For Amu Nnadi, a home-coming

The event tagged “A Night of Poetry with Nnadi,” which held on the premises of the Enugu State Broadcasting Service (ESBS) Television Station, Independence Layout, Enugu had some literary minds and members of ANA, Enugu chapter in attendance.Such personalities included poet, author, dramatist and senior lecturer  in the Department of Theatre  and Film Studies, University […]

The event tagged “A Night of Poetry with Nnadi,” which held on the premises of the Enugu State Broadcasting Service (ESBS) Television Station, Independence Layout, Enugu had some literary minds and members of ANA, Enugu chapter in attendance.
Such personalities included poet, author, dramatist and senior lecturer  in the Department of Theatre  and Film Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka Greg Mbajiorgu, Col. Ogbonna Obosi (rtd), author of “The ECOMOG Men,” the managing director and chief executive of the ESBS and a well-known broadcaster, Mr. Jika Attoh, the chairman of ANA, Enugu State chapter, Ndubuisi Eze esq, who is also special assistant to Governor Sullivan Chime on Housing, the national vice president, south east zone of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Chris Isiguzo as well as the guest poet, Chijioke  Amu Nnadi.
Amu Nandi, whose book of poems entitled, “Through the Window of a Sandcastle,” won the ANA Poetry Prize was born in Abia State over 50 years ago. Nnadi’s other published collections of poetry include, “The Fire Within,” “Pilgrim Passage,” “Poems of Anguish,” “Field of Echoes,” etc
Mbajiorgu, while making his brief remark, expressed gratitude to the members of ANA in Enugu State for organizing such an event and advised them to ensure it is continued.
“This type of forum should not be a flash-in the pan kind of thing; it has to be sustained and encouraged by every possible means,” said Mbajiorgu, who later read to the listening pleasure of the audience from his latest book  (a play) entitled, “Wake Up Everyone.”
Apparently warning those polluting the Nigerian environment, Mbajiorgu  declared: “No burning down our bushes/No polluting our rivers/No more deforestation. To guarantee our future/No greenhouse gas emission/No heating up our planet/Wake up!/ Let’s stop oil pollution/No more flaring of gases/No cutting down our forests/ Wake up!”
The dramatist further wrote: “Wake up wake up everyone/For new green world agenda/ Let’s plant some trees today/Let’s save wildlife from dying /Wake up!/ To cut one tree tomorrow/ Let’s plant two trees today/ Let’s save our streams and river/Wake up!”
However, some of Nnadi’s poems were read by young, up-coming poets, and such poems included “Haze,” “Worship,” “Osa,” among others. The poems were all taken from Nnadi’s book, “Through the Window of a Sandcastle” published in 2013.
Col. Obosi read  two of his poems entitled, “The Nigerian Dream,” and “Hope is the Drag.” His military voice and bulging eyes which sparked and dazzled as he read aloud his poems added more drama to his presentation.
Amarachi Calista Attamah’s “Uguru” (harmattan) which she rendered in Igbo and “Blunt Beauty” by Ginikachi Glory Anyaobasi  of the department of Linguistics and Languages, University of Nigeria, Nsukka as well as  “Uwa N’acho Ikpu” (done in Igbo, though anti-same sex marriage  poem) read by a young female poet – all these poems jazzed up the audience and made the night even  livelier.
But other aspiring poets made their voices heard by reading their own pieces of poetry. Some were exciting while others were uninspiring and drab.
The guest poet, Nnadi thanked the organizers, especially members of ANA in Enugu State, and implored them to keep the spirit of poetry alive in the southeast zone of Nigeria and also praised Mr. Jika Attoh for providing the station’s OB Van used in recording the event.
One of the coordinators of the occasion, a poet and author, Amarachi Calista Attamah said  the event was for members of ANA and other like-minded literary fellows to come together and interact while reading their  poems . “But specifically, it was meant to be a home-coming for our own celebrated and award-winning poet, Amu Nnadi,” Attamah told our reporter.