Niyi Osundare is a distinguished professor of English Language A world renowned poet, dramatist, critic, essayist, and media columnist, he has authored over 20 books of poetry and piles of selected works in over 70 journals across the world. Born of Ekiti parentage, he was educated on three continents of Africa, Europe and Canada. These wide range of exposures and academic reach out has helped to widen his scope of authorship and more. Now based in The University of New Orleans, the United States of America, he is home in Ibadan where members of the Association of Nigerian Authors, Oyo State chapter in collaboration with Tunde Odunlade Arts and Culture Connexons celebrated him. Edozie Udeze was there.
In Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the role of Tunde Odunlade’s Arts and Culture Connexons in the promotion of cultural matters in Nigeria is indescribable. For many years, the centre has taken it upon itself to ensure that Ibadan, originally and always considered the pacesetter of the knowledge base in these parts, keeps making the issues of prospering literary and cultural matters a priority. Therefore, when it was the turn of erudite and distinguished Professor Niyi Osundare to be celebrated at the centre by members of the Oyo State chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), last week, the ovation was loud and clear.
The programme, simply tagged the celebration of Professor Niyi Osundare, was packaged by the centre in collaboration with the Oyo State chapter of ANA. It was done as the first monthly reading session by the members fom the year 2023. For this reason alone, and for the more important factor that Osundare has been an Ibadan boy almost all his life, the turnout was massive. Besides, he is Nigeria’s most celebrated, accomplished and respected poet world-over. His fame always travels like the wild harmattan fire that can never be quenched by lily livered fire fighters. The hall was filled to its stretching point, with some guests shuffling about for the slightest space to squat. That was basically because the likes of Osundare do not happen every day.
And like a popular saying goes: if you climb an Iroko tree, try and pluck a firewood. This is so because no one climbs Iroko tree every day. Osundare is that Iroko, tall and imposing in matters of literature, more so, poetry. This great bard, and wonderful poet does not always have time for things that do not hinge seriously on poetry. Therefore, what happened last week at Bodija, Ibadan, was indeed golden and spectacular, befitting a man that has conquered with his pen and imaginations.
So, when it became clear that he was in town from his base in the United State of America, Oyo authors quickly reached out to him and to his longtime friend, Tunde Odunlade for this wonderful opportunity to celebrate him and bring some of his old and new works to world attention. Akinwande Funmilayo was the first to open the flood of Oriki and praise chants as part of tributes to honour Osundare. An Ekiti lady by birth, Funmilayo first let guests realise that her chants had plenty of Ekiti bent to it. “As an Ekiti man”, she said profusely to Osundare, “you will understand the import of my words to you.” While prancing with deep conviction, she said, “Omo Ekiti you are born to conquer the world. Today you have achieved that and more. From Ikere land to the four corners of the world, you have become a great writer, a brand empowered by the flowing powers of Osun, the goddess of fertility and fortunes. She has given you fame beyond rancour, above human imagination. You are born for the universe. The pen is your power, Niyi, you are a star who sends good messages across”.
Funmilayo’s words suddenly set the hall on fire. People clapped and became more eager to pour out their hearts to this huge human figure, imbued with profound ingredients of scholarship. A man of letters, Osundare eats and breeds poetry in all forms. Then came Edmund Obilo, who mounted the stage with an unbridled carriage. He read some of the poems Osundare dedicated to the late human rights activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa. The lines boomed, resonating in the minds of those who reminisced over the sordid days of 1995. Once more, the resounding voice and maverick sounds of Osundare resonated in the hall. “Let us dwell on the beauty of Osundare’s works, the beauty that stirs the soul and keeps people on the verge of reminisces. This work on Saro-Wiwa reverberates in all sense of the word.
Osundare’s words carefully revisited ecological damages in the Niger Delta. They reappraised calls for actions to rebuild the region and then allow the people enjoy a bit of their God-given oil and natural resources. As the chairman of the occasion Professor Femi Osofisan took over the affairs of the evening, the tempo of the hall rose to a crescendo. The vibes heightened, mingled with jokes and banters. The lines from the market place reignited the mood. Niyi Osundare was reaffirmed again and again as the man, one single scholar, whose presence is likened to the market place. He is one irrepressible master of the written word no one can attempt to resist or ignore. His presence everywhere, anywhere, fills an arena with fresh aura. This is so because for Osundare and his works, art has no tribe. It has no boundaries. Indeed, art has no restrictions or confinement. He allows his works to breathe. His works seep into souls, edifying and sensitizing people. Yes, to him, art has no prejudice, it has no class stratification.
