For The Victims Of Nyaya Bomb Blast

        The Names - Billy Collins

Yesterday, I lay awake in the palm of the night.
A soft rain stole in, unhelped by any breeze,
And when I saw the silver glaze on the windows,
I started with A, with Ameh, as it happened,
Then Bello and Celestine,
Damashi and Exra, names falling into place
As droplets fell through the dark.
Names printed on the ceiling of the night.
Names slipping around a watery bend.
Twenty-six willows on the banks of a stream.
In the morning, I walked out barefoot
Among thousands of flowers
Heavy with dew like the eyes of tears,
And each had a name --
Fila inscribed on a yellow petal
Then Gabriel and Hussain, Ibrahim and John.
Names written in the air
And stitched into the cloth of the day.
A name under a photograph taped to a mailbox.
Monogram on a torn shirt,
I see you spelled out on storefront windows
And on the bright unfurled awnings of this city.
I say the syllables as I turn a corner --
Kano and Lee,
Mohammed, Nwaonuan, and Ojochide.
When I peer into the woods,
I see a thick tangle where letters are hidden
As in a puzzle concocted for children.
Pat and Quarter in the twigs of an ash,
Rabiu, Saidu, Tanko, and Usman,
Secrets in the boughs of an ancient maple.
Names written in the pale sky.
Names rising in the updraft amid buildings.
Names silent in stone
Or cried out behind a door.
Names blown over the earth and out to sea.
In the evening -- weakening light, the last swallows.
A boy on a lake lifts his oars.
A woman by a window puts a match to a candle,
And the names are outlined on the rose clouds --
Victoria and Williams,
(let X stand, if it can, for the ones unfound)
Then Yinusa and Zaidu, the final jolt of Z.
Names etched on the head of a pin.
One name spanning a bridge, another undergoing a tunnel.
A blue name needled into the skin.
Names of citizens, workers, mothers and fathers,
The bright-eyed daughter, the quick son.
Alphabet of names in a green field.
Names in the small tracks of birds.
Names lifted from a hat
Or balanced on the tip of the tongue.
Names wheeled into the dim warehouse of memory.
So many names, there is barely room on the walls of the heart.


Names in the original poem were replaced by names of the Nyaya victims. May their soul Rest In Peace.



Photo by www.informationng.com

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THIRD AND FINAL DAY OF THE WORKSHOP

As early as 8am participants began to gather at the Presidential Hotel the venue for the performance for a brief rehearsals of the poem titled “Reading in the Creeks” written and arranged by them the previous day. The performance proper came on during the “Meet The Author, JP Clark” session. Dagga Tolar was invited on stage to introduce the performance. He appreciated the Goethe-Institut for all of the logistics, funding and support, without which the workshop will never have been held. The Alliance Francaise for helping out with a venue for the workshop and the Rainbow Book Club, the organizers of the Port Harcourt World Book Capital 2014 for providing the platform for the workshop. Dagga Tolar then said it was an honour for Aj. House of Poetry and all the participants at the workshop to present their performance to an audience of Poets and authors, with J.P. Clark seated.

The poem is titled “Reading in the Creeks”, and the duration of the workshop did not allow any better than what was about to be presented, but he did point out that the success of the workshop was in the fact that for all the participants, they were leaving the workshop fulfilled and with a sense of purpose of the possibilities of developing the interest in writing poetry and Spoken Word performance that the workshop had kindled in them. Poetry he said is everything, life and it feeds from everything we love and hate. The poet cannot discriminate when it comes to feelings, for only when the mind is open and free to allow his or her being to be true to all manners of feeling can he/she really engage the muse.  The participant thereon took the stage for their performance.

   







Sharp-Akosubo Emmanuel opened the performance with brief remarks on the workshop and the need for more of such opportunities. This was then followed by the full performance of the poem.

Lines were taken by participants one after the other in a well arranged and creative pattern while Rueben and Joy jointly delivered the last set of lines in a subtle and beautiful mixture of voices. Performances also came from Uche Unwadinachi and Dare Dan from AJ House of Poetry. Applauses crowned all the performances, it lend itself well as an introductory segment to the chat with Poet and Playwright J.P. Clark moderated by Omolara Woods.



And the session started Prof. J.P Clark reacting to the performance and his views on the Art of poetry. He praised a process that held the participants just for two days and could birth a poem along in the theme “Port-Harcourt World Book Capital 2014.” He further commented that “poetry is the highest point of the art of language”, and as such all “practitioners… must know the language they have chosen to practice, whether Queens English or Warri Pidgin English, you must know the language".

“Be aware of your strength and your weakness, do your apprenticeship, know your literature”.  Omolara Woods summing up JP Clark comments on the performance from the workshop had this to say, “Priceless advice” from JP Clark, “know the canon and all of the existing tradition you are working on”.


At the end of the session, J.P Clark had a photo shot with all the participants, subsequently certificates were given to participants who at this point were overwhelmed with the outcome of their performances.

