Consciousness, Literature and the Arts
Archive
Volume 7 Number 1, April 2006
_______________________________________________________________
Political-economic Consciousness: Songs of Mosop and Fowa
by
Rivers State College of Education, Nigeria
Abstract
The fundamental right to education was pioneered by late Paul Birabi, laying the foundation for the minority fighter and writer late Ken Saro-Wiwa; who was to advocate for human rights in this contemporary period, before his sudden demise through hanging in November, 1995. These rights are expressed by the minority Ogoni ethnic group in their songs, a genre in oral literature, showing communal consciousness, developed in this contemporary age, about the rights to good education, job opportunities, commerce, peace, life, royalties from oil wells, sovereignty over mineral resources, etc. These are the issues examined in the songs of The Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) and The Federation of Ogoni Women Association ( FOWA).
T. N. Paul Birabi was the pioneer politician in Ogoni politics, who was appointed the minister of education in the House of Assembly in Enugu; he led the N.C.N C. delegation to London. He refused to sign for the confederation of Nigeria; he insisted on the autonomy of Ogoni ( Akekue, 2004, 32). He gave the Ogoni political and educational consciousness; the latter, he proved as the first graduate and founder of Birabi Memorial Grammar School, which unfortunately materialized after his death.
The late S.F. Nwika emerged later as a minister in the House of Representatives in Lagos. He refused to sign off the mineral resources of Ogoni to the federal government of Nigeria( Akekue, 2004.33). Later, Decree 9 was promulgated in 1971 to transfer royalties and rents derived from Petroleum, around territorial waters, to the federal government. Another decree was enacted in 1975, to condemn anybody to death by firing square or 21 years imprisonment, for obstructing the drilling of petroleum products from any where in the country.
Although KAGOTE, a non-political organization, was founded in 1970, as the first formal educated Ogoni group, with its membership drawn from the six traditional kingdoms, as designated by the acronyms KA for Kana; GO for Gokana; T for Tai and E for Eleme; the group was not politically, economically nor educationally effective. However, members benefited from the group; the privileged ones gave them contracts, lucrative jobs and political appointments( Akekue, 2004, 180-184). KAGOTE gave birth to The Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) in the 1990s. Members were brought together by a new consciousness – problems associated with oil exploration- the development of manpower, unpaid rents and royalties for several years ( Amanyie,2001,56).
The establishment of MOSOP has provoked new consciousness in areas as politics, education, business and other works of life. What is MOSOP? The writer has remarked that it is a complex cultural organization with affiliate arms like FOWA, National Youth council of Ogoni People ( NYCOP), Ogoni Teachers Union( OTU), National Union Of Ogoni Students( NOUS),Council for Ogoni Traditional Rulers (COP), Ogoni Welfare Association(OWA), Council of Churches( COC), Council for Ogoni Leaders of Thought(COLT) and others (Ngaage, 2003,17). MOSOP is a non-governmental, but political, developmental and cultural organization of the people. This is substantiated in the following words: “ its aim is to promote democratic awareness among Ogoni people, protect the Ogoni environment, and to struggle non-violently for the rights of the indigenous Ogoni people so to recover, maintain and further develop a sustainable form of life in Ogoni land (Saro-Wiwa, 1990, 39).
MOSOP is the modern consciousness of the people. Its moto is “ Freedom, Peace and Justice”. It is important to note the expression of the contemporary awareness of MOSOP, in the words of Saro-Wiwa before his death: “MOSOP was and is predicated on three ideas, all of them current in the modern world, relevant in international discourse: the environment, human rights and rights of indigenous people” (MOSOP, 2004,45).
MOSOP has continued to be relevant from the 1990s to the present day in Nigeria. On the 3rd of November 1992, it demanded royalties and rents from Shell oil, Chevron and the Nigerian National Petroleum, on behalf of the Ogoni; but these companies refused to comply (MOSOP, 2004, 45). This led to a series of actions and reactions; property and lives were destroyed in Ogoni.