Yes, Osundare has come to make his works simple but complex, because complexity forms part of rich offerings of poetry. And so, for him writing is like the vision of life. You have to crawl, walk, before you can go for a marathon. You begin slowly with a focus, then gradually you arrive at your destination. He says writing is painful and vulnerable yet it must be achieved. It must be done. If you are a poet and you don’t write political poetry, it is either you are dead or about to die. In all this, the real writer must prove himself. He must be accomplished.
While sharing almost the same premises with Osofisan during their days at the University of Ibadan as lecturers, Osundare recalled with nostalgia that “We grew up together. But don’t mind Femi’s smooth face. Femi is one critic that can almost discourage you when you give him your work for evaluation. Yet, he has always been thorough. People, in fact, the staircases of the Faculty of Arts will never forget the number of times I walked down to meet him in his office in those days”, he says about Femi Osofisan, a fellow author, friend, poet and probably the most staged playwright in the Nigerian literary firmament of today.
As he read from his works with chronicled backgrounding, Osundare recalled how his friendship with Tunde Odunlade began way back in time. “He designed the cover of my first collection. As at today that cover still causes and attracts comments and undivided attention whenever the occasion calls for it. I mean, Tunde is a great artist and that is why he has laboured to establish this centre for the sake of the arts. With him, art grows, artists come together to celebrate our heritages and what we stand for”. As he spoke, Odunlade’s face creased with smiles. He nodded his head intermittently as he also remembered the good old days when they were just sprouting out in the city of Ibadan.
As an artist, Osundare is a crafts-master, imbued with the gift of careful and graphic chronicler. History, with clear and classified details runs in his head. He went down memory lane on how Oyo State chapter of ANA was formed years back. Thus, it became the pace-setter, the first State chapter of the association to be formed and inaugurated. He recalled events and all the people involved in this historic journey. With that in the kitty, he emerged as its pioneer chairman. He immediately went to work by organizing series and sumptuous literary shows that astounded others. In the same way, he recalled how he and Osofisan drove for 10 hours to Nsukka in 1981 to form ANA. Then the late Professor Chinua Achebe was the arrowhead of the writers’ body in Nigeria. “It was hectic”, he said. “But we did it to give a voice to the society and see how we could safe Nigeria”. One of the writers who mentored him was also mentioned. His name is Professor Abiola Irele. “He was always there for me”. Irele was a literary scholar, critic and was cherished and respected by all who encountered him.
Osundare, always forthright and unbiased, took a swipe at Nigerian leaders. “I don’t know why this country keeps sliding. Things are getting worst every day. It is the same things we said to them many years ago to change to make Nigeria better we are still saying today…I have never seen this country so bad, no electricity, nothing seems to work. The other time a festival being celebrated yearly in my name happened in Ekiti without my presence. I was in Ibadan getting set to travel to Ekiti, when my immediate younger brother prevailed on me not to come. Reason: if they kidnap you, we have no one to vouch for us. It was horrible and I have to watch the proceedings from Ibadan. It was painful. What a country! What a society!”.
Tributes
While the tributes poured in for him, chairman of Oyo State chapter of ANA, Biola Layonu recalled in beautiful lines the songs Osundare’s mother Fasimia sang for him in the days of yore: “Oh this is my son. This is my favourite son. Son of Osun, the flowing river whose water spread blessings across the earth. Son of the little hut which breeds the gentle giant. Son of the elephant which pulls up the tree with one hand. Son of the lion, king of the forest. Son of the great father whose yam is as big as the mountain. Oh, no little space can contain you. No little space can contend with your fortune. You are born to travel the world. Your legs are strong”.
Professor Remi Raji recounted how Osundare saved him from ending up as either a Fuji musician with several wives or taxi driver in a small corner in his town Fiditi. He was in need of money to settle his school fees in 1985 at University of Ibadan. It was Osundare who quickly paid the money and rescued him. Osundare was his teacher then. “I can never forget”, he said, smiling up to him. Others who spoke did so in good earnest. Professor Bode Lukas who was the Dean of Arts at a point, thanked him also for saving his deanship. “He had the opportunity of betraying me but he did not do so and today I thank him most sincerely”. Also present were Professors Biodun Jeyifo and Gbemisola Adeoti, Dr Tony Marinho, Kunle Fagbunle and others, all of whom came to honour this great man of letters, a man always filled with concern for humanity and mankind.
