Niyi Osundare
Encyclopedia
Niyi Osundare is a prolific poet, dramatist and literary critic. He gained degrees at the University of Ibadan
(BA), the University of Leeds
(MA) and York University
, Canada (PhD, 1979). Previously professor (from 1989) and Head of English (1993–1997) at the University of Ibadan
, he became professor of English at the University of New Orleans
in 1997. Niyi has a wife, Kimi, and 3 children, two girls, one deaf, and a son who still lives in Nigeria. His deaf daughter is the real reason Niyi settled in the United States. She could not go to school in Nigeria so they found a school in the U.S. for her and so Niyi could be closer to her they moved with her.
He has always been a vehement champion of the right to free speech
and is a strong believer in the power of words, saying, "to utter is to alter". Osundare is renowned for his commitment to socially relevant art and artistic activism and has written several open letters to the former President of Nigeria (Olusegun Obasanjo), whom Osundare has often publicly criticised.
Osundare believes that there is no choice for the Africa
n poet but to be political:
Under the rule of the dictator General Sani Abacha
(1993–1998), Osundare regularly contributed poems to a Nigerian national newspaper (now part of the collection Songs of the Season) that criticised the regime and commented upon the lives of people in Nigeria. As a result he was frequently visited by Security Agents and asked to explain his poems and to whom they referred:
In 1997, he accepted a teaching and research post at the University of New Orleans. In 2005 Niyi caught in Hurricane Katrina where he and his wife were stuck in their attic for 26 hours till their nieghboor who at the time was driving by in his boat heard their shouts for help. They were resuced and bounced around from rescue shelters till they ended up in Ringe, New Hampshire so Niyi could get a teaching job as a professor at Franklin Pirce to things settled down.
He is a holder of numerous awards for his poetry, as well as the Fonlon/Nichols award for "excellence in literary creativity combined with significant contributions to Human Rights in Africa".
His 60th Birthday Literary Fete took place at venues in Ikere-Ekiti
, Ibadan
and Lagos
state of Nigeria in March 2007.
His poem "Not My Business
" is compulsory study in the AQA A syllabus for GCSE
English Language.
University of Ibadan
The University of Ibadan is the oldest Nigerian university, and is located five miles from the centre of the major city of Ibadan in Western Nigeria...
(BA), the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
(MA) and York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
, Canada (PhD, 1979). Previously professor (from 1989) and Head of English (1993–1997) at the University of Ibadan
Ibadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
, he became professor of English at the University of New Orleans
University of New Orleans
The University of New Orleans, often referred to locally as UNO, is a medium-sized public urban university located on the New Orleans Lakefront within New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is a member of the LSU System and the Urban 13 association. Currently UNO is without a proper chancellor...
in 1997. Niyi has a wife, Kimi, and 3 children, two girls, one deaf, and a son who still lives in Nigeria. His deaf daughter is the real reason Niyi settled in the United States. She could not go to school in Nigeria so they found a school in the U.S. for her and so Niyi could be closer to her they moved with her.
He has always been a vehement champion of the right to free speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
and is a strong believer in the power of words, saying, "to utter is to alter". Osundare is renowned for his commitment to socially relevant art and artistic activism and has written several open letters to the former President of Nigeria (Olusegun Obasanjo), whom Osundare has often publicly criticised.
Osundare believes that there is no choice for the Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n poet but to be political:
"You cannot keep quiet about the situation in the kind of countries we find ourselves in, in Africa. When you wake up and there is no running water, when you have a massive power outage for days and nights, no food on the table, no hospital for the sick, no peace of mind; when the image of the ruler you see everywhere is that of a dictator with a gun in his hand; and, on the international level, when you live in a world in which your continent is consigned to the margin, a world in which the colour of your skin is a constant disadvantage, everywhere you go – then there is no other way than to write about this, in an attempt to change the situation for the better."
