ABSTRACT

Niyi Osundare is one of Nigeria’s most prolific poets whose works have

contributed significantly to the growth of a Nigerian poetic tradition. His appearance on

the literary scene has brought a new direction to the development of poetic activity. This

is seen in his radical approach to social, political and economic themes and in his indepth

exploration of oral tradition with the aim of stamping an indigenous identity on African

poetry by deliberately writing poetry that carries less western influences. It is of note that

Osundare is able to make his contribution to Nigerian poetry because the tradition of

poetry existed before he wrote.

The tradition of Nigerian poetry owes its evolution to certain significant factors,

these are the historical events of Africa’s contact with colonialism and the neo-colonial

apparatus, the culture of criticism that literary output depends on to thrive and the African

tradition, that rich reservoir of verbal and non-verbal art forms in the form of tales,

proverbs, images, myths, legends, music, mime and gestures.

The research explores significant manifestations of Osundare’s poetry and how

these have contributed to the growth of modern Nigerian poetry. The first chapter

undertakes a survey of Nigerian poetry by establishing the pioneering voices of Osadebey

and Okara. It highlights the poetic voices of Soyinka, Okigbo and Clark whose works

have built up the tradition of Nigerian poetry and also influenced the direction of

Osundare’s poetry.

The second chapter analyses Osundare’s concept of commitment as closely linked

to his radical ideological leaning that views literary activity as serving a political purpose.

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