The President set up a Human Rights Investigation Panel and mandated it “to heal the wounds of the past and quickly put the ugly past behind us” (Obasanjo, 1999, 53). Although government has shown concern, the Ogoni have not been given the right to resource control ( Ngaage,2003, 555). In fact, the report of the Oputa Panel has not been released and implemented, as expressed in The Guardian of February 25, on the subject of “National Political Reform conference”( Onwubiko and Ebiri, 2005, 8). The report has just been presented to the conference delegates, for debate after one week; it has not been declared officially to the public.
MOSOP has expressed dissatisfaction and its exclusion from the conference; it has made its position clear – its support for the creation of regional governments. However, MOSOP has been invited recently to the conference, after agitating for its inclusion ( Ebiri,2005,1-2). The article entitled “Nomination For Confab Ends January 31” is about the setting up of a body, to discuss the following lofty ideals: constitutional, political, electoral, judicial and civil service reforms; consultation and census building reforms; police and prison reforms ( Durotoye,2005, 1-2). It is unfortunate that the lofty ideals are not marched with adequate methodology, as querried by Gani Fawehinmi, in The Guardian of 21st February, 2005 (Abubakar and Ndujihe,2005,2). In addition, thinkers like Soyinka and Enahoro have declined to attend the conference, for this and other reasons.
The historic and political experiences of Ogoni people have influenced their literary consciousness. Perhaps it is necessary to state that Ogoni oral literature is appearing late in the world, and it may be attributed to two reasons: the inability of the British to penetrate the heart of Ogoni and the late emergence of an oral literary specialist from the area. Only Eleme in Ogoni was documented in history, as a result of the official agreement between the community and one captain James in 1877 (Akekue, 2004. 65). This inaccessibility could have been responsible for the one paragraph reflection of Ogoni oral literature mentioned in Oral Literature in Africa ( Finnegan,1970 , 511).
The Ogoni are not docile but active and the modern champion of human rights in Nigeria. Their environment and political experiences have provoked thoughts, invented words, plays, prose and poetry. This modern consciousness is encapsulated in the word “ Kenuleism” coined by the writer ( Ngaage, 2000, 80-85).
In William James classic essay on consciousness, characters of consciousness are analytically explained and, most importantly to this work, consciousness is described as a stream; a continuous process that could only be hindered by interruptions and time-gaps (Miller, 1963, 4). The stream is made up of the data of events, objects and symbols, from which one has to select, what is momentarily relevant (Miller, 1962, 54). This shows that mind is not synonymous with consciousness; the former accommodates objects or ideas that form the preconscious mind, from which selection is made (Miller, 1962, 67).
No one was born with consciousness; every child develops it over the first few years of life ( Charlton, 2006, 1). Consciousness is an example of awareness; the latter is a functional ability in complex animals.
Although consciousness precedes speech; it conveys thoughts and feelings through communication, and language is the chief means of communication. Consciousness is a means of controlling behaviour, knowing reality and the existence of culture. It moulds speech that is the expression of verbal reflection. The unity between consciousness and language is such that without language, there cannot be consciousness.
They are separate units that form part of an integral process; a thought in our consciousness may be expressed in a word, and when we remember a word, a thought occurs in our consciousness ( Spirkin, 2006, 1 ).
Consciousness is personal to an individual, who selects and uses ideas from the data bank in his mind, to articulate them through language. The writer has labelled the sum total of individual consciousness as group consciousness. He has remarked that folk literature is misinterpreted as the mass production of poetry, plays and prose. A careful study of each song, play or narrative reveals personal identity, style, thought and consciousness ( Ngaage, 2000, 14). The songs of Ogoni are expressions of persons having similar objectives or goals. The songs form a reality:
Thought, which implies a conscious identity, invents
words which, by their meaning, communicate a
state of consciousness. The words which pre-
suppose a reality, generate concepts which
place the speaker and hearer in relationship with reality ( Tschumi, 1978, 5).
The songs form communal consciousness- a social reality existing between Ogoni people and Nigerian government- a reality of the contemporary period about Ogoni environment; the oil pollution of the land, the flaring of gas and the non-payment of rents constitute contemporary Ogoni consciousness, which is different from the consciousness of previous centuries.
Marxism is a kind of conscious perception of the world; in relation to literature, the Marxian data are the social problems men encounter, in contrast with the means of production obtainable at a particular time in society. This consciousness precedes and invents literature through language against the backdrop of oppression.
