Afcon: Any hope after Nigeria, Zambia 1-1 draw?

0 0
Read Time:22 Second

After a grueling 90minutes encounter at the the Mhobela Stadium in Nelspruit , South Africa, Nigeria and Zambia played a 1-1 draw.

What is your opinion of the game? Was the  Zambian penalty deserved? Did Nigeria play better compared to her  first game? Was Skipper Joseph Yobo’s absence felt?  What is Nigeria’s  chance(s) of qualifying from the group?

Do have your say!

 

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Happy
0 0 %
Sad
0 0 %
Excited
0 0 %
Sleepy
0 0 %
Angry
0 0 %
Surprise
0 0 %

AFCON 2013: AFCON 2013: Changes Keshi must make!

0 0
Read Time:3 Minute, 54 Second

There are three major qualities midfielders should possess. Coaches look out for these in them.

Marking abilities, creativity and passing. An addition is shooting. In some cases shooting may not be a must otherwise Mikel Obi will not be playing for Chelsea. It however depends on the approach or philosophy (apology Phillippe Trousier) of the coach.

There are midfielders who may not be good in creativity but they are ball winners. They mark very well and are usually a thorn in the flesh of attackers. They do the dirty job for the team and may not be noticed by those who look out for flamboyance. There are also those who can destroy opponents with their creativity. They have the skill to dribble their way through and lay assists that lead to goals. Sometimes they score too. Barcelona’s Xavi is an excellent example. There are also those who are great passers of the ball like our own Mikel Obi.

I have not seen any of these qualities in Fegor Ogude. I’m scandalised that such a player found himself in the starting line of the Eagles of Nigeria. Mistakes have been made and if Stephen Keshi is still the Keshi that I have known all these years, Ogude will romance the bench today when we play Zambia.

There must be changes  in tactics and in selection for the match against Zambia whose strong point is in their ability to mark and just keep on attacking although the possession football of Ethiopia reduced the potency of their style last Monday.

Many have been harsh on the Stephen Keshi team since the 1-1 draw with Burkina Faso on Monday. The late equaliser, actually disappointed millions of Nigerians.

But I must admit that in that team I saw the fastest counter attack any Nigerian team has exhibited since the days of Clemens Westerhof.

They were quick in the counters. What surprised me was their inability to launch many counter-attacks. But they couldn’t have going by the way they passed the ball back even when there was no pressure on them to do so.

Eagles led 1-0 in the first half but failed to seal off the game even when the chances came. They failed to put pressure on the Burkinabes and preferred to pass the ball back for reasons you can’t defend in modern football. Their style made Burkina Faso to survive.

A lot of people have condemned them for conceding a goal in the last minute of the match. I will not. It happens in football. Would you say that the Brazilian team was not good in Atlanta 1996 when we equalised in stoppage time and went on to win?

Would you say that Bayern Munich were not good when Manchester United equalised in the last minute and went on to win the European Championship in 1999?

I’m more concerned about their total performance than the result. When I discussed the match with our Deputy Editor, Eze Anaba, he said Keshi needed to make one or two changes and the team would soar high. I agreed with Eze, an ardent follower of the game.

Changing Fegor Ogude and directing his players to mount pressure on opponents by going forward will change a lot in the team. Directing his players to be quicker on the ball and  stop shielding it just to show off the way Echiejile, Emenike , Mikel and some others were doing would help the team.

Directing his players to crowd around the ball and break away when necessary will give them greater possession which helps in opening up defences. Asking Ike Uche to play for the team rather than for self will help. Correcting  Yobo and Godfrey Obaobona, the two central defenders never to run flat by charging on attackers the same time will help. It happened about three to four times against Burkina Faso.

One of them must always withdraw for slips when one charges ahead. These were the flaws I noticed in the match against Burkina Faso and I strongly believe that if they are corrected Eagles may soar on in this competition for they have a blistering counter attack that must be commended. Nigerians are yet to realise the damage done to our football before Keshi and co came on board. It will take a long time to repair.

