Review of David Oracle Onotu’s “Ode To Kachana”

“Ode to Kachana” is a praise poem written by David Onotu. At first, it is not clear who is being addressed, but further down we get to know that the poem is in praise of Nigeria.

The mood of the poem is that of awe, reverie, a little bit of sadness, regret and hope. The writer tells of a great land using metaphors. “Healing in the stampede of morning warmth”, “the luminance in your eyes tell of gentle sages”. Nature was used in describing the beauty of Kachana which is mostly referred to as “Kay”.

Towards the end of the poem, you will discover that Kachana symbolizes Nigeria. Several themes were explored in the poem which includes politics, love, Identity, dates and seasons, music and so on.

There was a strong use of Allusion throughout the piece. “A Lyon for the Cookies” referring to the movie Empire. I do not find that line necessary, it seemed out of place. “Tributes to Bombay”, “Ganges” refers to India. There was also an allusion to Africa and some Nigerian heroes.

The writer seems to be lover of music, particularly jazz, as me mentioned Beethoven and Mozart. He also mentioned “folklore” and “music of the Kalangu”. There is a mention of seasons and whether, “August mist” signifies rain, “January dust” signifies harmattan.

His mention of the three dominant regions in Nigeria shows the deep knowledge he has about his roots. For example: “the roads in the west”, “eastern mothers”, and “magic in the North”. For him not to say Southeast or southwest could be mistaken for the date and time the poem was written. Then he also mentioned the diversity that “Kay” has.

He lamented the about unhealthy kind of leaders that Nigeria has had in the past. Similes and personification were also used a lot. “Nigeria is a brilliance of full moon”, “Africa is a mother”. “Do the lions forget to carry their youngs?” The use of rhetorics to lament about leadership. There’s also repetition and so many other figures of speech.

The diction was simple and it gave a nice flow, very descriptive and vivid. It paints a positive picture even when trying to point out flaws. “Rich vegetation, splashes of gold, springs” and so on.

Despite the beauty of Nigeria, it is not devoid of some problems, but alas, it breathes hope. “You renew my faith in mankind” that means all will be well, especially with the constant repetition of “you’re my friend and kin”.

Vera Bonny