MY LITTLE HUT

A poem by Okoye Precious o.

i love my little hut, tiny as it is
made of the red- cam mud
as pretty as can be

i cherish the coziness my little room doth bring
in the cold, warm; in the heat, cold
like a serving maid, changing as i wish

i have no gold, but in my own hut i am king
my wooden plates and broken cups are treasures i
-must pride in

no mutton meat to grace my table or costly reddish wine
no wealthy guests to visit me, for where will they even sit?
but
in my hut i have some fish my mama gave to me
and when we sit to eat porridge, what ecstasy i feel!

in my hut we grow some love, joy and harmony
which i know i'll never have in tall white mansions
when we kneel to pray to God, i know he smiles above
for the joy in my little hut makes the angels envy

i do not wish for a pretty rug to kiss my hardened foot
my smooth red mud is good for me, the little it can do
i do not pray for a 3-winged bird to make me cool and dry
the creator of heaven knows his own and sends me precious air

contented i am in my little hut and forever i will be
but now am grown and rich and smart...
i miss my little hut!!!

Departed

Like an unseen vapor races to the clouds
So went you, when you took a bow
Like the raindrops fade away
So did you in that box you lay

Have you gone? Or shall you return?
Shall, we together face the dawn?
Will you, maybe, turn your face?
From that glorious, whitish daze?

Is it true you no more live?
And your smile shall no more be?
Is this how you chose to leave?
Silently on New Years Eve?

How will I now not think of you?
When all I miss is all you do
How will I still smile again
When you left me in this den?

You have gone but still you live
In your words and in your deeds
The elephant dies but his tusks remain
Yours is unbreakable, daring all men

How I miss you, oh friend of life!
I hope we meet in timeless time
Where you'd n'er leave so quick
But maybe till then, the days I tick!

The Suicidist

The yellow world swimmed before his eyes
A life shrinkeled to a thin film
His heart grieved at the very thought
His mind so dark,no! not a beam

His thoughts raced into the dim past
A world so cruel, a life ill spent
Many bad memories came flooding
Even Maria could not stop him

A thin little rope 'd do the magic
He'd swing on top like a feeble fig
His tongue jutting out would wave goodbye

A life in oblivion seemed much better
The cruelties of life did leave him so bitter

Shouldst I tie the rope and end it all?
Or sit at home and bite my lips
Should I swing on top and end my life?
On and on, his thoughts did race

The thin little rope did the magic
His tongue jutting out, he waved goodbye!!!

The Prophecy

Mighty words they were, weakening our souls
Strong proclamations we hear, stealing our essence
The Oracle has spoken!
From the glowing west, the words flew
On the wings of "ikwikwi", the evil bird
Hear you the words from the oracle
Hear my brother, and mourn with me

"Many days shall come and go
Many years will roll like winds
But you Afri, will wallow in hunger
Steaming poverty and deepening crisis
Your things will cry with sore-filled mouths
Dirty and unclad, they shall roam the streets
Your mothers shall die before they birth
And if they birth, a little afterwards
Your fathers will wander like the cursed tribe
No farm to till, no game to hunt
Your lands shall be ever barren
Dry and crusty, bearing no fruit
Hear! Hear!! You swines, the plague of all
Your precious treasure shall be taken from you
Your pride, the Black Gold shall be no more
And then you'll bow your heads in shame
For you shall be no more than-
a fixture of disgrace
On the glowing west you must pay tributaries
Beg for food, clothes and shelter
And one day, for it will come
You! Black swines will beg for breath"

The Oracle has spoken!

    Composed by okoye precious o.

The Maiden

By Okoye Precious Onyeka

Our birth holes are sore and red
Alas we have been raped again!