That’s what I have to say while commending Ethiopia for their good play. They went partying after a good outing against Zambia. If they keep their heads, they may be the team of the tournament even if they don’t win.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Happy
0 0 %
Sad
0 0 %
Excited
0 0 %
Sleepy
0 0 %
Angry
0 0 %
Surprise
0 0 %

NIGERIA: Reacting To Bayero Attack

0 0
Read Time:2 Minute, 16 Second

THE reaction of the Kano State Government – ban on commercial motorcycle riders – after the attack on the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero punishes the innocent as well as the possible attackers. The wonder is why government would lump the innocent with the guilty.

Is the government under panic or wants to be seen as doing something? The attack is condemnable. The use of motorcycle riders in executing similar attacks is not new. Governments in certain States have limited operations of motorcycle riders as investigations link them with crimes.

This measure is a simple reaction that fails to address a crucial matter and sets out to create new challenges for the sprawling city of Kano and its environs. How would the millions who depend on commercial motorcycles survive? Did the government think of the ban’s impact in a city of more than five million people, not counting other parts of the State where people normally depend on motorcycles for transportation? Has it in the three days after the attack found solutions to the state’s transport challenges to warrant the ban?

Why do governments treat the poor with this type of disdain? Could it not have a better reason for banning motorcycles? Does it take an attack on the Emir of Kano for government to know that motorcycle riders collude with criminals? Does that make all motorcycle riders criminals?

Have suicide bombers not used cars in their attacks? Why did the government not ban cars? Suppose the attackers start using pedestrians as suicide bombers would government ban people from walking around?

To say the least, this decision shows the government of Kano State is waiting to react to security challenges in its environment. It is equally sad that this reaction came because of the profile of the victim of the most recent attack.

Alhaji Ado Bayero, 83, a former police officer, former Nigerian Ambassador to Senegal, would be 50 years as Emir of Kano by 22 October. He is widely respected and those who know him expect him to oppose measures that oppress the poor further, all in the name of dealing with a challenge everyone knows uses motorcycle riders as just one of its various platforms.

On its part, the Federal Government should be tired of reminding Nigerians that they are safe. Saying the attacks were “one too many”, and that “attackers would be fished out and punished”, have become standard responses to the loss of thousands of lives since the attacks started.

Governments must be more profound in counting the cost of solutions to our numerous challenges before they forget that their primary responsibility is the security and welfare of the people.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Happy
0 0 %
Sad
0 0 %
Excited
0 0 %
Sleepy
0 0 %
Angry
0 0 %
Surprise
0 0 %

Cleric urges Muslims to pray for Nigeria

0 0
Read Time:41 Second

Alhaji Saidu Buhari, the Chief Imam of Jundulahi Central Mosque in Osogbo, on Thursday urged Muslims to continue to pray for the country’s peaceful existence, security and prosperity.

Buhari, who gave the advice in an interview in Osogbo, also urged Muslim faithful to emulate Prophet Mohammed.

“Mohammed during his lifetime preached and practised a religion anchored on unity, peace and love for his neighbours,’’ he said.

Also, another Muslim cleric, Mohammed Adepoju of Adigun Central Mosque in Osogbo, appealed to all Muslims to serve God wholeheartedly and always help the less privileged.

He condemned the killing of people in the name of religion as all religions of the world preach peace.

“Nigerians must unite in tackling security challenges as Muslims celebrate Eid-el-Maulud,’’ Adepoju said. (NAN)

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Happy
0 0 %
Sad
0 0 %
Excited
0 0 %
Sleepy
0 0 %
Angry
0 0 %
Surprise
0 0 %

NIGERIA: 4 Suspect arrested over NNPC pipeline explosion

0 0
Read Time:1 Minute, 42 Second

The Police on Thursday arrested four suspected vandals in Arepo estate of Ogun in connection with the NNPC pipeline explosion on Wednesday.

The arrest was made by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Special Task Force on Anti-Pipeline Vandalism Unit.

The Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the task force, Mr Friday Ibadin, disclosed this in Lagos.

Ibadin said the explosion started at about 4.30 a.m., stressing that the suspects were arrested while returning from the creek.

“Shortly after the explosion, policemen, led by Sector Commander, Lagos, DSP Onaghise Osayande, cordoned off the area, while they awaited the arrival of fire fighters.

“They extended the search to Konu and Majidun area which is another route to that spot. Some vandals were spotted and ambushed, while others who were coming behind fled.

