Raphael Mokoena reviews Soqaga's book on Bolaji

Book: OMOSEYE BOLAJI: A Voyage around his literary work

Author: Ishmael Mzwandile Soqaga

Publisher: Eselby Jnr Publications

Reviewer: Raphael Mokoena

Here is yet another book that takes a look at Omoseye Bolaji’s literary corpus; or put in another way, this is the latest study on Bolaji’s work in book form. And this new work is as close to a panegyric as anything.

The author in his powerful Introduction (which it appears we must read together with the “Overview”) explains that it has taken him about five years to put this book together. This shows that here is a writer who takes pain with his writings; and there is enough evidence here to show Soqaga is an avid researcher too.

Soqaga has in fact been known in the Free State for his Pan-Africanism – which with him comes close to being a dogged defence of more or less everything “African”; his approach (as revealed in his publications in newspapers etc) is quite reminiscent of the old Negritude in Africa.

He is also a humanist (think ‘ubuntu’ here, in South African context) and again this is clear from his varying analyses in this work. His critical essays here keep on harping on ideas of humaneness, pacificist trends, and he applies this to examining the fictional works of Bolaji.

Despite his intense critical mind, the author actually heaps lots of praise on Omoseye Bolaji as a writer in this work. The praise is direct, quite gushing and would probably be embarrassing to a Eurocentric critic or commentator.

But this is precisely the point. Soqaga’s approach is completely “African”, and singing the praises of “heroes” comes naturally for Africans. Can we for example imagine a white praise-singer in Europe or America? Soqaga set out his stall long ago (In other writings) and makes no apologies for this.

For example, one recollects that Soqaga contributes an essay to the earlier book, OMOSEYE BOLAJI (edited by Hector Kunene, 2010) where he (Soqaga) writes bluntly: “Actually it is a great thing to elucidate on this giant of literature whilst he is still alive...it will be utterly unfair to over-praise him when he is no more,” (Page 100). Soqaga, to his credit is consistent and obviously a man of integrity.

I wish to reproduce what I believe is perhaps the most touching, endearing part of this new work, where the author explains that he actually has a diary he has been keeping for years. A particular event is movingly evoked in an entry in Soqaga’s personal diary for 2007:

“Today early in the morning I met with Omoseye Bolaji son of the late Nigerian
writer Labanji Bolaji next to Bloemfontein library in town, Bolaji is a champion of Literature.  It was about 7:40 in the morning as he waited for his co-worker in literature, Flaxman Qoopane a very short man with a super-intellect in writing to take a special photo. Before a photographer arrived, we had a concise discussion about literature in general. However the day and the morning was so bright for Bolaji who told me that he was waiting for Mr Malcolm Hacksley the (then) Director of English Literature Museum in (Grahamstown).  Substantially, I witnessed how beautiful it was when the ‘superstar’ (Bolaji) took photos with Malcolm (NELM) who wished to see Bolaji and Flaxman. I was a bit surprised that Pule Lechesa was not available on that day.  Anyway it was so tremendous to witness such a moment.  Bolaji was on the western or far right while in the meantime Flaxman was on the left side; in the middle was the white Director of NELM (Malcolm).  It was quite surprising and interesting to behold this event; in my mind it was pleasing and delightful, a precious and magnificent moment...an aficionado of Eurocentric literature (Malcolm) seeking out and appreciating the fine literary contributions of Bolaji and Flaxman...’ Date of entry:  15/11/2007 South Africa (Bloemfontein)

Pic above: Omoseye Bolaji