African Poetry: A Brief Analysis of J.P Clark's Poem - Ibadan

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Ibadan’
running splash of rust
and gold-flung and scattered
among seven hills like broken
China in the sun.

John Pepper Clark, a renowned Nigerian poet and writer, wrote the short poem above in 1965. The poem describes the ancient city of Ibadan, where Clark had lived as a student while at the University of Ibadan.

Running splash of rust in the poem describes the rusty roofs that characterize most of the buildings in Ibadan. The remaining lines of the poem describes the disorderly nature of the buildings in Ibadan, how they are woven carelessly and without proper town planning measures.

It is often argued in the literary community whether Clark's brilliant poem is an ode to Ibadan or a criticism of the town. Whatever the case may be, Clark's poem remains relevant as far as African poetry is concerned because of its powerful description.

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