Long ago lived a fair young maiden
Virgin at heart, in mind and body
Pure and fresh like a newly birth unicorn
Her name is Africa, a tall sweet thing

Her milk sacs were pillars of rest
The milk within surging in great fury
Her lithe body shone in the Eastern sun
Her gait, her poise, no one could feign

Praised by many, envy of all
Suitors from far lands sought her hand
The Arabs first with their whitish turks
But she was coy and bid her time

Then came the Oyinbo with the reddish skin
That looked to us like a freshly cut meat
He spoke through the nose and sniffed through the mouth
A strange fellow he was, though rich like a king

The young maiden ensnared by princely charms
And costly gems from far far Europe
Eloped with him before the dawn
Little rascal said no wedding vows

And now, brother, what is this we hear?
The pretty maiden is a haggard witch
Dressed in rags, begging for alms
On the far far streets of Europe

Our birth holes are sore,
Alas! We have been raped again!

Udu mmiri

Udu mmiri has come with the biting cold
Each silvery white drop danced gracefully
With Hopes of holding hands, kissing in the rain
And writing love poems on his beard

The rains in heavy thuds descend
Like the woodcutter's saw "doom doom dooom"
Even with a face like Maria's
Mr nyongo still did not want her

Why he wanted the petite ngobisu
She could not tell
Why,with the girls flat behind?
He rebuffed her rounded bottom

Udu mmiri had come-with its red slimy friend
The worrisome clay, always kissing the foot
If only the clay was Nyongo the man
She'd blaster the mud with a thousand wet kisses

Udu mmiri was very much the caring mother
That sat all night long over an ogbanje child
For when she could no more keep back the tears
Udu mmiri in solidarity, a fiery storm!

ALL HAIL THE ENGINEERS

A Poem by Mendhie E. Imeh

Tis impossible for man to fly
Only witches have such power to fly

People thought so
People believed so

Soon came a day when the whole story changed
And man now flies far beyond his world.

Engineers are wizards
Some people still think.

All hail the engineers!

When would I see my son again?
Old women used to think again and again
Their sons have gone beyond the shore
To make ends meet and the future sure.
Time flew swiftly
And change drove in gently
The wizards came up with brand new toys.
That changed the world and caused lots of joy.
Hallo, hallo, can you hear me?
Hallo, hallo, can you hear me?
Hallo, hallo, I can hear you.
Hallo, hallo, I can see you.
Whoever did this, must be a great wizard
This very thought still runs through their minds.
All hail the engineers!

"Our goddess forbids building any bridges"
The villagers used to say

She destroys the bridge whenever she sees
With waves powerful as that of the sea

The people prayed for change to come
And God sent engineers to their home.
Soon arrived the great wizards 
Who captured their goddess like a lizard.
The entire village sang and rejoiced
For their demon has been destroyed

Finally, a lasting bridge has now been built.
Let’s praise the wizards for what they have built.
All hail the engineers!

Soups are not cooked inside the house
The fire blackens the walls and heats up the house
Great meals are prepared out in the open
With big, yellow flames burning like in the oven
Caring wives and mothers used to think so
And they taught their daughters to even believe so

Soon came a day when the whole story changed
The engineers’ new toy brought about the change
The new cooking toy had just blue flames
With just no smoky yellow flames
This isn’t possible except it’s magic
The women of old thought at first
But the wizard’s sorcery makes better soups.
The entire world now loves this magic
Yes, it must be magic
But a good magic
All hail the engineers.

The Call

From the sweltering heat of oppression
From the ugly seat of racism
From the deep labyrinth of confusion
Let's rise, brother!