Marxism conveys ideas, thoughts and feelings about the ruling class and the masses; it regards literature as a conscious production, which reflects the way people conceive the world; it reveals the contradictions that are historically determined ( Price,1989, 52-53). A good literary text or piece of literature is a slice of consciousness; a verisimilitude of how men live, which a literary critic looks at like Rorschach inblots that could offer several meanings, depending on the consciousness and learning of the interpreter ( Carrol, 2006, 1). When it is read and analysed from the Marxian perspective of literary criticism; it reveals the real existence of man, mode of production, stage of development and classes in society. Consciousness of the masses leads to articulation and confrontation with the ruling class. An analysis of a song or text shows significant “silences”, a world behind it ( Eagleton, 1943, 34).
Marxian consciousness leads to a new vision of society ( Eagleton, 1943, 59). It can motivate, influence, change society and bring about a new world with a new mode of existence. Marxian consciousness is reflected in the content of a work of literature, which is best expressed by suitable language that evokes a Marxian world.
It is necessary to start with the “Ogoni Anthem”, a social reality about the dominant mentality of a people; social forces in the Nigerian society have determined the song, which is an indicator of mental transformation or consciousness, which is the precursor of literary, economic, social and political renaissance. “The Ogoni Anthem”
1. Aabo, aabo, pa Ogoni aabo nee iye ge ziga na ko Baraboo a giima i
2. Sitom sitom pa Ogoni sitom nee iye ge ziga na ko Baraboo a giima i
3. No kpa no kpa pa Ogoni no kpa nee iye ge ziga na ko Baraboo a giima i
4. Bebe bei be pa Ogoni bei be nee iye ge ziga na ko Baraboo a giima i
5. Eegai Eegai pa Ogoni eegai nee iye ge ziga na ko Baraboo a giima i
TRANSLATION:
1. Arise, Arise, Ogoni people arise; we shall no longer allow the world to outwit us
2. Work, Work, Ogoni people work; we shall no longer allow the world to outwit us
3. Obtain education, obtain education, Ogoni people obtain education; we shall no longer allow the world to outwit us
4. Fight the war, fight the war, Ogoni people fight the war; we shall no longer allow the world to outwit us
5. Express pride, Express pride, Ogoni people express pride; we shall no longer allow the world to outwit us
The writer has said that the song is about the underprivileged Ogoni people in Nigeria; where the major ethnic groups oppress Ogoni, a minority group, through irrational decrees enacted to control their mineral resources ( Ngaage, 200, 80-93). This is a new Ogoni song of the 1990s; it shows the modern psychology of the people, their attempt to cope with the transformations in the country. Although their ancestors were peasant farmers and fishermen, and very few are still in those professions in this contemporary period, the conscious worded language of the song indicates the search for modern professions and the demands for fairness, and respect for racial identity.
This modern consciousness is against the background of injustice in Nigeria. It is a capitalist nation, where there are capitalists and poor masses. However, Nigeria is a much more complex society than some western countries; Nigerians speak over four hundred languages, which specify different ethnic groups of about those number of peoples. So politics and good jobs in Nigeria are determined by ethnicity and education. An educated Ogoni man cannot compete favourably with anyone from the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria; except he betrays his race in exchange for wealth, he is favoured by fortune, or fate smiles on him. A simple illustration will do. If an Ogoni Petroleum Engineer competes for work with an Engineer from one of the three major ethnic groups, with the same class of degree, he stands the chance of losing it; he may be employed in a tertiary institution, an irony of fate, where he will train persons from those groups for lucrative jobs. The Engineer from the major ethnic group is elevated from the peasant class to the bourgeois group; this syndrome is perpetuated through selection and exclusion into the economical and political rich class in the nation. This informs the consciousness of the people today and their astute resistance to oppression.
The song is a simple lyric with few stanzas. The first stanza evokes the liberation consciousness of a people, who have been struggling against oppression. The explication of the “silences” behind the song is expressed in Ogoni Bill of Rights ( MOSOP, 1991, 3). It is traceable to the oppression and neo-colonialism expressed by Ogoni people.
