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The towering frame of Eze Chidubem Iweka III, the revered Igwe of Obosi, draped in white traditional regalia, was a sight for sore eyes at the third edition of Return to Idoto, held in honour of the legendary poet, Chris Okigbo, in his hometown, Ojoto, where River Idoto flowed nostalgically, enkindling fecundity to bardic pilgrims to the Okposi Grove. Organised by the Awka Literary Society, led by Odili Ujubuonu, on August 21, the purring sound of oja flute rent the air in Ojoto, voices of bards wafted the atmosphere, and Eze Iweka brought down the house at the 7th Station with animated renditions.
“Return to Idoto 3 was a memorable literary experience that I presume, has been engraved in the memories of all poets and sundry enthusiasts who came from across the country to honour the great poet, Christopher Okigbo, who died during the Nigeria-Biafra civil war,” the Obosi monarch told The Sun Literary Review after his spellbinding performance. The three-day event, which began in Awka, the Anambra State capital, in the evening of Thursday August 19, proceeded to Owerre Ezukalla Cave, and then to the palace of His Majesty, Igwe Gerald Mbamalu, Eze Ojoto, and on to Christopher Okigbo family compound.
This poetic journey also led to Ukpaka Oto Shrine with its giant overhanging trees and ancient structures that exuded a grave and mysterious aura. The same creative tour went on to the proclaimed origin of the Igbo tribe, Agukwu Nri, home of the former Chief Judge of Anambra State, Prof. Hon. Justice Peter Umeadi (Eze Otosi), a literary scholar and patron of Awka Literary Society.
Eze Iweka III, after leading his fellow guest poets, James Eze, AJ Dagga Tolar, Ifesinachi Nwadike, Nwavhukwu Egbunike, and others the palace of Eze Ojoto where they enjoyed the rare delicacy of breadfruit and smoked fish, returned the following day to the Okigbo family compound shortly after the Return to Idoto 3 contingent had left for Ukpaka Oto Shrine and Idoto River.
But the disappointment turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as two passing masquerades accompanied the Eze Iweka team to rejoin his colleagues. Even the presence of the masked spirits added colour to the pilgrimage.
“In the depths of the Idoto enclaves, one who delved profoundly in the spirit realm would feel the vibes of ancient drum beats and chants of bygone Ojoto forbears joined in celebration of their illustrious son and wordsmith, Christopher Okigbo,” Eze Iweka lll admitted.
The exciting last-day pilgrimage, curated by Ujubuonu, was marked with several stops. The first station was a visit to Chris Okigbo’s compound in Ojoto where the pilgrims were welcomed and entertained by the Okigbo family, as Gerald Eze sat on the graveside playing his oja.
After the oja performance, the poets read Okigbo’s poem at his grave, and proceeded to the second station, the Ukpaka Oto shrine. Thereafter, they moved to Okwu Idoto, the place where sacrifices are made to Idoto by worshipers.
The fourth station symbolically transported the pilgrims. Anybody familiar with Okigbo’s verse — “leaning on an oil bean, lost in your legend…” — would understand the essence of that juncture, as the legendary “oil bean” he mentioned in the poem materialised. The aged tree, no doubt, has withstood the passage of time decades after Okigbo visited and chronicled its enchantments.
Gerald Eze, meanwhile, entertained the pilgrims with his oja, adding to the solemnity of the occasion. At the fifth station, the pilgrim stood before the “watery presence”, like the famed “prodigals” Okigbo alluded to in his beatification of Mother Idoto. The sixth station was the Otosi Grove, where the visiting poets strung words together and let all present appreciate the homage to the legendary Okigbo, amid chirping birds and natural ambience.
The last and most memorable station of Return to Idoto 3 was the performance by the Obosi monarch, who read “My Primary Pen” and “Dear Mr. Death” at the wider end of the Idoto River, as everybody stood in awe. Eze Iweka had gotten used to many fan requests for photo opportunities. It wasn’t different this time.
The young female fans and pilgrims among the literati present got the photo opportunity they desired with the king. The guest poets also took shots with him before he retired to Obosi Kingdom. But it wasn’t the end of an exciting day, as the rest of the poets converged on an orchard restaurant to refresh and bond further.
The Return to Idoto 3 train then proceeded to the country home of the Patron of the Awka Literary Society, Prof Peter Umeadi, at Nri, where they were entertained to music and care. Once again, the poets took turns to perform, after which the host spoke about his vision for Nigeria. Gerald Eze’s oja came alive once more with eulogies for Okigbo.
The ecstatic Obosi monarch told The Sun Literary Review in a chat he was affiliated to Okigbo for a number of reasons. “First, Adike, the founder of my town, Obosi, was the younger brother of Ojoto, Okigbo’s hometown. Obosi, Ojoto and Alor still maintain the affiliation of kinship till date being siblings that founded these three towns, now in Idemili North Local Government of Anambra State. “Secondly, Okigbo and I both fought on the Biafran side during the civil war, he as an adult and I, as a boy soldier of 12 and emerged a war veteran at 14.
“The third factor is that Okigbo’s poetry, especially ‘Heaven’s Gate’ and ‘Watermaid’, are both laced with spiritual connotations and, though our styles are different, many of my works bear marks of spiritism. I was scheduled to perform 10 works from my anthology of 58 poems, in two sessions, but due to constraints of scheduling, I only presented two.
“I chose ‘My Primary Pen’ for obvious reasons; the pen is where it all starts and usually in primary school, especially for the older writers. The millennials now go for electronic options mostly. ‘Dear Mr. Death’ clearly touches the spiritual. Death is a touchy subject that even the most stouthearted shun. The poem meets death head-on in blatant challenge, however bows to it’s ‘invincible breath’ in the end.” He regretted not being able to read the other poems specially chosen for the event.”
However, the monarch declared having a sense of fulfillment when people he has never met complimented his work. “I’ve been writing since my teens, and two of my books being nominated for the highest awards in Nigeria and Africa have given me booster shots, spurring me on to reach for greater achievements,” he said.
Chris Okigbo (16 August 1932 – 1967), who died fighting for the independence of Biafra, is widely acknowledged as an outstanding postcolonial English-language African poet and one of the major modernist writers of the 20th century.
Okigbo published three volumes of poetry during his short lifetime: Heavensgate (1962), Limits (1964), and Silences (1965). His collected poems appeared posthumously in 1971 under the title Labyrinths, with Path of Thunder.
Okigbo is regarded as the most widely translated and anthologised of Nigerian poets. A volume entitled Collected Poems was published in 1986 years after his death.