The 19 participants at workshop

  1. Innocent-Maclean Ekepere Paschal

2. Benson Jack David

3. Jonathan Joy

4. Egbe Nnamdi Fred

5. Reuben Prince

6. Oriemi D. Manuel

7. Sharp-Akosubo Emmanuel

8. Onwunalu Alexander

9. Nnaemeka Okeke

10. Ekweshili Amaechi Lucky

11. Etuk, Owoidotto Mike

12. Valentine Ndumanya

13. Gift Udoh

14. Ukaorji Ogbonna

15. Obobikpe, Itoro Jones

16. Authur Edima Joseph

17. Jonathan Joy Diseph

18. Opara Lawrence

19. Peter Ovie Akus

READING IN THE CREEKS

 Must I read my way to death

Through to the lost of my last breath

This strenuous task of a narrow path

Of dead books, stories, letters and hardened passages of faith

Amidst this pile of book covers

Heaved like agonies of lovers

Unable to find a token might

Through the proclaim religious light

Must I live like a church rat

While others eat and grow fat

Now this reading in the creeks

Has turn to guns and blasting of pipes in the creeks

Where is the love in killing

When we ought to be together on the nation for healing

Yes, I look to the nearest distance

Where libraries will be in every street and corner

And even crooks

Will come in and grab a book

And find

The lettered means to mend their minds

And leaders

Will climb their minds on the ladder

Of building a new society

Where love, justice and prosperity

Will be the shining light

And do to all, all that is right!

SOME OF THE REMARKS BY PARTICIPANTS






“The workshop was inspirational and wonderful. It helped me to deepen my thoughts and to think and value so many things. I wish this could go on and they would call us back and follow up on our progress.”

 - Reuben Prince






“I am very happy about the workshop. I learnt lot of things that I have never learnt before now . Am so happy for that and I pray for God blessing on our facilitators. I pray they find more inspiration to keep teaching this till we meet again.”   -Nnaemeka Okeke




“As an aspiring author, I’ve realized I would require every stepping stone I can get in order to reach my goals and this stone has to turn-out to be a great one.”  - Sharp-Akosubo Emmanuel





“Minutes after the Poetry/Spoken Word Workshop, it feels like a new kind of pen has been handed over to me – for scribbling lines unending….” -Benson-Jack David




 “The workshop exposed me more into the world of poetry and I will appreciate more workshops like this”- Jonathan Joy Diseph








 “Being a participant in the workshop organized by Gothe institute/Aj House of poetry has exposed me to a new world of experience. It was a wonderful experience”-Etuk Owoidoho




The workshop was challenging one but at the end of the day, left me inspired to try my hands more on poetry. It was a wonderful experience. i hope more of these stuffs come around often. i"ve tried my hands on poetry a couple of times and this workshop has ignited my interest to express self in form of writing poet. I say a big Thank you to Gothe Institute and Aj House of poetry. - Innocent-Maclean Epere Paschal

   

 



 Participants receiving certificates.

To visit report of Goethe's Facebook Page

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DAY TWO OF THE WORKSHOP

The second day of the workshop recorded a turn-out of participants who were ready to take on the stage. But first a writer from Republic of Benin, Mr. Flourent Couao Zotti, who informed that he had authored 15 books, and that prose was his specialty, was granted audience by the participants. He spoke at length on poetry and spontaneity, and the fact that feelings was of importance to writing a poem, and that he was open to also learning from the workshop. Responding Dagga Tolar, pointed out that writers all over share the same concern, and that the divide into nationality, boundaries or race, cannot distort the fact of our common human experience, and so we all are open to also learn and share from him.

He then took his seat with the participants, and the workshop commenced with the drawing of mind-map on the theme of “reading” and “books”, subsequently scribbling, and editing commenced producing in all the following lines

Must I read my way to death
Through to the lost of my last breath
This strenuous task of a narrow path
Of dead books, stories, letters and hardened passages of faith
This unending pile of book covers
Like the persistent agony of lovers
………………………….Token night
………………………………..Religious light
Must I live like a church rat?
While other eat and grow fat

With the lines agreed on by all and  “Reading from the Creek” suggested by Rueben Prince as a title, the participant drilled themselves through all of the art of spoken word performance, the import of mood, facial expression, tone and use of space on stage.

 Geothe-Institute as usual treated all participants and facilitators with a sumptuous lunch while Alliance Francaise as always, created a very siren environment to make all the drillings from the Aj House Of Poetry fun to all of the participants.

Below are some of the pictures of the the workshop today.

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Day One of the Workshop

Innocent-Maclean Epere was the first of the participants to arrive at the venue, joined later by Egbe Nnamdi, and Reuben Prince…. Others trickled in, and the workshop kicked off as scheduled, with introductory remarks centering on the workshop having been made possible by Goethe-Institut Nigeria as part of their intervention in the ongoing Port Harcourt World Book Capital 2014. Formal introductions were made of all present, both facilitators and participants; thereon the workshop proper took off.

Dagga Tolar came on posing questions and eliciting responses individually from all, participants stated and wrote down what they love most or hate most about life, and were told that poetry is all of these things they love and hate at the same time.

Various responses like “Life is an expression of being” – Innocent Maclean Epere, “Life is a trance”- Oreiemi D. Manuel and other responses on the question “what is life?” Provided the template on which to take on the basics of the Art of Poetry, in an interactive and engaging process… from there on it was on smooth sail through the use of the diction to allow for the ‘best of possible word’, figures of speech, and rhythm.

Facilitators for the day included Dagga Tolar, Dare Dan and Uche Uwadinachi.

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