At home the broom rests gracefully
Hundred broomsticks bonded together
Like the broom sweeps the dust away
Brother, we shall sweep our foes to death

No more laid down gazes brother
No more bent backs and swollen knees
When the master barks at you
Stand tall brother, roar at him

Tis true say we are Blacks
But ain't we proud of it, brother?
A white man you can be anyday
But once black is lost, its gone forever

Are we not the sons of the Kikuyu?
Did our father's loins breed goats
Haa! The son of a lion dare not eat grass
We must stand up tall and fight

A Slave's song II

The unspoken lament of a Black Slave[i]
" my tongue longs for the fountains
oh! cool sweet refreshing fountain
reminds me of Africa, my sweet home
Africa, the land of the spotted Deers
Africa, the land of lush greeneries
Africa. the home of thick black skins
Alas, here I am, my back bent over the sickle
toiling all day long in the White man's
plantation
digging, pruning, clearing, planting, and
harvesting
while the White master walks round
Brother! he walks like a man with a boil on the
anus
pipe in mouth, puffing away all day like the
smoke from mama's cooking place
the koboko in his hand to whipe any defaulter
brother! we work all day without pay
but I am not in this alone
Blacks from different climes, different tongues
we have come together in this table of
hardship
we are one by the reason of one sweat, one
tear
one death, one lot.

To the African Woman

An English Professor once said that writing is a special art, it is not something that can be learnt in school because it is a natural gift. He averred that it is the "Muse", the literary god  that chooses who to possess and not the other way round. He concluded by saying that every work is precious no matter how mundane it might look because it is not the writer who chooses the words, it is the god who dictates.

If this is so, then Ngozi Adichie must be completely possessed by the Muse. I admire her wonderful talents and the fact that she inspires me to pick my pen whenever I read her work, she is great.
Ngozi Adichie is a literary aficionado, the Hercules of the literary world, a woman of great talents, an African woman indeed.
I particularly admire the names she gives her characters, "ifemelu, kambili..." It makes me proud being an African.
Africa is so blessed.
I pray more talents be discovered and appreciated in our land, Amen!

A Slave's Song

You call me a monkey and spit on my face
You teach your littles to call me ugly
You shout and rave and shove and push
But still, White Lady, I know who I am

You tell your whities "the negroe is dirty"
You ask me to cook then laugh me to scorn
You give me your dirties to wash and to dry
But still, White Lady, I am who I am

This skin you call ugly, White lady
In the Sudan, maidens jitter at the sight
This round face you call a monkey's
Nsongo looked into it and gave me her soul

This back you have kissed with long deep sours
It bore bags of palm fruit from the farmland and back
And when little droplets crease its face
Young maidens do not hold it, they
Come swooning like horny Queen bees

These hands you call lazy, weak and frail
These same hands, they tilled the community soil
These legs you say are too hairy and black
These same legs, White Lady, won me some battles

You call me a monkey and spit on me
But still, White lady, I Know who I am.

Female Genital Mutilation

What is Female Genital Mutilation?
In the most simplest terms. FGM is the removal of the clitoris, clitoral hood, the vagina lips and most times "infibulation" which means to sew up the vagina leaving only a small hole for urine and menstrual flow.
  In many parts of sub-saharan and northeast Africa, female circumcision is practiced, usually on teenage girls. The highest recorded case of FGM is in Somaliland with 98% practices, followed by Guinea with 96% and other African countries.
This is no time to shy away from the topic, plenty ladies live in perpetual agony because of this inhumane act. Someone who has gone through a surgery once knows how painful it is when the analgesic wears off, could you imagine how these girls bear the excruciating pains before and after the exercise? Usually, it is done with a sharp razor or knife, which most times are not sterilized; leaving the young girls vulnerable to tons of diseases. Imagine walking around with stitches in your vagina.

Why do they do this?
Most African societies believe it'd curb the rate of premarital sex, so to ensure that the husband is the first to have sexual knowledge of the girl. Though the intentions are good, this is ridiculously wicked.
First, fidelity or chastity is an act of personal conviction. Even infibulation cannot stop a promiscuous girl. Shouldn't the society and all concerned be more interested in inculcating good morals in young ladies than acting as surgeons, inexperienced as they are?

