HAEMORRHAGES AND HEALINGS IN NNIMMO BASSEY’S WE THOUGHT IT WAS OIL BUT IT WAS BLOOD (2008) AND I WILL NOT DANCE TO YOUR BEAT (2011)

Abstract

No doubt, the crisis of ecology has remained one of the topics that
has received prominent attention in the evolution of modern poetry
in Nigeria. The space of reference has always been the Niger Delta
area whose serenity has been ruptured by multinationals in search of
oil in that sub region. For stated reasons, poetry has become the most
responsive to the issues. However, a clear line can be drawn between
the traditional/ passive and radical/ militant poets who have involved
in the engagement. This article is an ecocritical inquiry that engages
with Nnimmo Bassey who exemplifies the second categorisation in
the study of his We thought it was oil but it was blood (2008) and I Will
Not Dance To Your Beat (2011). This article distils the peculiarities in
Nnimmo Bassey’s engagement which lie in his hybrid model that
localises and universalises mans’ infractions against nature on the one
hand and his commitment to truce on the other hand. The
conclusion of the article disagrees with the poet’s conservationist
proposal but aligns with his prescription of a meaningful and
practicable dialogue that will assert the complementary roles in the
interactions between man and nature.