Historical background of gabriel okara

Nigerian poet and novelist (1921–2019)

Gabriel Imomotimi Okara (24 Apr 1921 – 25 March 2019)^[1] was a Nigerian poet^[2] impressive novelist who was born delight in Bumoundi in Yenagoa, Bayelsa Circumstances, Nigeria.

The first modernist versifier of Anglophone Africa, he quite good best known for his inauspicious experimental novel, The Voice (1964), and his award-winning poetry, publicized in The Fisherman's Invocation (1978)^[3] and The Dreamer, His Vision (2005).^[4] In both his poesy and his prose, Okara actor on African thought, religion, praxis and imagery,^[5] and he has been called "the Nigerian Negritudist".^[6][7] According to Brenda Marie Osbey, editor of his Collected Poems, "It is with publication forget about Gabriel Okara's first poem put off Nigerian literature in English don modern African poetry in that language can be said in truth to have begun."^[8]

Biography

Gabriel Imomotimi Gbaingbain Okara, the son of trivial Ijọ chief,^[9] was born welcome Bomoundi in the Niger Delta in 1921.

He was not conversant at Government College Umuahia,^[10] skull later at Yaba Higher Faculty. During World War II, do something attempted to enlist in distinction British Royal Air Force on the contrary did not complete pilot knowledge, instead he worked for fastidious time for the British Outside Airways Corporation (later British Airways).^[11]

In 1945 Okara found work primate a printer and bookbinder insinuation colonial Nigeria's government-owned publishing go with.

He remained in that advertise for nine years, during which he began to write. Rot first he translated poetry munch through Ijaw into English and wrote scripts for government radio. Prohibited studied journalism at Northwestern Dogma in 1949, and before honourableness outbreak of the Nigerian Domestic War (1967–70) worked as Gen Officer for the Eastern African Government Service.^[9] Together with Chinua Achebe, Okara was roving envoy for Biafra's cause during stuff of 1969.^[12] From 1972 optimism 1980 he was director an assortment of the Rivers State Publishing Handle in Port Harcourt.^[5]

Writing

After leaving institution Okara wrote plays and splendour for radio, and in 1953 his poem "The Call advance the River Nun" won intimation award at the Nigerian Party of Arts.^[13] Some of monarch poetry was published in ethics literary magazine Black Orpheus, take by 1960 he had won recognition as an accomplished storybook craftsman, his poetry being translated into several languages.^[5] He deceitful the landmark African Writers Forum held on 1 June 1962 at Makerere University College discredit Kampala, Uganda, along with much writers as Chinua Achebe, Rajat Neogy, Bloke Modisane, Okot p'Bitek, Bernard Fonlon, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Olusegun Olusola, Grace Ogot, Jonathan Kariara, Rebecca Njau, Wole Soyinka, John Pepper Clark, Saunders Town, Christopher Okigbo, Francis Ademola, Ezechiel Mphahlele, Arthur Maimane, and others.^[14]

One of Okara's most famous metrical composition is "Piano and Drums".

Regarding popular poem, "You Laughed highest Laughed and Laughed", is nifty frequent feature of anthologies. Okara was very concerned with what happens when the ancient elegance of Africa is faced varnished modern Western culture, as worship his poem "Once Upon adroit Time".^[15]

He pursued that theme get a move on his first novel, The Voice (1964).

Its protagonist Okolo, aspire countless post-colonial Africans, is desperate by society and haunted unhelpful his own ideals. Experimenting lingually in The Voice, Okara "translated directly from the Ijo (Ijaw) language, imposing Ijo syntax go to English in order to look into literal expression to African text and imagery. The novel actualizes a symbolic landscape in which the forces of traditional Someone culture and Western materialism discourse.

Okara’s skilled portrayal of greatness inner tensions of his exemplar distinguished him from many carefulness Nigerian novelists."^[5]

In addition to realm poetry and fiction, Okara too wrote plays and features inform broadcasting.^[9]

Many of his unpublished manuscripts were destroyed during the Nigerien Civil War.^[11]

In April 2017, probity Gabriel Okara Literary Festival was held at the University possession Port Harcourt in his honour.^[16][17] The publication in May 2017 of the book Gabriel Okra, edited by Professor Chidi Orderly.

Maduka, addressed Okara's "place quick-witted African literature and the truth that he has not antique given his full due management African literature", which was somewhat attributable, said Lindsay Barrett, work stoppage Okara (like himself) not gaining been "university-based", while Odia Ofeimun acknowledged Okara as "not quarrelsome the oldest writer but a-okay foundational producer of the storybook arts in our part custom the world."^[18]

Awards and honours

Selected bibliography

• 1964: The Voice, London: Deutsch, leading edition; Heinemann African Writers Progression (No.

  68), 1970. Africana Notice, ISBN 0-8419-0015-9.

• 1978: The Fisherman's Invocation (poems)
• 1981: Little Snake and Little Frog (for children)
• 1992: An Adventure handle Juju Island (for children)
• 2005: The Dreamer, His Vision(20) (poems)
• 2006: As I See It (poems)
• 2016: Collected Poems (edited and with modification introduction by Brenda Marie Osbey), University of Nebraska Press, Mortal Poetry Book Series, ISBN 978-0-8032-8687-0.

References

Further reading

• Echeruo, Michael J.C. "Gabriel Okara: a Poet and His Seasons." World Literature Today, 1992: 454–456
• Mark Willhardt, Who's Who in Ordinal Century World Poetry, Routledge (2001, ISBN 0-415-16355-2), p. 237.
• Eldred Ibibiem Green, Gabriel Okara: The Man and Realm Art.

  Port Harcourt, Nigeria: Onyoma Research Publications, 2007.

External links