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What is literature? What is poetry? How do poets committed to the idea of using poetry as a weapon of socio-cultural and political struggle manage to impress their works in the minds and memories of men long after the struggle has been fought and won or lost? What will a new generation of poets write about after the explosive social contradictions that inspired older poets have been resolved? Why do the themes and styles of poets in transitional societies change along with human fortunes and circumstances? This book provides answers to these questions and more... using the poetic heritage of South Africa. It is a compelling pedagogic work, a must-read for every student, researcher and teacher of African poetry, and a collector's item for the general public.
About the author
David Olusegun Agbaje, Ph.D was born on 26 September 1958 in Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria. He is a poet, literary critic, teacher and accomplished administrator. David holds a Ph.D. in English (African Literature) from University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, M.A. (English) from University of Benin, Benin City, and B.Ed. (Language Arts) and N.C.E. (English/French) from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He taught English and French at Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Nigeria from 1982 to 1992 from where he transferred his service to Nigeria Customs Service where among other things, he contributed immensely to research activities and the development of modern syllabus and training programs for the Customs Training College. He received several awards for integrity and excellence including Nigeria Customs Service Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Performance (1999). He retired statutorily as assistant comptroller-general of customs in October 2017. His creative and scholarly works have been published in both local and international literary journals such as Rake, American Poetry Anthology and The Literary Half-Yearly. Two of his poems, Edward Gone Bedward and I Am a Nigerian have been turned into music by Paramount Song, Nashville, TN. USA and produced by Meded Entertainment, Nigeria. The music videos, as well as his rendition of his poem, Flickering, Flickering Firefly, and others, are available on YouTube. He has also participated in some 'talent hunt' events which featured poetry reading in Nigeria, the United Kingdom and Canada. His marriage to his late wife, Esther Oluwemimo Agbaje, produced five children and many grandchildren. He is now happily married to Dr Funmilayo Joy Agbaje.
