Bèbè Ìdí (Beaded Waistline)
Artist: Moyo Okediji
Title: Bèbè Ìdí (Beaded Waistline)
Medium: Terracotta
Date 2010
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Artist: Moyo Okediji
Title: Bèbè Ìdí (Beaded Waistline)
Medium: Terracotta
Date 2010
My Teacher Taught Me Nonsense
“In June 1796, Mungo Park discovered River Niger,”
our teacher tutored us,
“Diogo Câo discovered the mouth of River Congo, 1482
David Livingstone discovered Zambezi River 1851
And later discovered Victoria Falls, 1855
Richard Burton discovered Lake Tangayika….”
The mighty and resplendent Iya Iroko
tree had remained rooted
to the same spot
near the Oba river
for three hundred and sixty-four seasons
watching the ways of humans
from the viewpoint of a plant
under which folks sat
Fat turds float on top
of the water well
in 9ja social waters
dressed to look like fishes:
they are not
the ones you seek,
Far below the layers of turds
you will find spring waters
Captive No More (Part II)
3.
When they snatched my grandfather
from the breasts of his mother,
he lacked the language
to grasp or describe
what did happen
and was happening to him
.
In those days,
mothers breastfed their infants
for three solid seasons,
some four, some longer.
Adetola Wewe is with me in Austin Texas.
He is here as an artist in residence in the art center/gallery that I began recently.
He is chilling here with some àsun that he brought with him from Nigeria, and one of the local beers in Austin.
Officially, I become a senior citizen today.
I turned 65.
From what my daughter said–and she was giving me professional information as a licensed social worker–I have become an ẹ̀rùjẹ̀jẹ̀ in the eye of the law in the US.
I’m like a baby now.
Can you imagine hurting a baby!