“Investigation so far shows that the suspects, and others now at large, wanted to waste the effort of the NNPC and frustrate the effort of police.”

“One of the suspects confessed that they simply obeyed the orders of one of their leaders.

“He claimed they learnt that NNPC was mounting a platform close to the creeks and that would be bad business for them.

“It was agreed that they should try and stop them pending when they would have enough supply that they can manage before another spot is discovered.

“On Jan. 22, they sneaked in through the river at about 12 a.m. and fetched few gallons of PMS and while they were leaving, one of the suspects lit a cigarette and threw it at the ruptured part and the fire started again.

“The fire has been extinguished and NNPC would soon commence flow of PMS through the line ,’’ Ibadin noted.

On Jan. 13, fire, caused by suspected vandals, killed more than 30 persons, who had ferried across to the creeks to scoop fuel from a ruptured pipeline.

The explosion on Wednesday at the Arepo axis was the second in two weeks. (NAN)

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Happy
0 0 %
Sad
0 0 %
Excited
0 0 %
Sleepy
0 0 %
Angry
0 0 %
Surprise
0 0 %

Islamists in Mali have destroyed the strategic bridge leading to Niger

0 0
Read Time:21 Second

Islamist fighters have dynamited a strategic bridge near the Niger border on the road to Gao, one of the main towns in northern Mali occupied by extremists, sources said Friday.

“The Islamists dynamited the Tassiga bridge. No one can pass to Niger or come to Gao,” said the owner of a transport business, Abdou Maiga. A security source from neighbouring Niger confirmed the bridge’s destruction

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Happy
0 0 %
Sad
0 0 %
Excited
0 0 %
Sleepy
0 0 %
Angry
0 0 %
Surprise
0 0 %

French war on Mali increases refugees

0 0
Read Time:1 Minute, 23 Second
The number of Malian people crossing into neighboring countries goes on to rise amid the French-led war on Mali.

According to reports by the United Nations, over 4,000 Malian refugees have arrived in Mauritania alone since January 11, when France launched a war on Mali under the pretext of halting the advance of fighters in the country.

 

 

Along with Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Niger are also providing the displaced Malians with shelter.

On January 22, Adrian Edwards, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told a news briefing in Geneva that new arrivals from Mali continue to “tell us they left their homes because of airstrikes and fighting.”

Edwards added that the refugees also speak of rising shortages of food and fuel “with traditional markets unable to operate.”

On January 18, UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming warned that “in the near future there could be up to 300,000 people additionally displaced inside Mali, and over 400,000 additionally displaced in the neighboring countries.”

The figures do not include the existing 229,000 people already displaced inside the country and 147,000 refugees who have fled to neighboring nations, Fleming told reporters in Geneva.

The United States, Canada, Britain, Belgium, Germany, and Denmark have already said they would support the French war.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has also pledged to support the war by sending 5,800 soldiers to Mali.

Some political analysts believe that Mali’s abandoned natural resources, including gold and uranium reserves, could be one of the reasons behind the French war.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Happy
0 0 %
Sad
0 0 %
Excited
0 0 %
Sleepy
0 0 %
Angry
0 0 %
Surprise
0 0 %

NIGERIA: Igbo leaders meet today over Ohanaeze crisis

0 0
Read Time:48 Second

Igbo leaders and elders would hold a crucial meeting in Awka, Anambra State, today to deliberate on the controversy that trailed the January 12, 2013 election of the National Executive Committee of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, and other issues of common interest to Ndigbo.

The meeting, which is scheduled to hold at Marble Arch Hotels, Awka, is being convened by Ndigbo Council of Elders and the former Chief Judge of Enugu State and past President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Igwe Justice Eze Ozobu, and Chief Dr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu would co-chair the parley.

Acting Secretary of Ndigbo Council of Elders, Dr. Nkemka Jombo-Ofo, who disclosed this while briefing newsmen in Enugu, yesterday, said the meeting was expected to be attended by eminent Igbo leaders and elders from all the Igbo-speaking states of the South East, Delta and Rivers as well as leaders of the Group 21, South East Forum, Southern Elders Forum, among others.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Happy
0 0 %
Sad
0 0 %
Excited
0 0 %
Sleepy
0 0 %
Angry
0 0 %
Surprise
0 0 %

AFCON 2013: Nigeria, Zambia draw 1-1

0 0
Read Time:3 Minute, 21 Second

Zambia goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene scored a controversial late penalty as Zambia came from behind to draw 1-1 with Nigeria in Group C of the African Cup of Nations.

