When Gimba Kakanda’s poetry stirred Abuja
It was no mean task the Guest Writer had on his hands when he sat opposite both new and established writers at the monthly Abuja Writers’ Forum’s (AWF) Guest Writer Session which took place at the Pen and Pages Bookshop, Abuja. Yes, he read from his debut poetry collection, Safari Pants, but participants at the […]
It was no mean task the Guest Writer had on his hands when he sat opposite both new and established writers at the monthly Abuja Writers’ Forum’s (AWF) Guest Writer Session which took place at the Pen and Pages Bookshop, Abuja. Yes, he read from his debut poetry collection, Safari Pants, but participants at the event did not let him off that easily. Award-winning poet, Dr Kabura Zakama, led the initial onslaught. He did when he stated that from what he read in Kakanda’s collection, he was of the view that the author’s desire at the point of penning was to write a poet’s poem. He would go on to ask if Kakanda agreed with him, and if he did, was it not possible that writing the way he did could disconnect real experiences that informed the work from the final output? Could the author claim that having bleached his work white as his collections showed, it still retained the original elements that moved him to put pen to paper the first time? Reason. Kankada’s poems, Zakama stated, are such that they are enough tutorial for anyone who wants to learn how to write poems, in term of imagery and other basic elements.
While he did not use the same set of words, the poet, Mahmud Abdul Obemata, tended to speak along the same line when he said that poetry is a cult, and having read Kakanda’s work he was convinced that the author has honoured the oath of the cult. In that case, he said, other poets should try to be like Kakanda whose works are true to the tradition of cultists. The words of these two writers had two edges, then. One obviously can be interpreted to mean that the author has worked his works to perfection; while the other is a concern that the perfectionist may be overdoing it, sacrificing the moving force and the originality of a poem on the altar of perfection.
At his Abuja reading, the author’s reaction to the comments would turn out to be less voluble on “Thank you,” for what were obvious complements, but strong and detailed on why he should not be categorized as a poet’s poet
While on the ‘hot seat’
When the Guest Writer stepped on to the “hot seat”, he read from Safari Pants poems such as On the Sickbed; Natasha; Patience, father; Co-passenger; Minna; and Homeland Anthem which he said was dedicated to the nation’s atrocious government. He read other poems such as Television; Minority; Dream chase; Of this last Year; The howls of Petra; Safinatu; and a host of others. The experiences that informed the writing of each of these poems which the author narrated were as rich and colourful as the poems themselves. One was the outcome of his sickbed experience. “I never knew I would be here to read it,” he said of ‘On the Sickbed.’ An American lady, Natasha, who had since returned home informed the poem ‘Natasha.’ “Someone said she used me to know Jos, and I think she (Natasha) read the poem on the internet, and was surprised that she ever did such a thing,” the author said.
Why, Kakanda?
Participants threw questions at Kakanda, and they made observations, too. Is he married? Why and for what reason does he write? Why does he write poetry but study Geology? Why is his poetry so complicated? “I don’t like to read poetry that makes me feel I am solving Mathematics,” Chioma Ogbu, an Abuja-based writer, pointed out. What was the philosophy behind the writing of Safari Pants? And why didn’t he reflect his academic qualifications in his profile in the same book?
The first question Kakanda picked was one that his daydreaming in ‘Co-passenger’ had almost given an answer. No, he is not married. Yes, he is still searching. Well, as for studying Geology, it is a fallout of the nation’s education system. There were no accessible career counsellors when he selected subjects and the course he is studying in the University. But his father’s books are also to blame. Kakanda senior had books, many of which had atlas and volumes of information about the world at large. Kakanda junior liked to study them at an early age. He liked to walk around with them, and he liked the fact that people called him “Professor.”
Well, he has his regrets now – concerning his father’s books. They were rare books, but he lost most of them. As he took them from the shelves and walked around, friends borrowed from him, and that was that. That was still a part of his explanation as to why he ended up studying Geology.
But his course of study is one thing; the art side to him is another. That was Kakanda’s response to the question as to why his academic qualification was not reflected in his profile in Safari Pants. There is Kakanda the artist, and Kakanda the student of Geology, the author emphasized. There is a gap there, and he doesn’t want people to judge his works based on academic qualifications. Rather, he should be judged based on his output as an artist, a poet. When it is time to be the poet, he likes to wear the toga, and whenever he becomes a qualified Geologist, he will wear the garment of that, too. “Qualifications have nothing to do with art,” he said. “There are many university professors of literature who cannot put together a collection of poetry.”
Tunji Ajibade is an Abuja based consultant writer