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The Nationalist Imagination in Remi Raji's Lovesong for My Wasteland

2007; Indiana University Press; Volume: 38; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2979/ral.2007.38.4.111

1527-2044

Sule Emmanuel Egya,

Postcolonial and Cultural Literary Studies

Remi Raji, one of loudest and most eloquent political poets in Nigeria today, sees his craft as a means of conveying serious social message to his land. Raji's consummate political theme, which is powered by what he calls the nationalist imagination, is skillfully explored in his latest volume of poetry, Lovesong for My Wasteland (2005), more than in any of his previous collections. Following tradition of social commitments of African literature and evolving orature-based aesthetics that marries choreography to poetry (choreopoetry), Raji traces history of Nigeria, in symbolic forty-five verses of volume, exposing leadership failures and plunder of yesterday and today, and presenting a hope that is predicated on people's collective stand to build their ravaged land. The business of this paper is therefore exploration of Raji's political theme in his latest poetic effort to raise his society's consciousness to collapse of national psyche and to redirect their attention toward a better tomorrow for which they have to work.