Mweene, who had saved a John Obi Mikel spot-kick in the first half, coolly blasted the ball into the top right after Nigeria defender Ogenyi Onazi was harshly adjudged to have fouled Emmanuel Mayuka.

Nigeria had led through a 57th-minute strike from the impressive Emmanuel Emenike, with the Super Eagles on balance the better side but Zambia having also spurned some great chances before finally drawing level.

The result means defending champions Zambia and two-times winners Nigeria have drawn their opening two matches at these finals, with Ethiopia and Burkina Faso playing later.

What had promised to be an enthralling clash between the defending champions and one of Africa’s traditional powerhouses was hampered by a dreadful pitch in Nelspruit, the same surface that led to farcical scenes in Zambia’s opening Group C clash with Ethiopia.

Both sides tried their best to play football, but aside from an early half-chance for Raymond Kalaba, the bobble was ruining any attempts to keep it low.

That resulted in a fairly ‘direct’ contest, one which Nigeria should have taken control of when CSKA Moscow forward Ahmed Musa was clumsily brought down by Davies Nkausu.

The referee correctly pointed to the spot but, with Emenike apparently reluctant to take responsibility, Mikel stood up only to place a weak kick off the hand of Mweene, shaving he post and wide.

Zambia almost made them pay immediately, Vincent Enyeama saving well from Chisamba Lungu, while Reading target Stophira Sunzu put a free header wide from a Kalaba free-kick.

Indeed, by the end of the first half Zambia were creating the better chances, although they could not find a finish, with Isaac Chansa’s poor effort straight at Enyeama the final act of the 45.

Nigeria upped the tempo in the second half and they should have gone ahead four minutes in when Musa’s cross shot bobbled away from Emenike. Musa should have got his initial effort on target and, with Emenike anticipating a tap-in, the pitch was again a factor as the final bounce took it off the Spartak Moscow striker’s toe.

Indeed, the Super Eagles were piling the pressure on as Emenike in particular started to cause problems, flicking one finish inches wide after holding off two challenges and flying in on Kennedy Mweene.

And he soon got his breakthrough when, after a mix-up in the Zambia defence, Mikel released the 25-year-old, who took one touch and fired a rasping effort into the bottom left corner.

Nigeria were all over the Zambians, with Emenike again seeing an effort deflected wide, but Zambia did occasionally threaten on the break, with Kalaba denied by an excellent Enyeama saved after his superb flick put him through.

Indeed, they should have drawn level with eight minutes remaining but substitute Collins Mbesuma lazily side-footed his finish straight at Enyeama with just the keeper to beat.

It was a dreadful effort but Zambia levelled soon afterwards, although not without controversy.

Mayuka had the ball on the edge of the box, and he was backing into Osazi with both players grabbing on to the other’s shirt.

Egyptian referee Ghead Grisha pointed to the spot, even though no-one had appealed and any foul looked outside the box.

Mweene, who takes spot-kicks for his club in South Africa but had not previously done so for Zambia, stepped up and with almost serene nonchalance ambled towards the ball before drilling it into the top corner.

That bizarre turn of events pretty much finished the match, with neither side threatening in the final minutes.

Both Nigeria and Zambia now need to win respective matches against Ethiopia and Burkina Faso, who play later in a great opportunity to move a step towards the quarter-finals.

