ANA salutes Odia Ofeimun @74
By Usman Akanbi
COUNTDOWN TO APRIL 2 SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 11 DAYS TO GO!
I, on behalf of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), most profoundly salute an iconic, timeless and impeccable author of many paths, Mr. Odia Ofeimun on his 74th birthday celebration.
A former president of the Association of Nigerian Authors, among other positions, Ofeimun has made indelible marks in the literary industry where he stands tall as a poet and polemicist of great reputation. He has many volumes of poetry, books of political essays, cultural politics and anthologies to his honour. His works have been widely anthologized, translated, read and performed as dance-drama, locally and internationally.
A globally acknowledged author, Ofeimun’s published titles include The Poet Lied (1980), A Hand for the Flutist (1986), Under African Skies (1990), London Letter and Other Poems (2000), Dreams at Work and Other Poems (2000), A Feast of Return (2000), Go Tell the Generals (2010), A Boiling Caracas and Other Poems (2008), I Will Ask Questions With Stones if They Take My Voice (2008), Nigeria The Beautiful: Poems for Dance Drama (2011), A House of Many Mansions (2012), In Search of Ogun: Soyinka In Spite of Nietzsche (2014), among many other works.
A quintessential literary humanist, the African Literature Association (ALA) conferred on Ofeimun the Fonlon Nichols Award for literary excellence and propagation of Human Rights in 2010.
As this giant of letters and silk clocks 74, the association joins millions of folks that daily savour from his ceaselessly flowing fountain of knowledge and great accomplishments in thanking God for the gift of sound health and wish him many more blissful years of memorable celebrations.
Happy birthday, our great icon!
* Akanbi, poet and university don, is the president of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA)
