Peter Wuteh Vakunta

Martyrdom and Other Freedom Poems Peter Wuteh Vakunta

This poetry collection, appropriately dedicated "in derision of all the cloned dictators in Africa," is marked by the acerbic irony of the "macabre poet" on various themes emphasizing Africa's dilemma past and present. The titles tell the whole story, from the confusion and contradictions of "The Rabble," idiots called leaders claiming to liberate the people from mental slavery when they, pseudoleaders, are begging for a re-colonization, to "Predators" and "Dogs of War" with people being their own worst enemies. In the midst of such tragedy, the poet finds consolation in the action of a few "Unsung Heroes" standing up to the messengers of national deconstruction and destruction. Such "Martyrdom," avers the poet, will need to be replicated many times over if Cameroon, his besieged country, and its macrocosmic representation, Africa, are to stand a chance of escaping from "Apocalypse". The style here is innovative, as the poet weaves languages, colonial and national, into historical analysis in mocking "patriotic" robbers hailing the superstitious and omnipresent père de la nation.

-Femi Ojo-Ade, Professor Emeritus, St. Mary's College of Maryland, USA