History and Politics in 21st Century Nigeria Poetry: A Study of Odia Ofeimun’s A Boiling Carcas and Rome Aboh’s A Torrent of Terror

Abstract

This paper argues that history and politics drive the thematic and stylistic peculiarities of 21st century Nigerian poetry. Only a handful of studies have been done in this regard. Furthermore, few notable studies have been done on Odia Ofeimun's A Boiling Caracas and Rome Aboh's A Torrent of Terror. This paper, therefore, brings the "new" poetry of Odia Ofeimun and Rome Aboh to critical lenses with the view to authenticating the place of history and politics in 21st century Nigerian poetry. Thematic parallels of 21st century Nigerian history and politics are shown in the collections of poems. The influence of 21st century Nigerian history and politics on the stylistic features of the poems are also underscored. Findings show that 21st century Nigerian poetry, like its 20th century antecedent, is a product of contemporary history and politics. 21st century Nigerian poets are very much concerned with their society, as well as global affairs, and through the thematisation of history and politics in their poetry, they continue in the traditions of the poet as historian and social activist.