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Happy
0 0 %
Sad
0 0 %
Excited
0 0 %
Sleepy
0 0 %
Angry
0 0 %
Surprise
0 0 %

Knowing and Discovering Africa (ANTHOLOGY OF AFRICAN POETRY) a Review

0 0
Read Time:8 Minute, 40 Second

When asked what comes to mind when one thinks of Africa, the answers are as varied as the

Continent itself.  Africa is: History, Beauty, Richness, Majesty Sadness, Hunger,

Troubled/Struggle, The Beginning

In this ANTHOLOGY OF AFRICAN POETRY, published by Xlibris Corporation United States in 2012, edited by Stephen Abara, eight poets from Africa or of African descent, contribute poems about their beloved continent touching on some of the economic, cultural, and social issues facing Africa today. Stephen Abara is the Founder and President of Glendon Africa Network (GAN). The organization focuses a combination of diplomatic and highly rational methodologies, in order to curb and actually provide solutions for the social, economic and political problems of Africa today. At another level, GAN, in association with York University here in Toronto, aims to put in place strategies that would, in effect, inspire students to appreciate the expressive cultures of Africa and promote bilingualism and inter-cultural understanding among themselves.

These noble and timely objectives resonate among and within the poems in the anthology. The following describes the aesthetics of the books itself, and briefly highlights the intrinsic value brought to the anthology by contributing poets and poems:

René –Middet Gabiro : Mon Rwanda,

Melanie Lindayen: Nigeria,

Nadia Singiroh: Africa! Things will get better in the morning, To the Sister I wish to have had, Peace –Africa, Tender Love, Everlasting Love

Stephen Abara: The Huge Elephant: The Essence, Flames are high, Rational Trumpet

 Africa Dreams in Shamble

Marfo Bonsu M.K: She Cries

Junior Mandoko: Eloko ya makassi,

Aggrey Chepkwony: Anthem from the Hermit, The Slum, Night Runners, Sold Off

Robert René : Pinasse Du Temps, Pourquoi le Singe Ressemble ‘A L’Homme

The works by these selected poets and their peers showcase the real purpose of this book, which is to “improve understanding of African lifestyle and identity, foster knowledge about Africa through Afro-centric expressive cultural arts and spread the African culture and identity through the educational  sponsorship of African Children.”

The pages of the first part of book, is a blend of creamy beige and traditional white. The creamy beige starts out at the top and slowly moves down fading into a more traditional white, only to meet again with the solid lines of a double border: of which the top line is traditional brown in appearance, whereas the bottom line appears a lighter shade. Then again, the borders spread out in both directions to the edges of the page to curl around the numbers. The photos and artworks, of each poet, placed atop and centre of the pages are tasteful and aesthetically pleasing; that is, these highlight rather than clash with the overall color décor. Finally, the second half of the book completes and adds esthetic power to the book’s appearance, where the pages are a darker brown and the photos and scenes from the Glendon Africa Network are sharp and clear against the chosen backdrop.

 Through the poems in ANTHOLOGY OF AFRICAN POETRY, the cultural, social, and economic concerns facing Africa are dramatized and the readers’ understanding of African lifestyle and identify between cultures is improved. Here are many examples of the complexity of forces and circumstances that saturate the African landscape and culture: the plight of children in whom the history of tradition is expected to be fulfilled even at the expense of their well-being, the social crisis of the homeless, despaired, and those trapped by the tragedy of war, and the economic poverty of many (where people live in perilous, poor conditions) existing alongside both extracted and untapped rich resources and commodities such as gold and diamonds and other minerals. Several selections provide a clear window into this unique experience. 

Huge Elephant, by Steven Abara addresses Africa’s environmental concerns; referred to as the great elephant tusk–trapped, and urges Africa to shout out and embrace modernization to better showcase its potential strength. Then again, though other poetic gems add to the lustre of understanding and insight, there is a shift in framing the experience beginning with the poems by René-Mideet Gabiro and Melanie Lindayven. Definitely more sociological in scope, these address and reveal the plethora of cultural and social situations that shape the African people.

René-Mideet Gabiro’s poem Mon Rwanda written in French sings of Rwanda, her beauty, blessed by God, her sad history, her struggle for freedom and peace, and of National Heroes fighting for her good and her future. In mournful sequence, the rhythms speak to us about a Rwanda savaged by the hell of war, and where the land—the very thing Rwanda is known for—namely her mountains—could be a double-edged sword in troubled times. It’s also a poem of remembrances that lament the loss of lives and simultaneously highlights and confirms that the land, ever celebrated in song and rhyme for her rich beauty shaped in undulating mountains, could be the very thing that traps and destroys both life and landscape.

