Ecocentric Paradox in Ojaide’s The Endless Song

The sharp shift from literary obscurantism to the use of literature to address the societal malaise remains one of the landmarks of the second generation Nigerian poets. These poets make poetry to mean instead of to say. In spite of working hard to bridge the gap between the folk oral poetry and the modem poetry, these African poets draw the art into the people’s environment and experiences, appropriating the mores, flora and fauna to give the art of poetry both nativity and locale. The discovery of oil in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria had its multifarious effects on the Niger Deltans and the Nigerian nation as a whole. These effects, without doubt, have brought corollary effects on the Niger Delta ecology and economy, as well as the standard of living. Tanure Ojaide’s The Endless Song is a testament on the endless woes and calamities of the Niger Delta communities in particular, and the Nigerian nation in general. This paper explores the paradox of penury in the midst of bounty, both of the oil boom and agricultural product and the creation of poverty while pretending to alleviate the same. Furthermore, the paper harnesses the unexpected and seemingly irrational experience of the masses as expressed in the choice words of ecocentric realities as replicated in The Endless Song. The worst the songs say is the endlessness to the nation’s ordeal and the agony of socio-political and environmental landscape of Niger Deltans.

Keywords: Ecocentric Paradox Ecology Ojaide Niger Delta

Author

• Nwaiwu, Mishael C., PhD
  Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri
  P.M.B 1036 Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria
  drmishaelnwaiwu@gmail.com
  +234 803 8968 407