Michael Isangedighi Imossan is a poet, who has written over 90 poems. In this interview, he talks about his journey into becoming a poet, how his poem is influencing his readers, and why his poem contradicts Wole Soyinka’s poem. Excerpts:
How did your journey as a poet begin?
My journey began in 2010 when I found out that at the touch of love, everybody becomes a poet. I started writing poems until there was no more love, so I started writing about heartbreaks and then I figured out that literature mirrors the society; so, I started being conscious of my society, and wrote poems to reflect that. I made a resolution that said ‘With wittily wobbled words, I shall shun the era of love and write about the horrors of life’. That was when I started writing about the society, patriarchy, communism, gender preference, and politics at large.
What was the last poem you wrote; can you tell us about it?
‘Woman’ was the title of the last poem I wrote. As the name implies, it centers on the struggles of women in the Nigerian society. It highlights the gender preference in our society and brings to our knowledge, how and what women are suffering in our society. The poem started from the birth of a girl, to highlight some parents’ preference for a male child. A woman is made to believe she is inferior; she does nothing other than hand over her pride to a man who will coil her beneath his figure. The poem goes further to highlight the struggles of a woman in her husband’s house. First society forces the woman to marry who she never truly loved and the man on the other hand forces her to let go of her dreams because he wants her to be who he wants her to be. Patriarchy is still intricately interwoven into our culture. The poem highlights that women folks can also stand up for themselves, care for themselves and family irrespective of what the society has implanted or what the man subjects them to be.
Who is your mentor, and why?
I have always wanted to be like Wole Soyinka because he won the Nobel Prize, which I dream to win some day. I am a lover of complexity so, when I read his poems, the complex nature challenges me to want to be more. His religious belief shares a certain degree of sameness with mine. One of my poems titled ‘Abiku’ contradicts Wole Soyinka’s poem. It’s not that I was antagonizing him, but my love for him makes me want to be more than he is.
How many poems have you written so far?
The number of poems I have written would have to be an infinite answer because I have written lots and lots of poem that I cannot even remember. I have a target to publish an anthology so I have written up to 93 poems in that regards.
How can your poems influence your readers?
My poems have the ability to influence the readers because they proffer solutions to the challenges we face in our country. My poems help people discover self-truth, and be better versions of themselves. Most of the times I’ve presented my poems, people tell me how they were motivated by the poems. For example, at the end of my presentation of the poem ‘Woman’, so many got to realize their true powerful identity and worked towards actualization of living in their true identity.
One of my poems ‘White Supremacy’, reiterates why we should first value ‘our’ Africanism before peeping or delving into the western world. My poem, ‘White wedding’, talks about why we should value traditional weddings more than white wedding. I have written poems that highlight how poor our country is and how well corruption is embedded in it, so much that the citizens suffer. I used the Nigerian flag and other imageries to point out the degrading state of my country Nigeria. Anyone who reads that would be conscious and know that is not how the society is supposed to be, and the way forward.
What challenges have you experienced so far, being a poet?
Poetry is not valued anymore in the Nigerian society. What I know as poetry has been watered down to nursery rhymes and play on words. The emergence of the rogue form of poetry known as ‘The Spoken Word’ has further worsened the issue. People just want to give motivational speeches and rhyme and call it poetry. Whenever I’m called to perform in a place, I first think of the audience, will they even be able to understand what I am saying? Should I water down my poems to fit into their intellectual capabilities? Above all, people rarely want to pay; these are my greatest challenges and fear.
What lessons have you learnt over the years and how has that helped you?
‘Do not think yourself a poet yet’, when everyone thinks in that direction, strive for more. I have met people who are comfortable where they are because they have performed once or twice and people clapped for them. Do not call yourself a poet until you are sure that you have met the standard of poetry.
