Unlike the first language which a child acquires once exposed to,
poetry is a sophisticated tongue. First, it is sacred. Only the selected
few receive this divine inspiration from the gods. Owners of words. It
can't be for all of us. It can't be for the whole society as Stacy
posits in her article: 'From the Heart of Stacy'. Second, it has to be
learned. Even though most of us are born with the poetic spirit, it's
only activated through mentorship, learning and influences. That is what
makes Soyinka, Okigbo and Brutus different from Dennis Chukude and
other pioneer African poets. See?
A critical analysis of Stacy's works points out two things. One, she is a talented poet with myriad misconceptions. Two, she is still experimenting; and to assert her misconceptions: she dares to challenge the literary canon that has thrived for ages.
A child cannot leap from the breast and walk. No. It has to undergo the tedious process of learning, crawling thence walk. Stacy wants to skip this, and because she can stand up; she is calling others to emulate her. She calls it freedom in 'From the Heart of Stacy'. To her, they can only achieve this by ' ignoring the advice of the old poets' and 'learning from their future'. Honestly, this is ironical. Can a toddler learn from its adulthood-- something yet to come?
Only a disgruntled youth who defies the wisdom of his forebears lives not to see the sun. To manoeuvre through thickets ahead, he needs their knowledge as a yard stick. That way, he would also grow grey hair. This is what Stacy is against. In 'From the Heart of Stacy', she opines that for a poet to develop and earn from poetry, he must stop listening to the experience of the old. 'the 17th century poets...'.
History holds that poetry has existed since creation. Therefore, what Shakespeare, Yeats, T. S Eliot, Okigbo, Okot p'Bitek, Angelou etc did was to develop it in response to the experiences of their time. What Soyinka, Anyidoho, Mapanje, Angira, Ongili and us do is continuing it. Kofi Awoonor refers to this as ' principle of continuity'. He argues that: to create, you must return to what was there before, advance it. And I have no doubt that the future generations will pick from us. Evading this is like advising one to leave the road to paradise for an absent one.
Stacy's poetry is of a different kind. Strange indeed! She has branded it 'kunyamba genre'. Fancy that! 'Stacy Amenyamba', 'A Fat Fart for Art' and 'Uso wa Shujaa' portray an inherent struggle, conflict and fight for recognition, acceptance and belonging-- to the ''paradise of artists'' as Achebe calls it.
'Uso wa Shujaa' is a very dry poem. Basically an assertion of her resilience amidst the storms of criticisms and dissatifications of her works. 'kunyamba' means farting. And it is shit that is farted. Thus, 'Stacy Amenyamba' captures her supposed distaste of the older poets and their 'adherents'. Her distaste is unfounded. This is the shit she farts.
Furthermore, in 'From the Heart of Stacy', Stacy claims to have been to places and seen alot. It is very unfortunate that she has learned very little. This is evident in her attempt to laud Okot p'Bitek and 'downgrade' or despise Wole Soyinka. Okot and Soyinka are Euro- Modern African poets. Okot employs the Acholi song tradition and culture while Soyinka banks on the Yoruba mythology and culture. This is very sophisticated. Thus grasping it calls for a sober mind. A poet's mind. For only a poet understands a poet.
Generally, Stacy's poetry is defiant in nature. It's aimed to defend a certain character-- 'kunyamba'. This, plus the uncritical reading we serve poetry herein ruins the cause of literature. Encouraging 'pseudo-poets' to multiply.
Moreover, to borrow from Robert Heyden: such labeling like 'kunyamba genre' puts Stacy in a kind of literary ghetto where the standards applied to others are not likely to be applied to her, for she, being a 'spokesperson for her character and cohorts', is not considered primarily a poet but a species of character-relations woman, leader of a cause.
Moreover, literature is not religion. There is no day that the former will play the latter's roles. Thence in poetry there are neither disciples nor followers. Poetry only has masters. It is therefore unwise for Stacy to refer to whoever honours the literary canon as 'lost disciples' and their 'blind worship' in ''Stacy Amenyamba''....
