Endogenous and exogenous factors in national development: inferences from the metaphor of witchcraft (<i>Àjé</i>) in Olátúbòsún O.ládàpò.’s poetry.

Abstract

This work engages political commentary in the work of Olátúbòsún Oládàpò, a Yorùbá poet. Its focus is on the way that political ideas and values that are rooted in Nigerian culture can inspire development. The study is an exegesis of a poem entitled Emi lo ó máa fàjéè re se? (“What will you do with your own witchcraft?). The reading explores the multilayered paradoxes and metaphors of witchcraft in the poem, concluding that the God-given abilities and capabilities possessed by Nigerians should be the bases for solving their national problems as the nation needs leaders of a vision and mission. The poet maintains that the Nigerian political leaders have a critical role to play in changing the fortune of the nation by leading by example. In addition, the poet opines that the single factor that explains the national economic stagnation is the lack of integrity and public spiritedness among the political leaders, illustrated through his metaphor of witchcraft.

Key words: Metaphor; Olátúbòsún Oládàpò (b. 1943); Yorùbá poetry; Yorùbá witchcraft (Àjé ).