Poets, activists and leaders, who converged on Abuja towards
addressing Nigeria’s security and leadership challenges, say there was
the need to reflect and draw moral lessons from the poem “The
Casualties,” by legendary J.P Clark.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the stakeholders
gathered on Wednesday night at an interactive forum aimed at proffering
solutions to the nation’s many challenges using poetry, which held at
the Thoughts Pyramid, Abuja.
The event was put together by The Arts and Civics Table (TACT)
Organisation, an NGO that promote civic engagement culture through
discussions and debates on issues of public interest.
Mr Ose Anenih, a co-founder of TACT, said that the event with the
theme, ”We Are All Casualties”, was in commemoration of the World Poetry
Day (March 21).
He noted that although the acclaimed poem by J.P Clark, was written
over four decades ago, its timeless lessons were still relevant to
Nigeria’s current situation.
”Happenings in our country today show that we are all are casualties
in one way or the other, both the rich and the poor, leaders and
followers, Christians and Moslems, and something needs to be done
quickly.
”In line with the vision of the TACT, this panel of conversation,
with literary icons and people from other background, is to decipher The
Casualities in other for everyone to learn some lessons and change”.
Dr Isaac Nnadi, a septuagenarian and leadership expert, noted during
the discussion that J.P Clark wrote the poem to stress the fact that
everyone suffers during crisis.
He therefore advised leaders at all levels to learn from the nation’s
ugly past by shunning sentiments that could disrupt national peace and
development.
Nnadi said: “The Nigeria Civil War which lasted almost three years,
took its root from various political, ethnic, cultural and religious
crisis which continued on unchecked.
“The poet tells us that the casualties of this war are not only those who are dead because they are well out of it.
“The dead are no doubt victims in this brutal war, but death in
itself is the ultimate escapism from the pain and anguish in war,’’ he
said.
A poet, Gimba Kakanda, noted that the poem addressed injustice,
oppression and looting, adding that leaders should always be selfless
and objective.
He noted that Nigeria today was being polarised along ethnic and
religious lines which was not healthy in building a strong and united
nation.
He said : “Why should someone look at your name or where you come
from before taking a stand with you or against you, even if you are
doing the right thing?”
Another Panelist, Veronica Bakan, said that for Nigerians to avoid
being casualties, they must deliberately identify and build unifying
factors and shun hate speeches and actions.
She said: “we have focused so much on what divide us; it is time we
find those things that connect us and strengthen them as a nation.
“The tribe of humanity is one, and there is no tribe or religion that is older than being human”, she said.
However, an activist, Maureen Kabrik, noted that ordinary Nigerians
have become the actual casualties in the hands of their leaders over the
years.
“The political class are the ones making casualties out of the people
they are meant to serve, and unless they change we are going nowhere as
a nation.
“They divide us along tribal and religious line just for them to maintain their dominion over us”, she alleged.
High point of the event was the recitation of the poem “The
Casualties,’’by a young poet Umari Ayim, followed by other performances
by upcoming poet poets Cech and Iyana.
NAN reports that the poem”The Casualties” written by J.P Clark, one
of Nigeria’s foremost literary icons, points to the time of the Civil
War.
The poet asserts that the casualties are not only the ones who are
wounded, and the dead, for they are far from the devastating
consequences of the war.
It is not only those who have lost their material assets and
property, it is also those who have irretrievably lost their dear ones.
He noted that the casualties include those who started a fire and that cannot now extinguish the same