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Oct 25, 2022Keywords:
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The Saro-Wiwa Motif in Niger Delta Poetry
Abstract
This study examines the recurring metaphors, symbols, and images that allude to Ken Saro-Wiwa in Tanure Ojaide‘s Delta Blues and Ibiwari Ikiriko‘s Oily Tears of the Delta. Niger Delta poets have portrayed images and reflected on the ideologies associated with Saro-Wiwa in different ways, thereby establishing a motif of Saro-Wiwa in Niger Delta poetry owing to his significant role in the history and literature of the Niger Delta region. The manifestation of Saro-Wiwa‘s significance in Niger Delta poetry has not attracted ample critical attention. Using an eclectic approach, this work interprets the image of Saro-Wiwa as an environmental archetype, thereby buttressing correspondingly on ecological and archetypal criticism of the selected texts. The paper underscores the influence, legacy, and immortality of Saro-Wiwa as an artist strongly alluded to by other artists who consider Saro-Wiwa as their immediate predecessor in respect of shared experiences and vision. The findings of this work reveal that Saro-Wiwa is employed as a motif to thematise ecological devastation, political persecution, Niger Delta activism, and minority politics in the selected poems by Ojaide and Ikiriko.
