Catherine Obianuju Acholonu’s poem, “Nigeria in the year 1999,” expresses the solemn and hopeless future of Nigeria. Written in 1985, Acholonu predicts a corrupted society in Nigeria, while negatively affected by the modernization of its society. This includes American and European cultural influence on the youth, or the future, or Nigeria. By using allusions and highlighting the already corrupted nature of Nigerian society, she is able to sensibly portray a morbid future for Nigeria.
The negative tone of the poem is quickly seen in the first stanza. Acholonu writes, “today the sixth of june / in the year of our lord / nineteen hundred and ninety nine / a child is born at 6 p.m.” The biblical allusion of “666” is clearly seen and the poem already takes a dark turn. Represented as “the number of the Beast,” “666” is referred to in the Book of Revelations, which primarily deals with the apocalypse or ending of the world. The child that is born on this day can perhaps represent the actual situation of Nigeria and the reality that the entire population will face in 1999, which may become a gruesome end to the current path it is on. Later in the poem this child is referred to as “child of the devil,” another clear allusion to the Bible and the apocalypse. They world may not actually be ending, but the condition of Nigeria seems to be almost equivalent to it.
As the poem continues, Acholonu addresses the cultural changes that will soon affect Nigeria. She writes in bold letters, “MADE IN ENGLAND.” Nigeria, having been taken over by the British centuries before, took heavy impact from their colonization. Even after their independence, the British influence has still remained, and will continue to remain in Nigeria perhaps into the new millennium. She later writes, “what has this adult-infant been up to?” This leads up to her mentioning “rock ‘n roll,” micro-cassettes, and Bob Marley, influences brought to Nigeria from the west. The poet seems to be... [continues]
The negative tone of the poem is quickly seen in the first stanza. Acholonu writes, “today the sixth of june / in the year of our lord / nineteen hundred and ninety nine / a child is born at 6 p.m.” The biblical allusion of “666” is clearly seen and the poem already takes a dark turn. Represented as “the number of the Beast,” “666” is referred to in the Book of Revelations, which primarily deals with the apocalypse or ending of the world. The child that is born on this day can perhaps represent the actual situation of Nigeria and the reality that the entire population will face in 1999, which may become a gruesome end to the current path it is on. Later in the poem this child is referred to as “child of the devil,” another clear allusion to the Bible and the apocalypse. They world may not actually be ending, but the condition of Nigeria seems to be almost equivalent to it.
As the poem continues, Acholonu addresses the cultural changes that will soon affect Nigeria. She writes in bold letters, “MADE IN ENGLAND.” Nigeria, having been taken over by the British centuries before, took heavy impact from their colonization. Even after their independence, the British influence has still remained, and will continue to remain in Nigeria perhaps into the new millennium. She later writes, “what has this adult-infant been up to?” This leads up to her mentioning “rock ‘n roll,” micro-cassettes, and Bob Marley, influences brought to Nigeria from the west. The poet seems to be... [continues]
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