Versifying exile and belonging in selected poems by Olu Oguibe

الملخص EN

The symbiotic relationship between exile and belonging is most visible in the writer's deployment of his/her art to document experiences of the past and their impact on the feelings and well-being of his/her people in the periods represented in the work(s).

This paper explores exile experience and belonging in the African poetry with special reference to Olu Oguibe's selected poems.

Upon the publication of his first collection titled Gathering Fear, Oguibe registers his presence in the African global and contemporary literature is his unequivocal attachment to his Nigerian Nation.

He goes against all assumptions led by the West against Africa and he succeeds at integrating with other cultures to be prominent as his contemporaries like Achebe, Sonika, and Tanure Ojaide.

In the light of this, both of Edward Said and Oguibe share the same perspectives about the significance of belonging to homeland and deploy their exile experiences and poetry to defend their national and regional culture against all types of westernization.

Exile- Belonging- Olu Oguibe- Edward Said- World Literature- African poetry- Integrity- national faith