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THE NATIONALISTICS TENDENCY IN “THOUGHT IN RETREAT”

THE NATIONALISTIC TENDENCY IN “THOUGHT IN RETREAT”

(A POEM BY NNAMDI AZIKIWE)

AN ANALYSIS BY NWANI UCHENNA WILLIAMS

          

         In the poem “Thought in Retreat” by Zik, the sense of ‘nationalism’ forms the principal theme. The patriotism in his psyche is evidently seen. Nationalism is understood to be an ideology that gives a nation a sense of unity by imposing on them the same set of identities. It is marked by a feeling of patriotic love, loyalty principles, efforts, and pride of superiority over other countries.

            In one of his poems “Land of the Rising Sun”, Zik proclaimed his love for his country, and his eagerness to fight for and defend his country. He was placed at the core of the political struggle of his people who saw their survival directly at stake. He wrote:

                                    “Land of the Rising sun, I love and cherish the

                                    Beloved home land of our brave heroes

                                    We should protect our loves or we perish

                                    We must preserve our hearts from all our foes

                                    But if the price is death for all we hold dear

                                    Then let us die without a shred of fear.”

            Furthermore, in his poem “Leadership”, nationalism and patriotism are captured. The qualities of a good leader were pointed out. His nationalistic and patriotic spirits runs down from the first to the last stanza. The end stanza reads:

                                     “Steady leader, face the music
                                       once you’re convinced that you’re waging war
                                       to save the gullible weak
                                     from the bluff tales that are staging.”

            In the above poem, Zik is portrayed as a sterling leader who wages diplomatic war to save the weak members of the society he is leading.

            He also rendered an inspiring and bold patriotic spirit to his fellow comrades and all in his poem: “Fortitude”:

                                   “Muster courage, fellow comrade…

                                    Face the foe without complaining

                                    You’re as good as he is claiming

                                    Hit him hard by demonstrating

                                    How your prowess can be taming.”

            Summing up, “Thoughts in Retreat” and others such as “courage”, “True leadership”, “Liberty”, “Benevolence” et al portrays Zik as an excellent nationalist who championed and struggled for his country’s freedom.

THE DEAD END OF AFRICAN LITERATURE: BY OBIAJUNWA WALI

THE DEAD END OF AFRICAN LITERATURE: BY OBIAJUNWA WALI

(CHAPTER 40 in the Anthology of African Literature)

A SUMMARY: BY NWANI UCHENNA WILLIAMS

            During a conference of African writers held in Makerere university, Kampala in 1962, African literature as presently defined and fully apprehended, leads nowhere. African writers of English expression such as Wole Soyinka, Christopher Okigbo, and Ezekiel Mphalele dealt with utmost derision, this kind of literature which expresses sterile concepts such as negritude or the African literature.

         Ibidem, the works of Tutuola, one of the most significant writers today was excluded during the conference. This unjust treatment could be because he was grouped in the “negritude school” and somewhat because he has won many awards oversees for using the English expressions that is ‘non-Makerere.’

            However, Obi Wali who is well known for his assertion that African literature should only be written in African languages emphasized the importance that works deemed "African" be written in the languages of the African peasantry and working class rather than in English or other foreign languages. Through an alliance of these classes within the many nationalities of Africa, he predicted an "inevitable revolutionary break with neo-colonialism." He then expressed these views in his controversial essay, “The Dead End of African Literature” which is considered a landmark in the field of African literary modernity. In this essay, Wali writes that "an African writer who thinks and feels in his own language must write in that language.

 Although opposed by some, Wali's essay has been lauded by many African literary giants such as Ngugi wa thiong'o, who changed his name to a traditional African name after reading Wali's argument. Wali is often cited together with ‘Ngugi Wa Thiongo’ and ‘Immeh Ikiddeh’ for what is called the "radicalist" viewpoint – that African literary expression should be exclusively in indigenous African languages.

Additionally, Wali argues that it is necessary for literary critics to learn African languages before analyzing African literary texts and producing theories about their meanings. Wali and Ngugi’s viewpoint that African literature be exclusively written in African languages is often positioned in opposition to the opinions of Chinua Achebe and Amma Ata Aidoo, who argued that African literature can also be written in foreign languages.