Female Genital Mutilation is an I'll wind that blows no one good, not to the victims, the men or the society at large. On the wedding night, the husband has to use a knife to cut open the threads before he can sleep with his new wife and who receives all the pains? How women suffer!
It might lead to keloidal growths in the vagina, which don't look so nice. Also, since most intricate parts of the vagina are removed during the practice, it'd lead to sexual dissatisfaction on the woman's part, because her major stimulators have been removed.
Can't we see FGM needs to be nipped in the bud? This is no culture, it is the highest barbarism! I advocate for the end of Female Genital Mutilation in Africa. Together, we can stop this.
Say NO to FGM today.
     Okoye Precious Onyekachi

Old Love: A Poem

        OLD LOVE
N'er have i seen such bond
Two hearts dancing in love's hall
Never have i felt such love
Affectionate passion, here befall

Bodies shriveled in many years
Eyes speaking of lovely days
Hearts brimming in golden bliss
Love, brighter than the Sun's rays

Many years he said to me
"You my dove, are my fantasy"
Many years she cooed to me
"Oh dear! You drive me crazy"

These days we do not talk so much
Sickness has dealt us several blows
But now when i look deep inside
With happiness exclaim, "only the hearts know"

Prospects of Traditional Medicine

I learnt something from a friend today, she said that if a wrapped cloth is placed on a pregnant woman's head, it'll forestall delivery till it is removed. Also, that if a little child is hiccuping and a thread or rope is tied round his head, it'd stop the hiccups immediately. I have witnessed one myself, the Urine therapy. If a little child that is convulsing drinks the urine of his real mother, the convulsion will cease. I don't know if i should call these superstitions or magic because they have worked for many people. If it is effective and the art can be learnt, even passed on to generations, then it is no magic but science because it can be replicated to achieve same results. To be on the safe side, though, i call it Traditional Science.
  This traditional science has proven to be very effective, sometimes even more than Orthodox medicine. The use of herbs has cured many of the so called intractable diseases that defied Orthodoxy. Take, for instance, "Mouringa". Mouringa is a medicinal plant that cures all manner of illnesses ranging from the mildest headache to the most stubborn fibroid which a heap of drugs would've worsened. Today, i read a paper that had an advertisement by a guy recently graduated from the department of Plant Science and Biotechnology, UNN who discovered a potent herb that could turn Hiv positive to negative and he proudly doled out the phone numbers of his previous clients that received the miracle cure. If his claim is valid it means that traditional medicine has done what orthodox medicine could not do. Where does this leave us? We suffer lesser risk of adverse effects like cancer because the medicine is natural and natural things dont hurt or do they? They are cheaper too. So what do you think? Is this not the manna we have been waiting for? Shouldnt unemployed graduates veer towards the traditional health sector? Who said old native doctors should do all the job? What do you think?

Happy Mothers Day

It is mothers day today, say should we write a poem to these angels in flesh? Or buy them gifts? In any way you can, do give a shout out to the great women of our time...

kolors of Africa

KOLOURS OF AFRICA 

 Here comes the god's messanger Thunder! The fiery bolt of Amadioha 

Zig-zagged lines across the sky 

Whitish lines that show no light 

 The rain in bucketfuls descend 

The red mud wall is warm today Mother's side eye looks at me 

Else i would have gone to play 

 Still and crouched we munched the cob Every teeth in motion set I

n the half-moon our thoughts were set When shall the locusts visit? 

 When its dawn, we rise with the sun Everyone to the good wet soil 

Pruning and planting, we work all day Evening sets, we turn our backs 

 Father is the god at home 

None escapes his mighty wrist 

Every night before i sleep 

Father's palm must kiss a cheek 

 We were plenty, many children 

All i knew they were my siblings 

Different mothers, still one Father

 This, to me, was all that mattered

 Oh Africa! Goddess of peace 

Colourful land of thick black skins 

I could give me all and more 

If we will be she to the core! 

