as seen in my poem camouflage.
Herald : Around which areas do the themes of your literary pieces/poems revolve ?”
Akwaeze Anthony : I try to write about a wide-range of issues. But my writing usually focuses on rape, hope for the future, corruption, love, death and advice generally.
Herald: It is not uncommon to hear ‘Poems are difficult to read and write!’ What is your take on this?”
Akwaeze Anthony “Poetry needs concentration to write. She is like a newlywed bride seeking attention. Poetry is interesting and challenging to write I think. As for reading poetry, the reader needs to understand the poet and the poet tries to achieve this through the use of poetic devices. Poems range from easy ones with simple diction to complex ones with carefully chosen diction But generally poems are not so hard to understand.
Herald: Previously African writers were attacking colonialism and neocolonialism.What must be the way forward?
Akwaeze Anthony : Well, they felt like voicing their feelings about what is going on dear Africa. I think African writers should write without fear or favor what they feel like writing. They should however make sure they write the truth. Using poetry to cause disunity should be avoided.
Herald : Some say poetry books are treated with a cold shoulder in the market. What do you say about that?
Akwaeze Anthony : “I do not know about that since I haven’t published any. But I think what poets do is to submit their poems in journals, magazines etc for anthology publication. I just want to say ‘Never give up in whatever you have a passion for!’ ”
Herald :How do you assess the feedback your poems are receiving?
Akwaeze Anthony “ I’m happy that people find my poems interesting. I’m grateful for the critics that publicly or privately point out errors in my poem. They help me grow.
Herald : How do you see writing in English?
Akwaeze Anthony :English is Nigeria’s official language. A country of over 250 ethnic groups needs a common language everyone understands. That is where English comes in. Writing in your language is good, but writing in English widens the range of your audience.
Herald: What can you say about Achebe and Soyinka?
Akwaeze Anthony :I love those guys! Chinua Achebe is from my tribe (Igbo) and I still have a copy of his most famous novel “Things Fall Apart”. He is considered a powerful story teller of his generation. He is also a pioneer of modern African literature.
Wole Soyinka, also a friend of Achebe, is a great writer. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1986. Unlike his story writing friend, he is considered as Africa’s foremost dramatist. “The Trials of Brother Jeroboam” remains a favorite. I also took his name “Wole”
Herald:”African poets must unite!” is becoming a catch phrase, do you believe in that?
Akwaeze Anthony: I do. Indeed African Poets must unite to achieve the aim of promoting African literature.
Herald :If you have a message to African writers/poets you are welcome .
Akwaeze Anthony :Be Write-ous!
The Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition September 22/2019
BY ALEM HAILU