The first stanza is about the new consciousness. The word “Arise” connotes sleep or a state of drowsiness of the race before the new consciousness. There is a plea in that one line stanza for the awakening of the race from slumber and the need to embrace the new consciousness.
The second stanza evokes the deprivation of the people. Although the Ogoni lived as subsistent farmers and fishermen from the 15th century to the 21st century; the people must change their orientation in the contemporary epoch, to cope with the new social forces operating in their present day capitalist society in Nigeria. They must learn all the modern trades and work in every human endeavour.
The third stanza emphasizes the urgent need for education in Ogoni. Parents should not wait for scholarships, but should struggle and send their children to school. An example will suffice. In September 1966 the government awarded a total of 600 secondary school scholarships to Nigerians; only two of these were given to Ogoni students ( Saro-Wiwa, 1968, 13).
Fearful and timid people may be conscious of oppression without inventing words to express their needs or problems. The people are not only conscious but also vocal. The language of the song is immediate, demanding, assertive and revolutionary. It is the language of the Ogoni of 1990s to the present day, unlike the centuries ago when the language of the Ogoni was cowardly, uncertain and unassertive. The new man is driven by a new vision that is informed by a re- orientation, consciousness and language. His attitude is unassuming; his hope is unlimited, in the face of antagonistic dominant ideology of the majority.
When the “Ogoni Anthem” is examined against the background of Rorschach inblots, it reveals revolutionary consciousness, attitude and language. All revolutions are not violent; few are non-violent; few are violent and successful:
Most violent revolutions have been indefensible.
Bloody revolutions are usually made adventures that lead to
anarchy and sadistic aggressiveness. They exchange one
group of scoundrels for another group of scoundrels.
Instead of introducing a new era of justice, they give
birth to anarchy( Verkuyi, 1974, 34).
Marxian Consciousness invents revolutions, which are often prone to violence. Marxism holds the view that” violence generates liberation”. Christ could be regarded as a revolutionist; he stood for standards and values antithetic to those conventionally accepted in the society of his time, but he used the non-violent approach to change things (Uchegbeue, 2000, 56-70). Saro-Wiwa has done the same; his revolutionary consciousness has been infectious; it has influenced the Ogoni and subsequently Nigerian government. This has been responsible for the setting up of Oputa panel.
Stanza four implies conscious agitation, expressed through words and writing. It has been a non-violent war; its chief means has been and is the pen, guided by wisdom. ( Boyd, 19996, 5). Its method has been a combination of the methods of Christ and Ghandi. The approach believes in non-co-operation and intervention in resolving conflicts ( Bassey, 1996, 45).
The new racial consciousness has created a new reality and a new culture. The Ogoni have undergone a revolution in ethnic consciousness comparable with the expression of worth in black American literature. The Ogoni man was an underdog, not a human being nor a person of worth, dignity or carriage but the new consciousness has brought about uncompromising demands for various rights. The new attitude has internationalised the race, making the Ogoni man not merely a subject of discussion, but a personality whose wrongs must be redressed. Ironically, the Ogoni man who was a mere thing has crystallized into a human being, who can no longer be outwitted. It is not surprising, for a people can develop a new kind of consciousness, as Nigerian have done recently. However, the tyranny against the race still weighs heavily on justice.
The next MOSOP song is a slice of life from the past- a historical reference to deprivation and the beginnings of consciousness.
Bari bee taaneedeeba Ogoni lol
Baraboo bee giimai ko nee iye popnen
Aleela Birabi ko age arari, ba fee
Aleela Ken nyaamalo
Aleela Ken Saro-Wiwa, ba fenage
Translation
God blessed Ogoni
We were defrauded by the world because we did not have a person of worth
God sent Birabi to rescue us; they killed him
He sent Ken to replace him
He sent Saro-Wiwa; they killed him.
Birabi was a very brilliant student, who came first in standard six examinations of 1930. The Igbo did not believe an Ogoni youth could be so brilliant than all others in Eastern Nigeria; his result was seized. He sat for the same examinations in 1933 and was ahead of all his colleagues by 95 marks ( Akekue, 2004, 101). That was the beginning of a change from feudalism to capitalism; the new capitalist had to be educated to take over the means of production. Birabi developed this consciousness in the Ogoni and practically drove youths to attend primary schools in the area, and he fought to establish a secondary school. He knew that was the principal means of participating in the Nigerian economy. Unfortunately, he died before realising his lofty dream of having every Ogoni youth educated.
