Mandela the Spear and Other Poems
By Atukwei Okai
4.5/5
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About this ebook
Atukwei Okai
Okai’s poems have been translated into several languages, including Russian, Spanish, German, Arabic, French, Italian and have appeared in anthologies and several prominent international journals such as The Atlantic Monthly, the New African, African Arts ( UCLA), Black World, Literary Cavalcade, The New American Review, and Universitas. Okai’s first collection of poems, Flowerfall, was published in June 1969 by Writers Forum in London. His second volume of poems, The Oath of The Fontomfrom and Other Poems was published in New York, U.S.A., in June 1971 by Simon and Schuster.
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Reviews for Mandela the Spear and Other Poems
3 ratings1 review
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Atukwei Okai was a major poet from Ghana. His poetry is very musical in nature and is intended for public performance, so, they have more in common with rap music than with traditional, European poetry.
Mandela the Spear is made up mostly of long poems praising various African nationalist figures. He name checks dozens of politicians, sports figures, artists and musicians as well as geographical locations. These names are all explained in the extensive notes which make up over a third of the book.
It would have been helpful if these notes had been cross-linked to individual lines in the poems, instead of merely listed in the back of the book. Because Okai was a Marxist, he tends to ignore the human rights abuses and outright atrocities committed by many of the pan-African leaders he praises in these poems.
These caveats aside, Mandel the Spear is essential reading for those interested in modern African literature. (less)