 

Okoye Precious Onyeka 

Contact(08176460151)

The Centenary: A Celebration of Colonialism

THE CENTENARY: A CELEBRATION OF COLONIALISM? By Okoye Precious Onyeka History & International Studies, UNN(3/4) As it has been declared by the executive president of the federal republic of Nigeria, president goodluck jonathan,the Nigerian state was born in January 1, 1914 when lord lugard amalgamated the northern and southern protectorates. The theme of the centenary is “ 100 years of Nationhood, National Development and Challenges for the future.” To commemorate the event, 100 heritage sites in nigeria have been identified as national monuments especially those related to the amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates. Also akwa ibom state has been selected as the face of nigerias centenary because of her historical significance as the place where the signing of the amalgamation treaty by sir lord lugard in the present day ikot abasi took place. It is obvious that the centenary celebration has become a contentious issue; some are in favour of the celebration while some are seriously kicking against it. This article attempts to present the two sides of the argument and at the same time, drawing a plausible conclusion from the available analysis. Those in favour of the celebration are of the view that the Nigerian state was born in January 1, 1914 when lord lugard amalgamated the northern and southern protectorates and even though there were pockets of kingdoms and empires like the benin kingdom, and oyo empire existing before the time of amalgamation. The act of bringing two separate protectorates into a union conferred on Nigeria the status of a state. According to them, the people living in the “Nigerian” territory prior to the coming of the whites were not known by any name and so, had no recognition in the world but the amalgamation gave Nigerians a place in the global sphere. There are some sentimental critics anyway, who believe that the centenary is a suitable platform to discuss their problems and profer solutions to them; and that even though Nigeria is not at her best economically, politically and even socio economically, it shoud not deter us from celebrating the union of the separate blocs in Nigeria; some even cite instances of the north and south America of the slave era that were so different economically but who eventually stayed together in the union of the united states of America. However, the critics of the centenary celebration seem to have countered their opponent’s points. According to them, the centenary celebration is both a waste of time and resources. The ayes posit that given the amalgamation of 1914, the status of a state was conferred on Nigeria but this is a fallacy. A state, as two of its major characteristics should possess sovereignity and independence from foreign rule. In 1914 and until 1960, Nigeria was not independent, talk more of attaining sovereignity. This, in effect, implies that the Nigeria that was allegedly born in 1914 is not the modern state we know now but a union of separate administrations. Also, the assertion that Nigeria was born in 1914 is a distortion of history because the Nigerian prople were living in the Nigerian territory centuries before the whites came. Is it then logical to dismiss their predated existence and say the country came into existence whrn the british arrived? This view advocates the hermitic hypothesis that believes Africa was a dark continent before the coming of the whites. On the other hand, a childs age is not counted from the time visitors come to see him or give him a name but from the day he is born into the world. If this be so, then Nigeria is over 1000 years old because it is the people tjhat make a country and not otherwise. Sadly enough, there are ongoing plans for the centenary celebration while there are more pressing issues the Nigerian government should tackle- alarming unemployment rate, poor electricity supply, insecurity, poorinfrastructure and so on. These should receive premium attention from the Nigerian government but this is not the case. By late February, the centenary celebration will kick off in all glamour, also, by October 1st, another memorable event shall be celebrated. Are these not frivolities that can be susprnded for a while until the important issues are taken care of? Celebrations should come after hardwork not before. What are we celebrating by the way? Colonialism? We should not cekebrate the day Britain established her rule over the country. We ought to celebrate independence from british rule which we gained in October, 1960. In the words of Alhaji Lateef Okunnu, former Federal Commissioner for Works and Housing: “it is absolutely idiotic for anyone to want to celebrate 100 years of bondage or to celebrate the occasion where we were under colonialism. I have never heard of a country celebrating colonialism or the birth of colonialism. If thry want to celebrate the days oif british entrepreneurs and british traders, it is their business but to me, it is absolute idiocy. If they want to celebrate the Portuguese who came before the british, that is their business.” As to the issue of north and south America; distinct and unique economies that have remained together even after the civil war of 1865, they can celebrate their unionism if they choose to because it was europes expansionist motive that led to the discovery of the New World by Amerigos Vespucci, a Spanish explorer. The incorporation of northern and southerm America into a union was undertaken by the people themselves. But Nigerias case is different, a foreigner came to the country, without prior knowledge of the organisatioan and structure of the pre existing communities unifies two different entities and we have been asked to celebrate this. Richard Akinola in his ‘’fellow country men’’ asserted that the almagamation is a colonial fiat that sought to wield into one, several distinct groups whose autonomy had been in existence for centuries. The british almagamated the administration of the north and south not the people. This is the root cause of nigeria’s problems. When the almagamation took place, the british government sealed off the south from the north. Between 1914 and 1960/40 years/ the british allowed minimum contact between the north and south because it was not in british interest that the north be allowed to be polluted by the educated south and the dichotomy between the north and south has remained ever since. Taking into consideration the aforementioned points,I deem it right to say that Nigeria is wrong for celebrating a centenary; the situation of the country not withstanding. Nigeria can celebrate 46 years(1914-1960) of the british occupation if she wishes but not a 100 years. The civil war and secession of Biafra are clear indications that there was no union between the north and south in the first instance. Fellow country,we should not celebrate a man whose interest it was to promote british economic and expansionist motives in Africa Nigeria especially. Colonialism is not worth celebrating. aemail:prcsokoye@gmail.com

