Letter to the Sun by Akoni Adedeji

Dear Sun,

You went to bed early yesterday

Nudging evil out of slumber

Confining me to my roomy room

Ordering the candles to do your job

Now, give your ears to my plight:

While you slept and snored,

A lad in the neighborhood got missing

Adama was raped by those you vindicated

In your absence, darkness dines with evil

The winged humans assemble in devil’s domain

The gentle men on the highway begin their day

Even the four-legged thieves are licensed to operate

Ibadan through Olasubomi Cole’s Colourful Lens

Photo Credit: Olasubomi Cole

Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area, by population, in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of over 3 million, and the largest metropolitan geographical area. - Wikipedia

Area: 3,080 km²

Weather: 23°C, Wind NE at 10 km/h, 88% Humidity

Population: 1.835 million (1991) UN data

Photo Credit: Olasubomi Cole

Olasubomi Cole, an ingenious photographer, captures the rustiness and boisterousness of the ancient city of Ibadan with the colourful lens of her ubiquitous camera.

Photo Credit: Olasubomi Cole

Ibadan

Ancient city of rusty caps

Foisted upon lands

Embraced by ageless hills

Subsumed in countless famed tales…

(Culled from Ibadan by Kolade Olanrewaju Freedom)

Photo Credit: Olasubomi Cole

Mapo Hall is the colonial style city hall, perched on top of Mapo Hill, in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Mapo Hall was commissioned during the colonial era by Captain Ross in 1929. It was renovated in 2006 amid some controversy. - Wikipedia

Photographer

Olasubomi Cole, who hails from Lagos State, studies Communication and Language Arts at the University of Ibadan. She is passionate about telling society's unheard stories with photography. She loves reading, watching movies and interacting with people. 

Email: communicatorsleague@gmail.com

Book Review: Punctured Silence by Kolade Olanrewaju Freedom

Punctured Silence is the much-anticipated follow up collection of poetry to Kolade’s second solo work, The Light Bearer.

A young poet, Freedom’s work has gone from strength to strength in this collection. His compositions have evolved and grown, the structures more sophisticated and the imagery more delicately expressed, such as in the verse ‘I fall no more’. What has not changed is the motive for his writing. What speaks to readers in Freedom’s poetry is the raw emotion he expresses, and the irrepressible hope that shines through each piece.

Readers of Christian poetry will enjoy this collection, but it is by no means exclusive. Freedom’s verses speak on a universal humanitarian level with their constant call for peace and co-existence. He draws on the violence in the world around him, and poems such as ‘It could have been you’ describe the terrible violence inflicted on Africa by groups such as Boko Haram. Through his words, he illustrates the scars have been inflicted upon his country and that will remain for many years to come. And yet, ever the optimist, the author shows his dreams for a better future through poems such as ‘Arise O Africa’.

One of the best aspects of this collection are the snippets of African language and culture that permeate the poetry. In poems such as ‘Healing the world with words’, the reader is treated to short explanations in the footnotes relating to Nigerian flora and fauna, as well as cultural figures and Gods. This really enlivens the work and adds another dimension to the pieces.

Overall, Punctured Silence is a wonderful read and a breath of fresh air.

Reviewer

S J Menary (Warwickshire, England)

S J Menary is an up and coming author and poet; writing Gothic horror, fantasy adventure, and chilling tales of the macabre. Recently published in an international short story collaboration of fantasy authors, Winds of Change, S J Menary is making a name for herself as a fresh new talent. Her terrifying tales are soon to be available in the Cumbrian Chthulu publication (forthcoming 2016) and her poetry has been published with the National Association of Writer’s Group and with Rugby Festival of Culture's poem a day initiative (out June 2015). She is currently working on her debut novel, The Blood Gate. A winner of the 2014 Sampad International Writing Completion, she is also a performance poet with the internationally successful Rugby Writer’s Group. Their work includes the intergenerational underground poetry movement, Open Resistance, and the local campaign for a Poet Laureate in Rugby as a tribute to the long history of great poets from the area. S J Menary is also the Junior Editor for Orders of the Day, the society magazine for the English Civil War re-enactment group, The Sealed Knot. As an IT consultant, she also works with the Alexander Kollontai Film Company. She lives in Warwickshire with her tabby cat, Artemis.

Ofada Kitchen II by Yetunde Oyelude

Photo Credit: Olasubomi Cole

       The breezy evening was mildly illuminated by the crescent-shaped moon. Demilade was so much in a hurry to get out of his last class just to share some moments with the lady he couldn’t apparently get off his mind. Optimistic, he found his way into Ofada Kitchen. The canteen was a beehive of activities; lots of customers dined and wined at the same time, chatting and giggling with one another. Attendants with rumpled faces were also busy taking orders from a line of impatient customers, but Demilade could not seem to find his favourite among them. He moved closer to the food stand with a wildly thumping heart really hoping he would see Sewa. Still, she was nowhere to be found in the canteen. He was slightly hungry but all because he couldn't find Sewa, his appetite vanished.

        

      Disheartened, Demi found his way out of the canteen with his face soberly facing the floor.  Unaware of others, he bumped into a young lady who was engrossed with whatever she was doing on her phone.

      “Sorry!” Demi and Sewa both apologized almost at the same time, and as if acting a well-scripted movie, they slowly lifted their faces to lock their gazes.

      Sewa felt the movement of butterflies in her stomach the second she set her eyes on Demi. Her heart raced wildly with imaginary legs. She couldn't remember when last she had been so excited meeting a guy that she had barely known for a day.

