By Anote Ajeluorou
When Associate Professor of Literature at Texas State
University, U.S., Dr. Ogaga Iwofodo conceived the idea of organising
Empowerment Creative Writing Workshop for secondary school students in Warri,
Delta State, his aim was to stimulate the minds of the young participants
towards expressing themselves creatively the way poetry and fiction allows. He
had his own poetic epiphany that way back in the 1980s at Federal Government
College, Warri. Today, he’s an award-winning poet, as a result.
So, he’d stated
simply, as his objective, “ While a workshop may not match the
amnesty programme through which the federal government has tried to palliate
the youths of the Niger Delta, the hope is that it will emphasise and help
inculcate an important skill for sublimating feelings of anger and frustration into
an aesthetically and socially productive form of art.
“Through the habit of
keen observation and deep reflection on their society in order to write about
their experiences (personal or imagined), the participants will be encouraged
to appreciate the value of self-expression by way of the cultivation of good
writing skills, especially as such skills need not be limited to creative
writing but can also lead to careers in journalism (print or electronic,
including blogging) and in the public relations and technical communication
departments of corporations”.
Vexed by inability of
leaders in the Niger Delta and Nigeria as a whole to effect positive changes in
the fortunes of his people, Ifowodo had sourced for a small grant from
International Institute of Education, U.S., with support from Delta State
Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to hold the workshop. Now, Ifowodo is
already exploring avenues of collaboration with other supporters of youth
talent to take the workshop to other parts of Delta and beyond so as to spread
its enriching knowledge.
But little did the
Texas State University, U.S. don realise just how close he’d actually
instinctively touched the core yearnings of these young ones. And as each
student stood up to state why they’d volunteered to participate in the workshop
at Morgan Smart Women and Youth Empowerment Resource Centre, Oki Street, Okere,
Warri, it was apparent that Ifowodo’s mission couldn’t have been more timely.
The students said
they enjoyed reading novels and books and wanted to also write and express
themselves. In so doing would they better grasp their world, they each argued.
Moreover, they wanted to be better writers and users of the language of
communication – English – and no better opportunity existed than the one the
workshop offered. On and on they expressed their individual enthusiasm for making
a better start by equipping themselves for the exciting world of writing.
Ifowodo nodded and
keenly felt the more the burden he’d put on himself. But the lawyer-turned-literary
don and poet wasn’t only aware of the enormity of the task before him, he was
ready to also discharge it admirably.
Not even the dampener
of the usual inability of top government functionaries (this time the Hon.
Commissioner for Higher Education, Prof. Hope Eghagha, himself a writer) to
turn up for the workshop opening, an event that would have further stimulated
and challenged the 20 selected students to aspire more, mattered after all. The
students’ overall performance at the workshop was a study in youth thirst for
knowledge that is ever so lacking in environments where education commissioners
treat young people with disdain. Not even Eghagha’s counterpart in Basic and
Secondary education section, Prof. Patrick Muoghare, showed up for the closing
either. But the three female staff at Warri South Education office were
uncommonly efficient in coordination that ensured a hitch-free 3-day event.
Two students came
from each participating school, including Oghior Secondary School, Ekete
Secondary School, Ogbe-Udu Secondary School, Urhobo College, Army Day Secondary
School, Ugborikoko Secondary School and Federal Government College. Others were
Hussey Boys Model College, Nana Girls Model College and Delta Secondary School.
STARTING with poetry, a genre he has won prizes, Ifowodo took
the students through its rudiments and highlighted the importance of the
language of communication – English in Nigeria – as a tool to master first
before any meaningful writing could take place. With the simple rhyming poem:
Two and two
Are rather blue
Ifowodo unfolded before them elements of poetry and how the
genre works. He used JP Clark’s ‘Ibadan’, Christopher Okogbo’s ‘Watermaid’ and
Gabriel Okara’s ‘One Night at Victoria Beach’ as examples and teaching texts.
The students were greatly inspired as they
discussed, argued, asked and answered questions freely. From poetry, the
discussion moved to fiction the next day, with the short story as starter. As
in poetry, Ifowodo explained elements of fiction with ample examples and they
studied two texts – Wole Soyinka’s Ake:
The Years of Childhood and Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes. They are two texts that deal with childhood and
school experiences. The students found the texts exciting, as they deal with
experiences within their age range.
Students were asked
to write a short story about any memorable experience they remembered in their
childhood, as workshop assignment. In about an hour they turned in stories that
amazed workshop facilitator, Ifowodo. The stories were reviewed together, which
the students did with keen interest; it showed their eagerness to learn.
On the third day,
Friday, February 28, the participating students received certificates and three
impactful books capable of transforming their raw talent into prodigious ones: The Art of the Poetic Line by James
Longenback, Some Instructions on Writing
and Life by Anne Lamott and the classic, The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. Ifowodo
had a roundtable with five of the English and Literature teachers, who exposed
the rot in the school system to the facilitator’s amazement.
At the presentation,
English and Literature teachers and some schools’ principals were in
attendance, including Warri South Chief Inspector of Education, Mr. Mike E.
Emeshili, who advised the students to take advantage of the workshop to horn
their skills as writers. He also advised them against the use of pidgin, as it
had “no place in our education system. You should impact your society with the
training you’ve received here from the professor”.
While commenting on
the performance of the students after the workshop and his over all impression,
Ifowodo lamented, “My observation is that our students are being so poorly
served. They are very eager, very keen to learn. But they haven’t had the best
preparation. They are focused. In such a short time, they learnt so much and
gave back so much. If back in their schools they have resources, they will do
far better. But I’m encouraged. If they don’t let the spirit of the workshop
die, they will go far.
“We all know that
things are bad, and some governments like Delta State’s are trying to do
something. Having good infrastructure, the atmosphere should give a sense of
seriousness. But the software – books, teachers, revised curriculum that help
solve 21st century problem – are lacking. Some students who came for creative writing
workshop said they don’t have English teacher for two years. Some in secondary
schools don’t know the alphabets; it’s so shocking you are agape. You don’t
know where to start.
“But sporadic
interventions like this alone cannot solve all the problems. Education is
number one priority of any nation looking to advance. We’re in dire straits in
the use of English language in Nigeria. Students literally transliterate from
poorly understood spoken English or mother tongue to English. They don’t have a
grasp of the basic elements of English language; it’s a sorry situation. We all
have to be advocates in our communities to make things work!”
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