Saro-Wiwa came with a new contemporary vision of resource control, but he was killed like Birabi before the realization of his vision. These are the “silences” unaccounted for in the song: the fraudulent practices against the race, occasioned by the lack of men of renown and aggravated by the untimely deaths of Birabi and Saro-Wiwa; these data form the stream of consciousness that runs through the mind of the literary critic.
It is not surprising for the persona to lament over his degraded identity as an Ogoni man in the song:
Lead Singer: I was born in the land of milk and honey,
but I have got no money.
I woke up one day to see,
Strangers in the land.
They have made my life miserable.
I am an Ogoni man;
This is my crime, Lord.
The self in this context evokes Marxian consciousness, since it represents the masses; the stream of consciousness flowing in the mind of the persona makes reference to his birth in a land of abundant mineral resources, deprivation by strangers and the present life of penury.
“Milk” and “honey”, biblical metaphors for plenty, refer to mineral resources of Ogoni. This consciousness has provoked the dirge, which weighs heavily on the mind, when one comes to read that Ogoni “ over 30 years” of mining “ have provided the Nigerian nation with a total revenue estimated at over 40 billion naira ( MOSOP, 1991, 15). The dirge is a bitter one; it has left the persona “miserable”.
The structure of the dirge is peculiar to the laments in Ogoni, where the chief mourner laments her losses, while others affirm intermittently. This pattern permits specifics: narration, description, dramatic gestures and heartfelt expression of sorrow. This structural pattern is sustained in the next section:
Lead Singer: They drill my oil and give me no share
A thing they knew so well…
I have no food to eat
What do you say to this?
Chorus: I am an Ogoni man.
The persona is not a scientist; his experience has made him know that his productive farmlands, rivers and mangrove swamps have become barren by unscientific drilling. Moreover, he has not been paid royalties and rents for over thirty years; he is a poor representative of the race, whose rich environment has ironically made several persons from the three major ethnic groups rich capitalists.
The last stanza is about the man behind the new consciousness.
Lead Singer: God sent a man
He was Saro-Wiwa
He dreamed our dream
And spoke of Ogoni plight with wisdom
He came to die because he would not lie
Nor take a bribe
He went through the land
And showed the world our plight.
Chorus: I am an Ogoni man.
The social forces at work have brought about class conflict and the death of Saro-Wiwa. It has been demonstrated elsewhere; Saro-Wiwa was the richest Ogoni man in his life time, but he chose to identify himself with his poor proletariat ethnic group ( Ngaage, 2000, 85) So he was deprived of the protection, pride, satisfaction and comfort of the bourgeoisie.
The entire dirge is structured like any other Ogoni dirge. The spectrum or scope is broader than the ordinary lament; this is informed by the new consciousness, which is not limited to lamenting for the passing away of a person, but it carries the consciousness of the people. The attention of the world has been drawn to Saro-Wiwa’s personality internationally.
Perhaps only Baribo Kpobe’s song composed for MOSOP can be strictly classified as an oral poem, which fulfils the broad scope of oral poetry: prosodic elements as rhythm, alliteration and parallelism; heightened language, metaphor, musical form and structural repetitiveness (Finnegan, 1979, 24-28). The poem is quite explicit about the position of the Ogoni on the new vision:
Kpado Ogoni e kanaimon
kpado Ogoni bon kima kparoke
Dene gbo gbara dara ba boo
Dene gbo bia nvee ni kpoolo
O dui o o dui o
E oa Bari zaa
Ken Saro-Wiwa giaakara eera
Eede pa Ogoni
E kaimon ko o dui se
O dui ooo o dui oo O dui oo
Translation
The Ogoni race, we greet you
All men raise their hands in your honour.
All women support your programme.
Welcome, welcome, welcome.
We thank you God.
Ken Saro-Wiwa star of the morning
The eye of the blind
The leg of Ogoni
The light of Ogoni
We greet everyone, welcome.
