Writing Nigeria: time and nature in the poetry of Niyi Osundare

Abstract

This thesis is a critical evaluation of the poetry of the Nigerian writer Niyi Osundare. It investigates varied ways in which time and nature are thematised in the poetry under study. The research is guided by an understanding of the interconnectivity of the two concepts it investigates. It is conceived as a deep and kaleidoscopic study of the output of one writer. As part of the design to make it a deep study, its scope covers only Nigeria, although it freely draws examples from diverse countries to advance its arguments. Time is by nature an abstract concept, and one of the benefits of studying it with nature is that the latter gives the former a grounding that renders it apprehensible. The study is theoretically framed by Bakhtinian theory complemented by various strands of ecocritical theory, especially apocalypse and animist theories. In respect of the theory of animism, I apply it on the Yoruba world which Osundare privileges, foregrounding its temporal and environmental ramifications. Its temporal ramifications brought to the surface include the spiritual forces in the Yoruba world and their roles in the lives of human subjects, the difference between time and eternity, how spiritual forces navigate time and space, and the role of animist consciousness in environmental preservation. The thesis also looks at Nigeria as a geographical space in this geologic age, alternatively studying the age as the Anthropocene and as the Capitalocene. By so doing, it throws into relief issues like inequality, strife and multifaceted forms and rapid pace of environmental decadence.