Haemorrhages and Healings in Nnimmo Bassey’s We Thought It Was Oil But It Was Blood (2008) and I Will Not Dance To Your Beat (2011)

Abstract

No doubt, the crisis of ecology has remained one of the topics that has received prominent attention in the evolution of modern poetry in Nigeria. The space of reference has always been the Niger Delta area whose serenity has been ruptured by multinationals in search of oil in that sub region. For stated reasons, poetry has become the most responsive to the issues. However, a clear line can be drawn between the traditional/ passive and radical/ militant poets who have involved in the engagement. This article is an ecocritical inquiry that engages with Nnimmo Bassey who exemplifies the second categorisation in the study of his We thought it was oil but it was blood (2008) and I Will Not Dance To Your Beat (2011). This article distils the peculiarities in Nnimmo Bassey’s engagement which lie in his hybrid model that localises and universalises mans’ infractions against nature on the one hand and his commitment to truce on the other hand. The conclusion of the article disagrees with the poet’s conservationist proposal but aligns with his prescription of a meaningful and practicable dialogue that will assert the complementary roles in the interactions between man and nature.