        “You!” Sewa exclaimed, trying to subdue the excitement in her voice.

        Demilade was just too relieved to reply her. He couldn't begin to describe how happy he felt just by seeing her. He took instant notice of her conspicuous beauty. She was wearing a simple red dress and she looked impeccable in it. “You're going home?” Demi said finally, staring at the bag with a strap hung over her shoulder.

      “No, school,” Sewa replied, trying hard not to notice how unbelievably handsome he looked despite the fact that he seemed exhausted.

       “School? Are you a student of UI?” He seemed surprised.

       “Yeah,” Sewa nodded.

       “Wow. I didn't realize.”

       “Why? Because I work in a canteen?” Sewa asked wryly, raising her brows.

        Demi smiled. “Maybe. What level are you in?”

          “100 level.” Sewa replied.

          "Oh, so you're a new student?"

          "Yeah." Sewa affirmed. "How about you?"

         "Me? I'm in 300 level."

         "Cool." Sewa nodded.

        They kept staring at each other after the conversations dried up. Feeling awkward, Demi broke the silence. "Come on, let's go. Let me walk you to the gate."

         "No, no, don't worry. I'm....I'm fine by myself." Sewa replied shyly.

          Demi half-smiled. "Come on, let's go. You know you don't want to walk to that gate all by yourself."

          Sewa knew he had not differed from the truth so, she succumbed coyly.

          "So, since when have you been working here?" Demi asked, staring at her keenly as they walked. Her timeless beauty was revealed by the way the cool night breeze caressed her face.

          "Hmm," Sewa started thoughtfully. “…that should be about eight weeks now.”

           "Cool. Hope you enjoy working there?"

           Sewa chuckled and started in a tone laced with sarcasm. "Yeah, right. With Madam Ofada and customers like you, I sure enjoy working there."

           Reading between the lines, Demi laughed wholeheartedly and Sewa couldn't remember how to breathe. His laughter effortlessly held her heart captive.

          Oblivious to what he was doing to sewa, he commenced in a bemused tone. "Customers like me? What have customers like me done to you?" Demi found her amusing.

          Realising how discomposed she was in Demi’s imposing presence, she recomposed herself. "You were obviously hungry and angry this afternoon so you decided to pass your aggression on me." She said angrily not looking at his face. She wasn't sure if she was angry at Demi or herself.

Of Love and Woes II by Akindeji Ola

Our eyes were locked in a battle of emotions in which none of us was ready to throw in the towel. We were both egoistic but I was eager to cut her wings to stamp my authority. I continued looking her squarely in the eye while studying her reactions. She was startled although she tried hard to hide it. She returned the look I gave her, and it felt as though her hazy eye would burn through my soul. After a few awkward minutes of eye communication, I decided to withdraw the eye-attack in order to initiate a conversation with her.

“Hello sunshine,” I said, smiling sheepishly.

No reply came as she was utterly confused. It was so obvious that she was shocked to see me again.

“You were very mean yesterday. I was only trying to be friendly, you know,” I said again.

 “No, I wasn’t. I only did the most appropriate thing, you were the jumpy one,” she countered defensively.

“All right, just forget it okay? Let’s start this all over. I am Toba, and you are?” I said extending my hand again. She tilted her lash eyelashes upward, shook her head, and finally burst out into uncontrollable laughter.

A thousand and one thoughts rushed into my mind as I tried figuring out what was going on within her. My mind tried rationalizing the fact that she could refuse my offer the second time. “She is actually the one cutting your wings,” the spirit of truth whispered.

“Aisha,” she said, jolting me back into reality. Surprisingly, she shook my hand. The earth momentarily froze as her tender palm touched my woody palm. I felt like a celestial being; I was in heaven.

“Hey,” she cooed, bringing me back from wonderland. “How about this night? 7:30, Love Garden,” she added.

“That’s all right,” I said, trying to suppress the excitement welling-up within me. My intestines danced for joy like a child who just got a new toy for Christmas. I wanted to scream my head off. I had gotten Miss. World without having to travel round the world.

“Don’t be late,” she said, with an air of finality while giving me a penetrating look. Her presence was swept away with the swagger that endeared her to me in the first place.

Late? Never! I was never going to miss such a coveted opportunity.

I tried to concentrate in class, but I could not as thoughts of what could happen that night kept flashing through my mind. I dreaded screwing up the budding romance.

The day passed by slowly like a snail. Impatience was excessively pumped into my adrenal gland. Finally, 7pm chimed on my clock, and I started getting dressed for our premature date. I put on my finest casual dress, perfumed my body heavily and set off for our venue. I was going to play love at Love Garden.

I waited patiently for Aisha to arrive, and at exactly 7:30pm, she arrived. Our date began in earnest. We talked on everything we could lay our mouths upon. All through our discussion, she clung to me like a baby scared of the dark. She pleaded that I sang for her, and I obliged although I had a croaky voice; a toad would make a better singer. Suddenly, our lips were fastened together with the thread of passion before parting for our tongues to engage themselves in a frenzied dancing competition. When we finally separated, I could see her chest heaving like an athlete who had just finished a marathon race.

***

“Watch your front, Mr.!” A man shouted at me, crudely bringing my thoughts to an abrupt end. I groggily made my way towards Aisha while the old memories flooded my mind again. I remembered the many bad moments we had together and how different circumstances threatened to tear us apart. In the midst of those nagging thoughts, it became clear that we were inseparable – the earth and the sky, fate made us.

Biography

Akindeji Ola, who hails from Osun State, studies in the department of Communication and Language Arts, University of Ibadan. He loves reading and socializing.