Book: Rhymes from the Nile
Author: Blessed Mudiaga Adje
Publisher: Bulkybon Books, Lagos,
Reviewer: Victor Bruce
The summation that with Adje’s children’s Literature masterpiece he has proffered an African substitute to poems imported from Europe can not be overemphasized when one succinctly scans through the book.
The entire volume of sixty nine pages is made up of thirty poems that are so excellently selected to address present realities of our children as it were, as well as spring forth nostalgic feelings from the consciousness of craving adults.
Some of these poems include the following, Book, Reading, Children, My Pen 1, My School, Be Kind, African Sun, The Longest River, The Wind Vane, Time for Everything, Little Bird, Plane Crashes, Gifts from Above, The Cat, Baby, Children of God, Glory be to God, Clock, Mother, What Nigeria Alphabet Says, Roaming Dove, Butterfly 2, Judgement Bell, Mosquito, Prayer, and a host of others.
X-raying some of the poems on the basis of subject matter, it is quite obvious that most of these poems could be clothed within the spheres of simple advises, excellence in morals and a good degree of expository which truly places the poet as a remarkable teacher. For instance, the very first poem of the collection is so significant here, as it not only promotes the relevance of reading a good book but also advises that the child or reader- “Pick a book and read today / Read to learn and don’t delay,” shows that it is wrong to keep procrastinating.
Coming on the heels of the first poem is Reading, which also largely shares the same subject matters of advising, expository and good morals promotion as shown in the following lines - “Reading is like a healthy food / To give you knowledge bright and good / Learn to read-and don’t be rude / To bury any manner that is crude/.”
For Children, the poem advises that they should not fight and never walk in darkness but sing and play where there is light as well as cultivate the habit of cleanliness.
The piece titled, My Pen 1 tells of the poet persona’s and extensively, the conscious reader’s pen as one that preaches hope and unity and fight against corruption and confusion. While My School tells of the inherent benefits of the school – (any school); Be Kind teaches of the virtues placed in kindness. As for the African Sun, the poet persona asks some rhetorical questions which is still germane and which would still remain remarkably important. In The Longest River the child/reader comes to terms with the Nile as the longest river in Africa even though some say it is the longest in the world, while he/she is also made aware that The Wind Vane tells the direction of the wind.
Moreover, the poem– Time for Everything calls to mind the biblical king Solomon’s wise words in the book of Ecclesiastics. Apart from remarking that there is time for everything, the poet persona, admonishes on numerous moral values. Poems such as Little Bird, Roaming Dove, Butterfly 2, and Sunbird espouses or calls to the fore the lovely nature of these wonderful creatures. They are aptly juxtaposed with the unhealthy antics of The Cat as well as the fever causing demon, the Mosquito, which the poet persona advises that, ‘All hands should be on deck / To put this killer in check.’
With the poems- Gifts from Above, Baby and Children of God, the author brings to light the precious nature of children and their inherent unrestrained traits. He uses the poems to advise parents to see children as special gifts from God and direct them in the right direction which eventually, extensively as it were, leads to a better world.
In Glory Be to God, Prayer, and Worship, the voice of the author goes spiritual. Adje implicitly admonishes all to be thankful to the Almighty God, no matter the circumstances or challenges confronting man. He advances the inherent values in praises and worship as seen in the following lines in Worship- “Praise Him, praise Him and don’t be shy / Till the day we shall heavenly fly / When we kiss this world goodbye.”
With regards to the style employed by Adje, at a first glance, it could easily be adduced that most of the poems are crafted in a single stanza formation but a few are made up of two or three stanzas such as– Little Bird, Clock, Roaming Dove, Prayer, and specifically three others.
And apart from the fact that there is a greater use of the rhyming patterns in virtually all the poems, they are also characterized with a rhythmic dexterity that is typical of great children classic poetry. In addition, besides the use of familiar imagery (mental /psychological pictures) laced in first rate poetic devices such as similes, metaphors and personification to state but a few, the diction is veritably simple and reasonably well chosen to give credence to a perfect understanding by any child/reader of the poem at the very first attempt.
Most significantly, with the use of bold prints, reasonably thought-out questions after each poem and the handing of germane issues as well as the dexterous approach employed by Adje, one wouldn’t be wrong in ascertaining and lauding his effort as remarkably fantastic, enough to place him on the pedestal of great classic children literature writer.
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