First Lines
I stand at the gates
On the streets, I see my countrymen
Conscience makes my quilt with thorns
At night when the world is dead
I dreamt i saw a great sea
I saw them bringing in my mother
But what song is this
Love is the stalk
©Olu Oguibe 1990
All rights reserved
Drawing above: Olu Oguibe,
Untitled
ink on paper, 1991
© copyright reserved
Courtesy: ArtArc, Bayreuth
Drawing may not be copied or
reproduced without prior permission
| A song from Exile A Long Poem by Olu Oguibe |
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| I wrote A Song from Exile in London during the autumn and early winter of 1989, shortly after I arrived England. Two hundred and twenty-four lines long and arranged in eight movements, the poem was in the tradition of my earlier work with the extended form. It was hailed upon publication and has been aptly described by Stewart Brown of the University of Birmingham as "a lyrical account in eight parts exploring the [author's] feelings of anger, shame and despair at being away from the society that abuses yet feeds his creative spirit." West Africa Magazine described it as "an eloquent testimony." It has continued to meet warm responses especially from those who share the experience of exile.
Early versions of the poem were originally published in West Africa and The Guardian. It was later published in book form by Boomerang Press, Bayreuth, Germany [1990]. The poem has subsequently appeared in several anthologies including Sojourners: New Writing by Africans in Britain London, 1994 and Faces of Europe: Authors from Africa and Asia, Barcelona, 1995, translated into Spanish and Catalan. The original limited edition book may be obtained directly from the publisher or through Amazon.com. You may e-mail me, also. |
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