Socio- Historical and Political Commitments in Odia Ofeimun's Go Tell The Generals

Abstract

Modem African poetry has remained a veritable instrument in political leadership in Nigeria. From the works of the pioneers to the contemporary poets, it is evident that Nigerian poetry in English has undoubtedly followed the historical evolution of the Nigerian state. While the earliest works interrogate colonial imperialist tendencies, later writings dissect the failure of leadership in independent African nations. Modem Nigerian poets are really conscious of these historical trends, notable among them is Odia Ofeimun. This article examines the indices of military failings in Odia Ofeimun's Go Tell the Generals. Poems in the selected collection are subjected to literary analysis, highlighting indices of political failing and leadership problems that pervade them. The analysis is anchored on the tenets of Marxism, to interrogate Ofeimun's confrontation of political oppression as evident in the revolutionary images in the poems. The various analyses carried out in this paper justify Ofeimun's reprimand of the experiences of military dictatorship in Nigeria. The paper concludes that Ofeimun's poetry, like the ones analysed in this study, creates political consciousness and inspires revolutionary tendencies.