When Umaisha, Omalicha showcased in Abuja

Many who attended were left in joyful throes as the delectable marriage of the arts was showcased on the AWF buffet. The guest writer was the award winning literary journalist, Sumaila Umaisha and the performing poet, Ify Omalicha. But the literati who gathered at Pen and Pages, Wuse II, for the event were treated to […]

Many who attended were left in joyful throes as the delectable marriage of the arts was showcased on the AWF buffet.

The guest writer was the award winning literary journalist, Sumaila Umaisha and the performing poet, Ify Omalicha. But the literati who gathered at Pen and Pages, Wuse II, for the event were treated to a pleasant overdose.

When Omalicha and her acolyte, Chima Hannah took the stage to present their entree, not many were certain what to expect. The duo took performance poetry to new heights when they presented “The Green Pasture”. It was a performance that soared with energy and passionate undulations.

As usual, there was a painter at hand to showcase some works. When Millicent Osumour stepped forward, she personified her works. They were colourful, bold and expressive – and abstract. She exhibited two paintings, “August Meeting” and “The Irony of a Man’s World”. The first focused on the traditional annual gathering of Igbo women while the second, a series of three paintings, which generated a lot of interest was about how men get themselves in trouble trying to please wife and mistress. Her vivid explanations of the works got the audience reeling with laughter and appreciation.

Then the “big masquerade” as the MC dubbed him emerged. Sumaila Umaisha took the hot seat to read from his recent work, Hoodlum, a short story collection. He read the first two stories, “Militants” and “After the Riots”. They were slices of Nigeria’s violence streaked reality.

The first was about the effects of violence on children while the other tells about a man who feigned insanity to escape a civil unrest and subsequently lost his sanity when he discovered that his family had been lost in the violence.

The stories were haunting and the writer later explained that he was drawn to this theme as a result of daily occurrences in the country.

His reading was received with enthusiasm as most people could relate to the themes he touched on. But one member of the audience was curious as to why the writer stopped short of recommending solutions to the problems. Umaisha pointed out that the duty of a writer was to portray reality in such a way as to force those in authority to take action.

When Omalicha and Hannah returned, the audience was already steaming with anticipation. The duo did not disappoint. They delivered a passion laden dose of poetry that is poignant and rich in imagery, symbolism and metaphors to moving sounds of vocalization in the background. It was indeed a fitting embodiment of poetry that moves. Lines such as:

We are going to Egoli where they will turn us

Into moles that eat gold dust and spit out blood

And many more left the audience in awe. The poetry, like a long snake, swept across the continent, touching on issues from Cape to Cairo. Their portrayal of the South African struggle complete with the accent enthralled the audience. The performance also left many wondering how she could deliver poetry touching on far away places with such emotions as she evoked in her audience.

Omalicha explained that she read a lot and attributed her powerful verses to the works of other poets like Ron Adler, whose poetry she assimilated into hers. She also explained that she used her imagination to live through the pains of peoples in distant lands.

The audience was further pleasantly surprised when two mariachi’s, guitars dangling from their shoulders, where ushered in. Laolu and Valerino (the first a “part time musician”) performed “Abuja Queen” and a song in pidgin English, “Anaconda” about a beautiful woman. They were greeted to a resounding ovation and many would certainly be anticipating their albums.

To conclude the evening delight, several members of the audience won book prizes from a raffle draw. And as dusk set in, many left with the passionate voices of Umaisha and Omalicha echoing in their minds.