Eyes Of The Earth: Osundare's Romance With Nature

 

What is the usefulness of poetry? Does poetry perform any function? Could it be that poetry does more viewing the society through a critical lens? Does poetry alter thoughts and worldviews? Does poetry connect broken cultures?  These plethora of questions, and many more, is easily answered through the reading of Niyi Osundare's eyes of the earth. This compilation of poem showcases the beauty of Yoruba rustic traditional life. 

What's so special about the rustic traditional life? I think, an interesting trait of an average Nigerian villager, is a deep connection, acknowledgement, and reverence for the beauties of Nature. This idyllic aspect of his life, as dominated the way he sees the world and the role he performs in it. The most insulting way to describe this, is 'primitive'. Facets of the earth, are worshiped as the core or essence of existence. The influx of modernization in Africa, has eroded nature-worship at a swiftly rate. 

Nevertheless, it is a truism that the more we antagonize nature, we antagonize our very own selves because there's a connection between man and nature.

Poet who celebrate traditional culture like Osundare, have an advantage of exploring a cultural truth, that is steeped in nostalgia. The promotion of cultural heritage and tradition is one of the way to stamp cultural identity, on our societies like ours, whose traditional value is chipping away by westernization.

If we recognize the place of nature in our existence, it stretches the limit of what is possible, this can be found in Eyes Of The Earth.