Under the rule of the dictator General Sani Abacha
Sani Abacha
General Sani Abacha was a Nigerian military leader and politician. A Kanuri from Borno by tribe, he was born and brought up in Kano, Nigeria. He was the de facto President of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998....
(1993–1998), Osundare regularly contributed poems to a Nigerian national newspaper (now part of the collection Songs of the Season) that criticised the regime and commented upon the lives of people in Nigeria. As a result he was frequently visited by Security Agents and asked to explain his poems and to whom they referred:
"By that time I realized that the Nigerian security apparatus had become quite 'sophisticated', quite 'literate' indeed!"
"A couple of my students at the University of Ibadan had become informers; a few even came to my classes wired. And when I was reading abroad, someone trailed me from city to city. At home, my letters were frequently intercepted."
In 1997, he accepted a teaching and research post at the University of New Orleans. In 2005 Niyi caught in Hurricane Katrina where he and his wife were stuck in their attic for 26 hours till their nieghboor who at the time was driving by in his boat heard their shouts for help. They were resuced and bounced around from rescue shelters till they ended up in Ringe, New Hampshire so Niyi could get a teaching job as a professor at Franklin Pirce to things settled down.
He is a holder of numerous awards for his poetry, as well as the Fonlon/Nichols award for "excellence in literary creativity combined with significant contributions to Human Rights in Africa".
His 60th Birthday Literary Fete took place at venues in Ikere-Ekiti
Ikere-Ekiti
Ikere-Ekiti, also known as Ikere or Ikerre, is a city in Ekiti State of Nigeria.In Ikere Local Government. It is an agricultural centre. According to the 1991 census, the population was 59,257but more current estimates put it at more than 100,000....
, Ibadan
Ibadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
and Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
state of Nigeria in March 2007.
His poem "Not My Business
Not My Business
Not My Business is a free verse poem by Niyi Osundare. It is included in Cluster 2, Poems from Different Cultures, of the AQA Anthology.-Description:...
" is compulsory study in the AQA A syllabus for GCSE
General Certificate of Secondary Education
The General Certificate of Secondary Education is an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 14–16 in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is equivalent to a Level 2 and Level 1 in Key Skills...
English Language.
Publications
- Songs from the Marketplace (1983)
- Village Voices (1984)
- The Eye of the Earth (1986, winner of a Commonwealth Poetry Prize and the poetry prize of the Association of Nigerian AuthorsAssociation of Nigerian AuthorsThe Association of Nigerian Authors represents Nigerian creative writers at home and abroad. It was founded in 1981 with the novelist Chinua Achebe as President. The current President is Hon Wale Okediran...
) - Moonsongs (1988)
- Songs of the Season (1999)
- Waiting Laughters (1990, winner of the Noma AwardNoma AwardThe Noma Award for Publishing in Africa is a $10,000 prize for outstanding African writers and scholars who publish in Africa. Established in 1979, the award is annual and given to any new book published in three categories: literature, juvenile and scholarly...
) - Selected Poems (1992)
- Midlife (1993)
- Thread in the Loom: Essays on African Literature and Culture (2002)
- The Word is an Egg (2002)
- The State Visit (2002, play)
- Pages from the Book of the Sun: New and Selected Poems (2002)
- Early Birds (2004)
- Two Plays (2005)
- The Emerging Perspectives on Niyi Osundare (2003)
- Not My Business AQA Anthology 2005 Onwards(2005)
External links
- Niyi Osundare at the University of New OrleansUniversity of New OrleansThe University of New Orleans, often referred to locally as UNO, is a medium-sized public urban university located on the New Orleans Lakefront within New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is a member of the LSU System and the Urban 13 association. Currently UNO is without a proper chancellor...
- "I am a Humanist": An Interview with Niyi Osundare
- After Katrina, Nigerian Poet Starts New Life in New England (VOA News): Niyi Osundare survives Hurricane KatrinaHurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...