Odiedo Stephen

"NIGERIA prosperous, hale, quick - thus the tides thundering both ways of the streaming OCEAN-SEA," the EUMENIDES, immemorial daughters of the sun swirl in eddying tides of colour and life and song. When their dainty feet touch lightly, soar, touch lightly and soar, the fabrics of their richly embroidered garments flutter, take wing: firebirds reaching heavenwards for the sun, NIGERIA thundering tides racing shorewards. "OKIGBO of refulgent verse," call the EUMENIDES, "poet of sorrow, turn your gaze inwards into the present, into the heart of our dance, the dance of life, the life of our song, the song of a new heaven, a new earth." The EUMENIDES, deathless daughters of the sun are singing.

"NIGERIA'S war dead, the children of BIAFRA starved to death in that genocide-by-starvation that has damned NIGERIA, ANNI'S lost son, the souls of them that died in chains in JAMAICA, in CUBA, GRANADA, DOMINICA, HAITI QUESQUEIYA, BRAZIL and in AMERICA: all of you restless dead and you sons and daughters of distraught UKRAINKA and TROY'S lost souls - NIGERIA welcomes you to this monument to the war dead. Here not only the war dead will be memorialize, all the dead will be honoured. And seer ANNI'S daughters, the KINDLY ONES, them in their gracious chaste steps will lead these yearly rememberings of all the dead," the POET-SOLDIER, prophesies. "As the seas and the winds," chorus the EUMENIDES.

"NIGERIA'S inspired CHRISTOPHER OKIGBO," ANNI hails the POET-SOLDIER, "with the dread ERINYES of awful aspect I came to damn NIGERIA - but your impassioned poetic utterance stayed my hand, turned my feared ERINYES into the EUMENIDES, the KINDLY ONES." "NIGERIA'S quick and dead thank ANNI of potent word - and mother BIAFRA who mourns her children starved to death in NIGERIA'S genocide-by-starvation," says the POET-SOLDIER. "The dead of TROY and UKRAINKA'S children that starved to death - may they find sanctuary at these rites of remembrance," OKIGBO requests. "NOBLESSE OBLIGE: when you walked earth, POET-SOLDIER, you named them in your refulgent poetry. NIGERIA welcomes them to these rites."

"NIGERIA atones for slavery's curse upon this land by honouring them that perished enslaved in JAMAICA. Only when the souls of them that left this land in chains for JAMAICA find solace will NIGERIA'S damnation wash away in the tears of JAMAICA'S sorrowing slaves that died unspeakable deaths. For it is in JAMAICA that your children rose in revolt against slavery only to die the death flaming on their burning flesh to forever stop slave revolts in JAMAICA. Till the next revolt blazed forth at the site of the last executions. And the MAROONS - runaways dying far from home: NIGERIA turns away the rage of their souls only when you invite their souls to these memorials," says the POET-SOLDIER.

"ANNI compassionate MOTHER: let the EUMENIDES. These KINDLY ONES speak of IGBO LANDING where your sons and daughters chose to drown in the ATLANTIC off GEORGIA than enter AMERICA as slaves. Let the EUMENIDES sing their deaths in deep sorrow and joy for on IGBO LANDING, GEORGIA, your glorious sons and daughters redeemed our liberty, ANNI'S SACRED FLAME. HOWL in sorrow at IGBO LANDING O EUMENIDES, call them to this memorial to the dead. NOBLE was their collective suicide off that slave ship into the ATLANTIC - they died singing songs of sorrow, songs of liberty. HAIL their deaths, chaste EUMENIDES: name them; summon them; list them among the ILLUSTRIOUS ONES at this monument to NIGERIA'S dead.

"ANNI mother of all; BIAFRA of the million and one WAIFS starved to death: mother them of HAITI too," at the monument to the war dead the POET-SOLDIER speaks. "In HAITI the horrors of slavery still shriek to heaven these two hundred thirty years. NIGERIA cannot prosper if them that the slave ships took to HAITI in chains languish in the abyss of the damned. In HAITI the daughters of this land sorrowed: slave mothers watched their beloved children taken away, sold to serve new masters body and soul. In HAITI of the shrieking GHOSTS the sons of the land became the chained playthings of a fate that by age thirty had made of them broken old men. EUMENIDES, Kindly Ones: sing of HAITI CHERIE."

“I speak to ANNI mother of the sun slaved ‘yond the OCEAN-STREAM to PALMARES of BRAZIL. In PALMARES your sons' and daughters' quest to break the chains of slavery soared heavenwards – then became as a heartsickness that heals not. Their suffering souls stand in serried ranks here at your remembering of the enslaved,” the impassioned POET-SOLDIER lauds the dead. “O mother of a son chained aboard the slave ship to the NEW WORLD, heal the souls of PALMARES, hear their cry. And BIAFRA, mother of the children that starved in that GENOCIDE-BY-STARVATION that overtook us all: here at the monument to the dead come your children.” “I thank mother BIAFRA that first spoke for the dead,” says ANNI.

"NIGERIA must be the Sanctuary of  the afflicted. The refuge of them that are fleeing persecution. NIGERIA must be the example for them look to this land. For BRAZIL of PALMARES may NIGERIA be the place of hope. For JAMAICA in the days of terror may this land be as a beacon of hope," says the POET-SOLDIER. "And to the sixty million and more that perished of that evil trade: may your suffering Souls find of NIGERIA balm for your Souls. And to you: HAITI CHERIE, know that NIGERIA feels your sorrows. And to the children starved in BIAFRA'S genocide-by-starvation, by the EUMENIDES, the kindly ones, NIGERIA names each of you by name. ANNI'S son: welcome to these memorials, be hardy of heart. Rise."

"Come ERINYES, come avenging FURIES, damn this NIGERIA till it repents in sackcloth my son's slavery," at the monument to the war dead ANNI seeks revenge. "I will recite of your son if ANNI turns her rage away from BIAFRA," the POET-SOLDIER speaks at last. "Not my son alone: NIGERIA'S war dead, slaves lost sixty million and more, them that starved to death, the girls slaved, murdered by the HARRAM: for thus I make the POET-SOLDIER my hierophant," ANNI mother EARTH replies. "Only if your ERINYES become the EUMENIDES, the kindly ones ever blessing by name NIGERIA'S war dead, the starved, the enslaved girls and your son," the POET-SOLDIER tells ANNI. "NIGERIA be the sanctuary of the afflicted."

"BIAFRA pleads with ANNI: turn your anger away from this land." "This land sold my son into slavery and in chains sent him to the NEW WORLD - and you plead for them? Have you seen the horrors I have in store for this called NIGERIA? Do you know its true name? The Slave Coast." "Let BIAFRA write your son's name on the TABLETS OF FATE - " "They are with the gods," counters ANNI." "Declining to write the dead himself, the POET-SOLDIER gave them to BIAFRA." "Only if the POET-SOLDIER writes my son's name himself." "Then ANNI becomes not BIAFRA'S bane but the balm." "For all NIGERIA,not BIAFRA only." "Then a new day dawns for us all." "Let POET-SOLDIER write my son's name on the TABLETS OF FATE."