On the other hand, Melanie Lindayven’s poem entitled Nigeria is a lighter look at Africa’s social aspect. Set in a village-the very essence of social life, bound by a tight network, where one person is dependent closely upon the other-Nigeria, the poem, exemplifies images of power. Who can resist the strength of this stormy refrain when she speaks about the “…downpour deadening the mercantile cacophony of the crowd.”  But there is also an ominous feature of power, she warns. Are these the wings of angels or demons “clapping blackly in the sky with pious force”? In the end though, she soothes the sinews of the poem by invoking images of discovery, of what it feels like to experience the dual mix of rain and sun… After all, she seems to be telling us, life is about contrasts, where the wonders of being lies in a taste of the everyday, looking at the human person indulging in the not so secret desires of many to walk in the rain, umbrella-less, uncovered, and snatch a brief moment of freedom and the rare chance to share a oneness with the power and wonder of nature.

She Cries by Marfo Bonsu, brings a universal resonance to the work. It rather sends out a ‘call’    as it entreats, on behalf ‘Mother Africa’, that Africans around the world come together in remembrance, defence and understanding of home. Make no mistake. This is a call of love of self and neighbours and a deliberate attempt to foster pride in African nations. The message is threefold, consisting of a rallying cry for Africans to embrace unity, not strife; as well as a confident note that, though Africa’s children flee in the face war, they do not surrender; lastly, there is a kind of love that binds them to Africa that is entrenched deep within their hearts and that of their descendants, so whether they flee or stay, she is a their only source of hope when they despair.

Finally, Aggrey Chepkwony’s contributions: Anthem from the Hermit, Slum, Sold Off, and Night Runner compile an unapologetic look at some of the darker social and cultural situations that define Africa. Social issues like homelessness punctuated in Anthem from the Hermit, where many live the day-to-day fight for the basics of shelter, food, and clothing, add to those fears governed by war and despair and life in even more desperate living conditions and the impoverished take a double whammy impact in Slum. Not only are the two poems a comment on the social and cultural experience of Africa, they also integrate their disposition with the state of another major area of life, which is the economy, and seems to reinforce the orthodox correlate: that better economies naturally lead to better life situations.

Night Runner tries to show how cultural appeasement takes place in the face of pressures from both old traditions and modern ways of thinking and doing things, and how government officials today participate within, and indeed negotiate, these realms. We learn about traditions and apparently unbending policies that permit the ‘selling off’ of young girls into marriage to adult men. This is poignantly captured in the poem Sold Off, which is written from the point of view of one who had first-hand experience of being sold and unable to prevent the same from happening to a sibling. Their despair highlights the plight of our littlest human beings who are seen as commodities rather than as beloved children.

These poets sing the same songs, of love and loss, loss of a continent, loss of a country and of community when families must flee the place of home to foreign lands. But even when they learn new cultures and mix the old with the new they still try to preserve what was there before.  Their window of hope comes out in songs that caress the heart of the only home they knew, mother Africa. This treasure trove of poems makes us believe that we can speak about Africa only when we have sat in her bosom. Africa is a mystic, mythic continent, truly speaking the whole world of feelings, hopes and dreams. Now when one is asked what comes to mind when one thinks of Africa, the answers may still be varied and confirm some original views, but new ones more down to earth and comprehensive may come to mind as well. Africa is:             

Love-Desired, Undeterred, Time Worthy, Beauty, Magical, Rich UNITY

Contact Author and Poet S. Abara @Glomac Services Canada, and Glomac LTD UK to order copies of an African Inspired Poetry titled: Anthology of African Poetry, Edited by Stephen Abara. Also, Copies can be ordered from Xlibris.com, Amazon.com, Barne and Nobles, York University Book Stores, Glendon African Network, Accent Book stores Toronto, and you’re local Bookstores.

http://anthologyofafricanpoetry.com/

http://glomac-anthologyofafricanpoetry.blogspot.com

http://glo-mac-services.com

 

Nwaorgu Faustinus, Media Representative to Stephen Obinna Abara can be reached on:

Email:ngorokpalaresearcher@gmail.com

About Post Author

Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Happy
0 0 %
Sad
0 0 %
Excited
0 0 %
Sleepy
0 0 %
Angry
0 0 %
Surprise
0 0 %