An author details his travels

Title: Tales of a Troubadour Author: Dr. Wale Okediran Publisher: Literamed Publications Pages: 286 Reviewer: Professor Mabel Evwierhoma By now it is clear to all that Dr. Wale Okediran is a plier of many trades, and has become master of them all. He is a physician, politician, novelist of deep insight and of course a […]

Title: Tales of a Troubadour
Author: Dr. Wale Okediran
Publisher: Literamed Publications
Pages: 286
Reviewer: Professor Mabel Evwierhoma

By now it is clear to all that Dr. Wale Okediran is a plier of many trades, and has become master of them all. He is a physician, politician, novelist of deep insight and of course a biographer. In all these, he has shown the path of diligent pursuit and attainment of dreams. Many people know him as a son of Ebedi in his display of mutual social responsibility to his constituency of writers by the location of the Ebedi Writers Resort funded by him in Ebedi/Iseyin his town of birth. In ‘Tales of a Troubadour’, the author refers to himself as ‘a recorder of men and events’ (p.220) and the reader encounters him as such due to the travelogue’s presentation of certain iconic ideas, people, especially writers and politicians, memorable places as well as their historicity. I noted a few concepts surrounding them like travel as a means of education, history and culture, travel as a facilitator of knowledge about people and places, as a reflection of personal and national politics and observing people and their roles in, and contributions to society. Furthermore, the book marks out effect of travel on family and friendship, how travels affirm the self, and the travelogue as a showcase of national literature, and the possibilities of travel as pain.

It is often said that travel is the best form of education. Wale Okediran helps the reader to form ideas on local and global issues and shape the opinion of the reader by teaching him about the lands of voyage in the stories of his sojourn across sundry lands. He encountered and described people in a manner that they could as well be characters in any fiction, even as ‘Tales of a Troubadour’ is non-fiction. The local name for items of people’s material culture could be learnt from the book, even mores and norms concerning marriage, and cross-cultural appreciation of culinary expertise, nuptial rites, and agitation for states creation, ethnic bias, and the Nigerian National Anthem, among others. The author says: “For someone visiting Ibibio land for the first time, this kind of sharp ethnic polarity in tastes and customs was a good education for me” (11). The travelogue encapsulates history and culture: the ways of life of people, be they nationals and non-nationals are freely reflected, especially local politics, food, diplomatic and intercultural relations. Other examples are allusion to python worship, the Chinese fortune cookie, history of lands, history of lands, and World War I and II all aptly referenced in his book.

Apart from places visited in Nigeria, the reader travels with the author to Liberia, Zimbabwe, where one learns about racial segregation and press censorship, (Pp. 19-26), The Gambia, Russia, United States of America, Tanzania, especially Dar es Salam, and semi-autonomous Zanzibar are compared with Nigeria. A comparison of the local and international travel experiences prove Nigeria to be a slow starter in providing destination satisfaction to travellers. Why is this so? The sights that people may travel to see from within and outside Nigeria and thereby generate, increase and multiply income there from remain under-tapped. The tales may prod Nigeria Ministries of Interior and Culture to take proactive and not reactive action in this regard. More importantly the prospects of the military and civilian citizens of Nigeria in active service should be profiled for assessment. Why were our soldiers not catered for in Liberia? Why were their infractions not dealt with? How can Nigeria repair the huge infrastructure deficit it currently faces? Is it possible for Nigeria to speed up development and bridge its development gap in Africa and beyond?