Hell No To Gayism

WE ARE AFRICANS AND THIS IS AFRICA.
Africa is one unique continent whose rich culture can be adjudged the most original in the world. The African culture incorporates the people's social, religious and moral conceptions. Not minding the variant religious practices obtainable in Africa, there are certain beliefs and values that are generally accepted. Take for instance, human conception. The Africans recognize sexual intercourse between a man and a woman as the prerequisite for conception, but in the west, the Artificial Insemination method has the day; that is their own way of life but which is alien to the African culture.
Homosexuality, Lesbianism, Incest, Bestiality, Orgies are condemned heavily in Africa. These whites have said that it is the fundamental right of a person to associate with others as he chooses so far as it does not pose any threat to the environment and my African brothers acquiesced. One day, the same whites will tell us to lie with our dogs, cocks and cats because animals have rights too and we shall thank him profusely for enlightening us.
I have heard arguments like gayism has enough social rejection already, why make its punishment legal? My  response is, rapists, cultists, drug peddlers, and terrorists have enough social rejection already, why imprison them? Others claim they need rehabilitation as it is more psychological than physical, but the jinx here is, if such alibi is allowed, rapists, druggists, cultists, hired assassins will also request for rehabilitation homes instead of prisons, since theirs is not in any way less psychological compared to homosexuality. I can only wonder how the country would be like with all those hardened criminals let on the loose.
I expect some dissenting views but I do not give a budge. This is Africa and if allowing a man to sleep with his fellow man is letting citizens enjoy their rights, I'd rather we revert to the Hobbesian State of Nature where there is no Rule Of Law and life is short, poor, nasty and brutish than accept this barbarous, accursed, unspeakable and despicable culture.
                     Okoye Precious Onyeka

Annie Idibia is a Mother Again

Annie, the pretty babymomma of 2Baba gave birth to a child some hours ago though the sex has not been revealed yet. But boy or girl, this will be an ecstatic moment for tuface idibia, Annie his wife and their numerous children. Congrats Annie!

Smoking Is Really Nice

Yes! Now I got your attention; smoking is very disastrous as you should have known by now. Smokers are liable to die young as you have probably heard. Why? It takes your youth away and worse still, causes lung cancer. Not going to give you more sermons, just take a look at the picture and make your choice.

Welcome People

Welcome to Precious okoye's blog. Feel free to drop your comments and mention me in your blog. Thank you!

African Migrants Protest in Isreal

Another protest again, this time Africans in Israel demand their freedom of work, legal hearing before imprisonment. Seems things are going tough between Africa and Israel, i think Nigeria should delay signing a pact with Israel for now. Visit African migrants protest in Israel http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/25614614 for more.

Be The You

Be The You