the topic is indeed interesting, fascinating--not the space for pure legalism or tedious moralism, nor for dumb pretentiousness. we use the term "intertext" in lit crit to signify that relationship between an original text and a later version. shakespeare had his famous intertexts, and, in fact, there is no such thing as any work of literature that does not ground itself, in one way or another, in that which preceded it. okigbo used poems that had already appeared in print, and i've read ikhide's essay on this, and applaud him for signalling it. we can place the one poem next to the earlier version of the other, and see how okigbo's delicate sensibility led him to change this word or that. we might have liked it better if he had said something like "in tribute of..." as djibri diop mambety does to "the great old man," durrenmatt, on which he based his masterpiece Hyenas. anyone who has actually read durrenmatt's Visit of the Old Lady will note that the borrowing was significant, not at all loose. the acknowledgment a sign of djibril diop's integrity.
my great amusement over the beyala affair, when she was being sued by ben okri's publisher, was that she won the Grand PRix du Roman, the highest award in france, given by the academie francaise in 1996, the same year that one of the members of the academie that voted her the award was himself also charged with plagiarism!! she plagiarized from many sources, some extremely extensively. again my shock was in discovering that one of her prime sources was from dangarembga herself, Nervous Conditions having been translated into french. maybe she figured anglophones wouldn't notice.
ken
On 3/2/13 1:17 PM, Ikhide wrote:
--"The enduring legacy of Labyrinths can be traced to a number of reasons. The romance of the poet's life and death. Also, the uncontainable and uncontaminable passion of Okigbo lovers. But in the main – and this is the point – because, in th...e words of one of his protégés, "Okigbo wrote damn good poetry." "O mother mother Earth, unbind me; let this be/The ram's hidden wish to the sword the sword's/secret prayer to the scabbard." In other words, we have in Okigbo that vintage poetry that makes "broadcast with/eunuch-horn of seven valves": the poetry that remains evergreen."
- Dr. Hyginus Ekwuazi, poet and writer, lecturer in the Department of Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan
I very much enjoyed this essay on the poet Christopher Okigbo, very fascinating ( I can't get enough of Okigbo so ignore me). I do think though that scholars should also endeavor to talk about the plagiarism issues that plagued Okigbo and his works. A few years back, I wrote an essay on the issue, Christopher Okigbo's voice. Rather than diminishing him, such conversations would only add to the rich complexity that is his life.- IkhideStalk my blog at http://www.xokigbo.com/Follow me on Twitter: @ikhideJoin me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ikhide
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