Welcome, welcome, welcome.
The song articulates conscious unification of Ogoni men and women by the new vision of Saro-wiwa. It posits that everyone has imbibed the new consciousness and honour him for it. The use of the word “eye” is a signifier of a new vision; “leg” signifies mobility in struggling to bring the new consciousness into realization; and “ light” is a signifier of a new dawn of consciousness. The dominant language of the song is synecdoche ( Ngaage, 2004, 148-150).
The women are participants in the new worldview. They have double consciousness; they are asking for fair treatment from their Ogoni men in this modern age. So they do not want to be reserved for the bride wealth of their parents, who will use it to send their brothers to school at their expense. They want education and lucrative jobs. They are willing to assist their male Ogoni partners to contend with inter-ethnic capitalism, which has deprived them as women historically, sociologically, economically and psychologically ( Chukwuma, 2004,14). This view is expressed in the simple rendition:
To o m do nu
O do kune kune
Translation
When you share something
Share it equally.
The FOWA women are against parasitic syndrome; persons who benefit from the struggles of others.
O ko ba ge nvea le
So ba m lo bel FOWA
O toora to si ki
So ba m de kpee a dulo
O m to dea ba bol
Translation
You say they degrade themselves
When they talk of FOWA
You carry your load and go to market
When the struggle shall be fruitful
You shall cry and place your hands on your head
The song shows different attitudes of Ogoni women to the new worldview. Personal consciousness can influence, give birth to and transform communal consciousness. However, few persons may be indifferent and even rebellious.
Saro-Wiwa had predicted his death during his last rally at kpor; all the persons there refuted it and could have prevented it, but the head of state was determined to kill him. MOSOP and FOWA members vowed to continue to articulate his ideas.
Interpolated Citation: We shall fight with the last drop of our blood.
Lead singer: Mii Wiwa ee mea le ke aa tee
Mii Wiwa ee mea le ke aa tee
Mii Wiwa ee mea le ke aa tee
Mea le ke a tee
Chorus: Mii Wiwa ee mea le ke aa tee
Mii Wiwa ee mea le ke aa tee
Noo Ogoni ee mea le ke aa tee
Translation
Interpolated Citation: We shall fight with the last drop of our blood.
Lead singer: The blood of Wiwa is flowing
The blood of Wiwa is flowing
The blood of Wiwa is flowing
It is flowing
Chorus
: The
blood of Wiwa is flowing
The blood of Wiwa is flowing
The crude oil of Ogoni is flowing.
A revolution is a new way of thinking, invented by new consciousness. People are always rebellious against new radical ideas. So lives are always lost in revolutions, whether they be violent or non-violent. It is significant that the “ blood of Wiwa is flowing” and not running. The latter makes us think of a tap that is running and can be stopped easily. The image of “ flowing” is descriptive of a course, a movement or a revolution, which is juxtaposed with a mighty river flowing without hindrance. Historically, multi-national oil companies have not been stopped in Nigeria from mining mineral resources, but it has happened in contemporary Nigeria. Psychologically, the Ogoni have dropped the petals of shame, degradation and timidity. Educationally, there is an upsurge for learning in the hope that if they are deprived today; they will obtain their rights tomorrow. Economically, they are yet to be empowered; their poverty is glaring in contrast with the resources in their environment. So is the present rate of development in contrast with the regional differences ( Ebele, 2002, 83-93). In the literary circle, a renaissance is taking place- the Ogoni and Nigerians are publishing articles and books on the new consciousness, and the worldview of the race.
In conclusion, the songs of MOSOP and FOWA are oral literature. They embody the worldview of the people, who have articulated and are progressively expressing their communal consciousness about their deprivation in Nigeria. The songs are verbalized lyrical poems about the unscientific method of producing petroleum and other problems such as pollution of the environment, the complexity of Nigerian capitalism rooted in ethnicity and the dialectical dimensions of social, economic and historical forces operating in their world. These ideological paradigms are reflected in the songs and are found in Ogoni Bill of Rights. The history, politics and literature of Ogoni people are explicit markers of tension; they indicate the dialectical social forces of change in their world.
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