Ezenwa-Ohaeto and the poet's mission: Of vision and of hope

Abstract

This paper makes critical analyses of four of Ezenwa-Ohaeto’s poems in the collection entitled, The Voice of the Night Masquerade – namely: “The Treasures at Home,” “On the Street at Night,” The Living and the Dead” and “Dancing for Tomorrow’s Dawn.” Employing the postcolonial theory, it examines the poet’s critique of the failures of many postcolonial nations of Africa-Nigeria inclusive. The paper investigates how the poet interrogates the prevailing realities as he depicts the different aspects of the rot that are common issues in these countries and highlights the travails of the people of the post colony.The paper examines the significance of the poet’s representations and equally appraises the stylistics features that are discernible in the poems. The paper essentially argues that Ezenwa-Ohaeto, as a creative artist, responds to his mission of being the moral guide of his society. The poem analysed in this work proves the poet to be a harsh and compassionate critic, a forward looking visionary, and an optimist, since he does not leave scary prognostications. Despite the litany of problems in society, coupled with his admonishments, he adopts a futuristic stance by his consistence in rounding off the poems on a note of the hope of a more glorious future; thereby, living up to the writer’s bidding of ultimately, offering hope to his people.