Reggae music introduced me to poetry – Tolar
Aj. Dagga Tolar is author of several poetry collections, including ‘Dis Sick Republic’ and ‘This Country is Not a Poem’. Here, he talks about his writing journey and more. Excerpts:
Bookshelf: One of your poetry collections is titled ‘Dis Sick Republic’. Why did you choose such a title? Aj. Dagga Tolar: It was an attempt to look at a fictional country whose leader doesn’t die and retains control of the whole society. So, his state of health is a reflection of the country’s condition. From every section of the society, from the language, music and agriculture, you see complete dominance and imposition. It may appear fictional, but this is the kind of country we live in.
Bookshelf: Was it inspired by the present government of President Muhammadu Buhari?
Tolar: No. More by the Yar’adua era. That was when I wrote the collection. The beautiful thing about literature is that it transcends time, which is why you don’t impose your interpretation on people, especially because we are in a permanent state of what Soyinka refers to as Abiku. That’s the most painful thing for us. When the child dies it comes back and it takes a mind with depth to know that he or she has returned. In the country we are talking about, failure returns in the same form, same name, and person. Like TS Elliot would say, “there is a death and a resurrection.” But the truth is that there is no renewal of life. Unfortunately, we don’t recognise this same failure and allow it to repeat itself. That is the permanent state in which Nigeria has found itself. Bookshelf: Why did it take you so long to publish the work? Tolar: The same thing that
prevents many from publishing. I have over twenty unpublished collections. You have to write, edit and so on. We squeeze blood from stone to survive. It takes the extra mile for one to move ahead. Bookshelf: How did you start writing poetry?
Tolar: Reggae music was my introduction to poetry, and obviously my university education. My earlier roots though must return to Cyprian Ekwensi, even though he wasn’t a poet. You get gripped at that early stage in school reading ‘Passport of Mallam Iliya’, ‘An African Night’s Entertainment’ by Cyprian Ekwensi. So, those two texts were my introduction into the world of literature, followed by ‘Animal Farm’. That is why you can’t help but lament about the kind of texts students are made to read in public schools these days. People go to negotiate in order to get their work included in the schemes. It’s a disservice to building a strong reading foundation for young people. It’s saddening that literature as a subject is not a stand-alone subject in Secondary School but is merged into English language. If we must encourage reading, we must change this kind of arrangement.
My roots, outside of reggae music, is in literature where Cyprian Ekwensi introduced us to how feelings can be internalised. You are reading a story and crying. That for me was the greatest education, that words
can encounter the mind. You begin to share in the experience of characters and see yourself in their place. I grew up to meet someone like JP Clark in his poem, ‘Night Rain’ which was made compulsory in school. Even though I met him earlier, I grew up to appreciate Wole Soyinka more, given the permanence of his metaphors.
Bookshelf: Should poetry be guided by rules? What is your opinion?
Tolar: To be able to break rules, you first and foremost have to learn them. To break a rule is to advance it and also to grow from a thesis to antithesis, which could be a part to a new evolution. The concept of poetic license is first and foremost appreciating all poetic forms, knowing all the masters and reading them. No human experience is new at the end of the day. We offer new meaning and hindsight in the way we see things. We are not the first people to see life and people will continue to see life in various forms. We owe ourselves, first and foremost, the duty to understand how others have seen and expressed life. This is the only sense in which we can create life anew and poetry can become new. So, you can’t break any rule because they are as important as they come.
Bookshelf: ‘Season of Struggle’ was your first published collection of poetry. How would you compare it to what you write today? Tolar: I have grown in insight and understanding. Since then my ideas have crystallised. The
The beautiful thing about literature is that it transcends time, which is why you don’t impose your interpretation on people, especially because we are in a permanent state of what Soyinka refers to as Abiku
‘Reggae music introduced me to poetry’
ideas of socialism as expressed by Marx and Lenin has helped me define my own perception of life and world view. That has impacted tremendously on all my collections. In my first unpublished manuscript, ‘Daggering Boots’, yes, the form had been discovered and I expressed myself, but my mind wasn’t fully made up and my mind wasn’t fully defined in terms of my perception of what life is. That
perception has been shifted by my ideas as crystallised by Marx.
We live in a beautiful world with enormous resources, but unfortunately for us the new liberal capitalist system controls society in a manner that the majority of people are deprived.
Bookshelf: Another collection of yours has an intriguing title, ‘This Country is Not a Poem’. Why this title?
Tolar: A poem is the highest form of expression that the heart can get to. It’s beauty in all its facets. Unfortunately, the saddest thing for me is my country’s refusal to be a poem, to be something that can be fully appreciated, loved in that highest expression in which poetry and art form is. Bookshelf: Have you considered writing prose? Tolar: I have a few unpublished short stories I need to polish. However, poetry comes to me naturally and easily. Prose requires greater sacrifice. My longer tenure in poetry makes it easier for me, so I find it hard to sacrifice time for prose. Bookshelf: What are you working on at the moment? Tolar: I’m working on two poetry collections simultaneously, ‘Search for the Self’ and ‘Black Maria: The Heaven Road to Hell’.