The place of Urhobo folklore in Tanure Ojaide’s poetry

Abstract

The place of Urhobo folklore in Tanure Ojaide's poetry While some notable studies have been done on Tanure Ojaide and his coevals on their "Alter/Native" tradition of modern African poetry that gained inspiration from indigenous African oral literature and folklore, there has been no focused study on the place of folklore in his writing, especially his poetry. Ojaide's writing is deeply steeped in Urhobo folklore, which his upbringing and later study and research in Udje have brought about. Though this is not an essentialist reading of his work, I intend to use his specific cultural background to do a reading of his poetry in order to show the depth, breadth, and complexity of his themes and the sophistication of his art, all of which are infused with his native Urhobo folklore. From legendary personages such as Ogiso, Arhuaran, Aminogbe, Ayayughe, Ogidigbo through the fauna and flora of the iroko, akpobrisi, uwara, eyareya, to the incorporation of folk songs and modelling of poems on the udje genre, Ojaide uses orature to establish a cultural identity and a common humanity for his work. Through local folklore and a style borrowed from the oral tradition he deploys folkloric resources as style and form to advance his themes. My study thus illuminates the deep meaning of the writer's thoughts and the effective use of oral poetic performance style. This conscious effort of the writer appears to have yielded poetic dividends in the relevance of his work and the literary reputation he has gained through his consistency despite innovations now and then.

Tanure Ojaide on the poet: Preliminary notes on a writer’s poetics

“…Much of the critical attention paid to the work of the distinguished Nigerian poet, Tanure Ojaide, has focused on his exploration of the despoliation of the natural environment by multinational oil companies in the Niger Delta, and the consequent impoverishment of the indigenous populations (Nwagabra, 2010; Ojaruega, 2014; Egya, 2018). Some attention has equally been paid to Ojaide’s deployment of the techniques of indigenous Urhobo literature (Aiyejina, 1988; Ojaruega, 2015). However, the Ojaide oeuvre contains a considerable corpus of self-reflexive poems that highlight the poet’s sustained meditation on the poet, his/her craft as well as sources of inspiration, responsibilities, and powers.…”

Versifying History and National Trauma in Tanure Ojaide’s The Endless Song

“…A third area of Ojaide's poetry that has elicited serious interest is his deployment of the oral culture from the Urhobo folklore and customs, especially the Udje songs and culture in his works (examples include studies by Olafioye, 2000;Ojaruega, 2015;Okuyade, 2012;and Bodunde, 2001). These studies explore the poet's use of the myths and legends of the Urhobo and their pantheon of gods and heroes.…”

Between the praise and defense of nature: An eco-critical discourse of Niyi Osundare and Tanure Ojaide’s eco-poetry

“…Hence, their poetry is classified as eco-poetry. Although studies on the poetry of Niyi Osundare and Tanure Ojaide have focused on traditional aesthetics, political power, exile and African experience (Ojaruega, 2015; Tsaaior, 2011;Nwagbara 2008Nwagbara , 2010Okunoye, 2011) sufficient studies have not been done on their defense of natural environment. This study examines how their poetry celebrates nature and how they are used to caution the imminent danger of mismanagement of the physical environment.…”