Title : Kalakuta Republic.
Author : Christopher Abani.
ISBN: 9780863563225
Publication date : Sept 1,2001.
Genre: poetry.
Publisher: Saqi Books.
Reviewed by : Mujeebah Opatola.
Chris Abani, born on the 27th of December, 1966 in Afikpo, Ebonyi state, wrote his first novel (Master of boards), which was anti-governmental, at the age of 16(1985) and was imprisoned for a span of six months. Following the publication of “Sirocco “, his second novel, he was imprisoned again, this time, for a year as the books were considered a threat to the administration then. After his release from jail the second time, his plays, performed on the streets near some government offices and in his university led to his third arrest, imprisonment and death sentence at the KiriKiri maximum security prison in Lagos where he stayed as a political prisoner for eighteen months, the place where Kalakuta Republic was birth.
Kalakuta republic describes vividly with clear imagery, the unimaginable pain from the various forms of torture and punishments melted out on inmates in the prison. The horrifying and traumatic experiences from the brutal treatments received from fellow inmates and guards which Abani gave a smooth narrative of, haunts me as a reader; he gave the perfect description of having a writer “show” instead of “tell” as you’d surely “feel” instead of “read” alone.
This poem collection of 119 pages cuts across the struggle of humans in dealing with their strength and survival. His poems stood in for the voices calling for freedom, all left unheard. His personal dashed hope of the possibility of fame as expressed in “Portal”, showed his disappointment at the fact that his story called no attention to the media. He wrote :
“But the days,
dragged,
into months
no change
no sign
of camera-toting journalists… ”
The fear of making his arrest known to his family is also depicted in his poem: “Mask”, for their safety is a priority to him. And, in six months, with no trial, message from home and no amnesty, he was released.
With various indiscreet sexual activities in the prison, homosexualism, so to say, his book raises questions on humanity, society, humour, and survival, yet again. Christina in “Paper doll” justifies his sexual acts, turned business, as his way of staying engaged and busy. Getting paid in sticks of cigarettes in exchange for giving sexual pleasure to inmates.
The desperate cry for death and lost value for lives is enough explanation for his poem titled “Job”. He tells how they(inmates) live days preparing for death, making wills with few personal belongings as inheritance, how guards brutally torture many, leaving some unlucky ones to die, like John James who was tortured to death at the age of 14.
The vigour in each poem, how they remind us of the unnegligible duty we have as humans to consistently do what’s right no matter the circumstances around us, the will to survive too, all these sum up to the amazing wave of hurting love I felt while on this piece.
The author’s close call to death was penned down in “Ahimsa” where he was attacked from a supposed sadist until he was saved by a young soldier. Racism too, in “Oyinbo pepper “, where he was faced with the resentment and inferiority complex he felt because of his white skin color, his poems all have their graceful, humorous and humanitarian challenging moments.
The journey of salvation offered to prisoners, shown in “Boddhisatva”, where many were urged to seek eternal peace in the afterlife before death, the fear of them(inmates) not being able to fit into the outside world after release too (from his poem : ” Caliban”) and the story of the falsely accused Owusu, a Ghanaian man that came looking for job in Nigeria who left Abani with the promise to make a ring out of his golden teeth for his girlfriend and son after his death, all these poems and many more in his anthology, makes this book a must read.
I see this book as Abani’s prison diary but contrary to the secrecy and privacy characterized with diaries, his is for all to read, enjoy and feel; something that makes him a distinct writer. I agree with the last paragraph of his author’s note where he said : “But remember always, that freedom, love, kindness, honour, justice and truth are never to be taken for granted — But worked at, struggled with and fought for, at whatever cost. For it is this that makes us human, and builds a bridge to our true nature, which is spirit. “.
There’s absolutely no message better than this!
—————————————————————-
A mental health volunteer and advocate. Mujeebah Opatola ‘Dasola is a 17-year-old orator and writer from the land of virtue, Osun state, Nigeria. She’s a graduate of the award-winning Islamic college, cited in Osogbo. She’s currently a year-one student of the prestigious university of Ibadan(UI). She was the overall winner at the first edition of SHE WINS OSUN INTER-SCHOOL DEBATE COMPETITION, 2020.
Having emerged 2nd Runner-up in the BRAINBUILDER’S YOUTH DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE TEENS SPEAK OUT 4.0, 2017 and 1st Runner-up in the 5.0 edition, held in 2018, she came back with full force and awed the bench as the Best Orator in the 6.0 edition.
Besides, she also represented her school in several editions of the Association of Model Islamic Schools(AMIS) Competitions and emerged victorious which earned honours and recognitions alongside several amazing prizes and awards. In 2020, the Pen Publishers acknowledged her as the Best writer of the year in their 2020 short story contest.