Poetry, Literary Works Can Sustain Nigeria’s History, Cultural Values, Says Chukwumerije

 Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu

The scion of late Abia senator, Uche Chukwumerije and multi-faceted literary icon, Dike Chukwumerije saturday disclosed that poetry and literary works have potentials of sustaining Nigeria’s cultural values and history.

 The scion of late Abia senator, Uche Chukwumerije and multi-faceted literary icon, Dike Chukwumerije, who at the weekend in Enugu staged several drama and poetry performances depicting Nigeria’s 102 years historical development

The young Chukwumerije, at event, held thousands of theater goers and literary scholars spellbound for more than three hours when he hosted the show tagged “Evening of poetry for theater production” at Oakland Event Centre, Enugu.

The show which was done in collaboration with Radio Nigeria Enugu, covered 102 years of Nigeria’s history presented in different genres including poetry, songs, music, book reading and scintillating drama.

He described the event as “a made in Nigeria show” aimed at re-inventing the nation’s cultural values and re-establishing the nation’s history in art forms with a view to forging a common bond and unity among new generation Nigerians.

According to him, “It is possible to use poetry and literary works to sustain our values and history; yes you can use it both writing in English and talking about your culture and your situation or even writing in your own indigenous tongue, which is even stronger. So poetry is a very strong tool for preserving our cultural heritage.

“I wanted to use poetry to draw socio-political attention and pass cultural messages especially the history of Nigeria in a way that it will be interesting and engaging. The theme is that in spite of our contradictions, in spite of our problems there are some benefits in
staying together as a country.

“I see a lot of potentials in Nigeria as the greatest black nation on the face of the planet. I’m just saying that yes I know things are  difficult, yes I know that we have had a tortuous history, but the things that bind Nigeria together; the belief, the ideals; I think we should try to uphold that vision.”

He promised to repeat the show in Enugu and the South East in general in order to sustain Enugu literary society and promote reading culture in the zone.

The Zonal Director of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) Enugu network centre, Mr. Ike Okere, described the show as “a proof that poetry is life, that poetry is action, that poetry is not that dry academic exercise that we do in schools and universities. And that
with poetry you can actually create a change, you can actually get people thinking and that you can actually get people to take action.

“Dike has proved again that the origins, the root of poetry lies in music, in dance and in song. And combining all these elements, he has created a wonderful, a show that has kept us for two hours, applauding on our feet, a show that beats any musical video you can think about
or indeed any movie in any cinema house.

“We are a public radio channel, Radio Nigeria is a public radio channel, and we believe that it is our responsibility to promote culture, it is our responsibility to promote a literary culture every where we are. So we will do that, we will continue to do that, and we will continue to provide the platform for people who are creative to be able to really express themselves,” he said.