In conclusion, Stacy attempts to create a new poetic order by 'outdating' and despising what has existed for ages. What has informed the literary discourse for centuries. This is a dog's fart intended to put out a fire. This song is not our mother tongue!
Signed:
Wafula p'Khisa
Lirango lienjofu
(Thigh of an Elephant).
A critical analysis of Stacy's works points out two things. One, she is a talented poet with myriad misconceptions. Two, she is still experimenting; and to assert her misconceptions: she dares to challenge the literary canon that has thrived for ages.
A child cannot leap from the breast and walk. No. It has to undergo the tedious process of learning, crawling thence walk. Stacy wants to skip this, and because she can stand up; she is calling others to emulate her. She calls it freedom in 'From the Heart of Stacy'. To her, they can only achieve this by ' ignoring the advice of the old poets' and 'learning from their future'. Honestly, this is ironical. Can a toddler learn from its adulthood-- something yet to come?
Only a disgruntled youth who defies the wisdom of his forebears lives not to see the sun. To manoeuvre through thickets ahead, he needs their knowledge as a yard stick. That way, he would also grow grey hair. This is what Stacy is against. In 'From the Heart of Stacy', she opines that for a poet to develop and earn from poetry, he must stop listening to the experience of the old. 'the 17th century poets...'.
History holds that poetry has existed since creation. Therefore, what Shakespeare, Yeats, T. S Eliot, Okigbo, Okot p'Bitek, Angelou etc did was to develop it in response to the experiences of their time. What Soyinka, Anyidoho, Mapanje, Angira, Ongili and us do is continuing it. Kofi Awoonor refers to this as ' principle of continuity'. He argues that: to create, you must return to what was there before, advance it. And I have no doubt that the future generations will pick from us. Evading this is like advising one to leave the road to paradise for an absent one.
Stacy's poetry is of a different kind. Strange indeed! She has branded it 'kunyamba genre'. Fancy that! 'Stacy Amenyamba', 'A Fat Fart for Art' and 'Uso wa Shujaa' portray an inherent struggle, conflict and fight for recognition, acceptance and belonging-- to the ''paradise of artists'' as Achebe calls it.
'Uso wa Shujaa' is a very dry poem. Basically an assertion of her resilience amidst the storms of criticisms and dissatifications of her works. 'kunyamba' means farting. And it is shit that is farted. Thus, 'Stacy Amenyamba' captures her supposed distaste of the older poets and their 'adherents'. Her distaste is unfounded. This is the shit she farts.
Furthermore, in 'From the Heart of Stacy', Stacy claims to have been to places and seen alot. It is very unfortunate that she has learned very little. This is evident in her attempt to laud Okot p'Bitek and 'downgrade' or despise Wole Soyinka. Okot and Soyinka are Euro- Modern African poets. Okot employs the Acholi song tradition and culture while Soyinka banks on the Yoruba mythology and culture. This is very sophisticated. Thus grasping it calls for a sober mind. A poet's mind. For only a poet understands a poet.
Generally, Stacy's poetry is defiant in nature. It's aimed to defend a certain character-- 'kunyamba'. This, plus the uncritical reading we serve poetry herein ruins the cause of literature. Encouraging 'pseudo-poets' to multiply.
Moreover, to borrow from Robert Heyden: such labeling like 'kunyamba genre' puts Stacy in a kind of literary ghetto where the standards applied to others are not likely to be applied to her, for she, being a 'spokesperson for her character and cohorts', is not considered primarily a poet but a species of character-relations woman, leader of a cause.
Moreover, literature is not religion. There is no day that the former will play the latter's roles. Thence in poetry there are neither disciples nor followers. Poetry only has masters. It is therefore unwise for Stacy to refer to whoever honours the literary canon as 'lost disciples' and their 'blind worship' in ''Stacy Amenyamba''....
In conclusion, Stacy attempts to create a new poetic order by 'outdating' and despising what has existed for ages. What has informed the literary discourse for centuries. This is a dog's fart intended to put out a fire. This song is not our mother tongue!
Signed:
Wafula p'Khisa
Lirango lienjofu
(Thigh of an Elephant).
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