Fire & Memory: COOU English Department celebrates the poetry of James Eze
By Editor
THE Department of English, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Igbariam Campus, has announced a major literary event titled ‘Fire & Memory: Celebrating the Poetry of James Eze,’ a tribute to one of contemporary Nigeria’s most compelling poetic voices and to his acclaimed collection, Dispossessed.
Scheduled for Wednesday, February 11, 2026, at 3:00pm, the event will hold at Mr. Smith Hotel, Awka (opposite former Government House). The programme brings together scholars, cultural leaders, artists, students, and members of the public in a reflective engagement with poetry, memory, identity, and artistic courage.
The occasion will be chaired by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Anambra State on Youth Empowerment Programme, Dr. Nelson Omenugha, while the Chairman of Peter NUPENG Group of Companies, Comrade Peter Nwosu (Sir Pee), will serve as special guest. Also featured as a Special Guest Artist will be the Managing Director/CEO of Anambra State Signage and Advertisement Agency (ANSAA), Mr. Tony Odili Ujubuonu.
Distinguished respondents for the event, include leading scholars of African and world literatures: Professor of English, African, African-American and World Literatures,Prof. Chimalum Nwankwo (Ndi Mmuo), Professor of English, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Igbariam, Prof. Echezona Ifejirika (Ogbuonyaraagu I of Umuchu), and Professor of Poetry and Postcolonial Literatures, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka,
Prof. Chike Okoye (Ududo).
Through readings, critical responses, and conversations, Fire & Memory examines Dispossessed as a work of rare imaginative force—one that confronts displacement, loss, history, and hope with lyrical precision and moral clarity. The event underscores the Department’s commitment to fostering rigorous literary culture and deepening students’ engagement with modern African poetry.
Fire & Memory is expected to introduce students more deeply to Eze’s poetic craft, thematic concerns, and stylistic innovations, while inspiring emerging voices within the university community.
Speaking on the forthcoming celebration, Head of the Department of English and host of the event, Dr. Ikechukwu Asika, described Dispossessed as “a luminous contribution to contemporary African poetry—one that gives language to difficult truths and resonates far beyond the personal into the collective experience.”
Fire & Memory promises to be both an intellectual gathering and a cultural homage—affirming poetry’s enduring power to remember, resist, and reimagine.
