It was another learning session from the sages, poets and creatives as Thursday Film Series presented a special screening and discussion on ‘Environment Degradation’, showing ‘The Poets’ by Chivas Devinck. Devinck is an American filmmaker.
All was set for the epic session at the historic Drapers Hall of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan with the arena filled to the capacity while students, lecturers, film enthusiasts and art aficionados well seated.
The programme began with a documentary, ‘The Poets’. ‘The Poets’ documents the friendship of two literary icons of West Africa descendants – Prof. Niyi Osundare of Nigeria and Syl Cheney-Coker of Sierra-Leone.
Run for about one hour and 40 minutes, the two literary icons return to their formative bases, and their former institutions of learning, vividly depicting the experiences that shape their artistic styles and lives.
From geography to anthropology, sociology, literature, and politics, the documentary speaks to the grim reality of the African setting. Divided into two parts, the first half of the documentary is shown in Sierra-Leone with Cheney-Coker guiding his guest, [Osundare]. In the second half, Osundare guides Cheney-Coker round the Southwest states of Lagos, Ekiti and Oyo.
From Sierra-Leone to Nigeria, specifically, Ibadan and Ikere-Ekiti, back to the University of Ibadan, the thrusts are on political poetry, the African languages, the literary canon inherited from colonialism and the plethora of problems that beset the African continent . In the documentary, Cheney-Coker says: ‘’The root of my poetry is the beginning of my heritage’’.
On the other hand, Osundare says: “All literature is protest literature, in some form or another. My very presence on this earth is political. My existence as a black person is political. The language I use itself is political. The choice is political.”
After the audience was enthralled by the work, Osundare explained that the anthropological documentary was filmed in 2016 with 10 days in Sierra-Leone and 11 days in Nigeria.
Then, it was the time for the panel session where the discussants spoke on issues and plights bedeviling Nigeria and Africa at large. The panelists comprise the renowned poet, Prof. Niyi Osundare; a curator and author, Ms. Adeola Aderemi, and a creative writer, journalist, critic and culture activist, Arts and Culture Editor, Ms. Molara Wood. The session was moderated by Michael Awoyemi supported by Tosin Boluwaduro.
As the theme of the discourse says, the discussants deplored degradation in various facets of life – from education, to leadership, politics, language to others.
On education, Osundare lamented that the standard of education is nose-diving on a daily basis despite the growing numbers of public and private institutions.
He said: “What is the impact of the growing numbers of first-class graduates being produced annually on the socio-economic growth of the country? The attitude of some lecturers to work nowadays is discouraging. Most of them cannot ply their trade outside the country. In overseas countries, students can sue you for coming late to classes but that is not applicable in the country.
“Most of the problems facing the country begin in our universities. What makes the difference between the university graduates and the politicians that we are blaming for the economic woes of the country?
“The university is supposed to be proponent of ideas that will transform various sectors of the economy in the country but it is sad to note that we run away from making such ideas
“The growing numbers of public and private universities in the country have translated to nothing. The more the universities, the higher the number of iilliterates.
‘’Our universities are not what they used to be. There is devaluation all over. The more universities we have, the more illiterates we become. Let’s talk to the politicians who steal our money”.
From education, the scholar veered to the leadership question, lamenting how Nigerian leaders have led the great country to degradation and deterioration.
The literary critic said: ’’Nigeria is a beautiful country but ugly at the moment. We have a great country in our hands but it is dying. UCH has been in darkness for days. We have to talk seriously to one another. We have a country to build. The country is not doing well”.
He also decried the environmental degradation going on in the country.
On their part, Aderemi and Wood stressed the need for a sensitisation programme at preventing environmental degradation in the country.
Aderemi said, ‘’The nature has a lot of impacts on creativity. We cannot create anything if we are not in tune with nature. We are busy searching for wealth under the ground without considering the wealth in the environment”. She pointed out that accumulation of wealth might lead to environmental challenges’’.
On her part, using the example of D.O. Fagunwa where the narrator goes to a botanical garden like that of the University of Ibadan, Ms. Wood said the maginative power of the environment was key.
‘’It is when a person is in the right place that creative power flows. There is a nexus between the power of nature and connection with creativity”, she said.
She called for an awareness for the people to know the importance of the environment.
‘’What is the Ministry of Environment doing on environmental degradation? We have to care about the environment. We need to raise the awareness that the quality of our environment has impacts on food and bread’’, she added.
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