The tales manifest the politics in places visited more than two decades ago and disclose the mutations that they underwent or are currently undergoing. Some of the experiences can never be the same again as the countries have since undergone political, social, economic and other forms of change. Russia and Tanzania are certainly good examples of such change. Here, the economic hegemony of the whites over the indigenous Zimbabweans (p.18) is a case in point. Again, his two visits to Liberia evince political leadership after recovery from internecine war and the ravages of Ebola. The political and economic turn-around of Tanzania under President Magufuli, is used to propagate accountability sanitation, and health in African politics. The questions from readers after every reading from ‘Tenants of the House’ by the author, especially in America, are pointers to the international interest in Nigeria’s local politics. For example, when he is asked “Can Corruption be tamed in Nigeria?” What is the government doing about the ‘Boko Haram’ problem? (p. 125), he only offers meek responses perhaps because he is no longer in active governance.  The political slant of the travelogue is depicted in the author’s assessment of world politics and governance, the functional institutions in UK, USA, Russia, vis-a-vis his analysis of the two visits to Aso Rock as a legislator to further screen leadership in Nigeria tells us that the governance deficit in the country is one that needs to be rejigged and reworked for the future of the country called Nigeria.

On creativity and the human/Nigerian condition, here, one may ask why most of the experiences of the places he chronicled were pleasant? Were all the people he encountered and places he visited pleasant or savoury? Of course, they were not. The usual demeaning attention Nigerians receive at international ports of entry into other countries is not written about. The answer is simple, the free flow of movement is a pointer that if human beings are ‘water’ as we say in local parlance, movement of persons should not be restricted, especially if the traveller could afford it and bear the costs. However, national suzerainty and political integrity of most countries would demand that travellers are screened before entry. In some areas, the troubadour’s eyes are obfuscated from the poor human condition, especially if they are unseemly or unacceptable. Why not speak about the slums of Europe the way the lens of foreign journalists capture the slums of Africa? One wonders if this was a form of political correctness, or Okediran the chronicler of travels merely wanted to escape the repercussions of doing this, if any, as an African, nay Nigerian. Or did the author not encounter cities like Kampala and Lagos outside Africa? Did the author have any disagreeable experience? This reviewer doubts if he experienced any or may deliberately not want to record such. ‘Tales’ reflects the feat of the author in highlighting environmental planning and sanitation, in other climes, as acts or resources not common in Africa. When shall amenities like water, power and other infrastructure be provided without struggle?

The many travels must have affected his family as a result of his absence. Was Okediran alone on these journeys? One must say here that the author managed to paint the picture of saintly sojourn in these cities, villages and countries. He is therefore the alternative of Olabisi Ajala, who acquired women and sired many children in many of the countries visited by him. The cost of the travels on pocket and body could also be biting. We must also appreciate God on behalf of Okediran for safety of life on these trips. Okediran must have left things behind in places he visited like impressions, culture, and took same with him from those places, though they may be abstract items and not just mementos like friendship and linkages. The comparison of the Nigerian ethos with those of other countries by the reader from the author’s portrait could be bewildering like the comparison between Nigeria and Tanzania, or Nigeria and America that despite the abundant human and material resources in the former country, there is entrenched poverty.

‘Tales of a Troubadour’ helps to shape the image of Nigeria as a country on the verge of becoming. But for how long shall this be? The collection of travel stories bear in them questions that help to form what the future entails for Nigeria, or what the future of Nigeria entails, as the fused whole of many parts, with unifying symbols of cultural affirmation, national import like sport, civil liberties, diet, goals, optimism and national ideology. On optimism, Okediran keeps faith that Nigeria “was still workable” (p. 156). A reflection of this is in his prayer for better facilities in Nigeria when he compares the shuttle bus abroad and the ones in Nigeria (p. 123).

There are implications of the author’s use of the word ‘troubadour’ in the book’s title. It reminds one of Dennis Brutus’ poem, on chivalry, where the troubadour traverses all his land. We therefore can verify that the troubadour (Okediran) as lover of nation and the ideals of Nigeria, the troubadour as teacher and inspirer, noble and responsible to those around him, especially his audience, and the troubadour as preacher, using his tales to decry deficits at all levels and promote the just cause of national cohesion and value for life prove what Okediran is as a sociological writer. Consequently, Okediran as traveller-author through the book promotes the human essence, inter-racial appreciation, the re-jig of Nigerian politics, and inspires the reader.