FAR UP! FAR OUT! FAR MORE!

By Omoseye Bolaji

Very interesting comments here. It would appear that there is nothing else to say. But what about the new book itself which I initially read in electronic form?     

I would like to approach the book in apparent sections, though there is no such formal distinction in the work itself; so my approach is personal. For those who have come to expect the unexpected, or a measure of twists and turns in Bolaji's writing, the following chapters would stand out: The Termagant, The Shocker, Lucy, The Library. 

Some humour runs through a great deal of the short pieces here, probably moreso in the following: Keeping abreast of things, The bizarre episode, What is this, The Taxi, and The Termagant.       

As regards sports, at least two of the chapters focus on this: The fervour of the hordes; and Reminiscences of a sportsman. The latter obviously contains an account from an ex-footballer of some substance who touches on some aspects of the game that would not occur to the ordinary fan.  

The chapter or story, Oloolu, stands out for its sustained tension and suspense. It is dramatic, terse, vivid, and I dare say frightening. It involves the old ancestral masquerades of west Africa, which Bolaji incidentally touched on in his book, Thoughts on Free State Writing (2002)

One would expect occasional solid references to literature in this work, though in the main it is actually limited. The author's tribute to the magnificent writer, Wole Soyinka is the major article in this wise; though there are many other literary allusions in chapters like, A Man of the People, The Man Died, The Library, and even in Oloolu.

       

The scholar, Achal Prabhala has contended that in real life there are glimpses of the "Misanthrope" in Bolaji himself. (He correlates this with his impressions of the novel, People of the Townships - by Bolaji). As this new work is clearly very personal by the author, any traces of this alleged misanthrophy?   *Above, artist s impression of Bolaji.
  

It appears so - especially in the chapter titled The lugubrious one which is apparently wrapped in gloom and negativity. We are not really prepared for the presentation of the protagonist as a "very sad person" especially as he confirms this himself in the narrative!

Yet I suspect that this might well be another example of the author's occasional feigned naivete - which is hinted at again in chapters like The Shocker, and Merry Xmas a la Shoprite. 

I commend Mr Bolaji for this new trolley of his never-ending creativity. There is a lot to learn from this work, with a few chuckles along the way.

* Review by Raphael Mokoena 
Reproduced by kind permission of kagablog great art daily

Omoseye Bolaji - Unflagging Literary Icon

By Ishmael Mzwandile Soqaga

Excerpts of his speech here:

Excuse my use of cliches, but this is indeed an auspicious occasion - as we not only celebrate this special birthday of Mr Omoseye Bolaji, but we also launch his new book, Far Up! Far Out! Far More! (See image below) Bolaji has published dozens of books, and we can no longer keep count!

For many years till date many people who are ardent lovers of literature have candidly admitted that Omoseye Bolaji is a great African writer who invariably fascinates the world with his literary prowess. Significantly and simultaneously his literary work has not only been enjoyed solely for the purpose of reading but however it has been imperatively studied by some literary aficionados and other important institutions.

Habitually, the most famous work ever published by Bolaji is the popular Tebogo Mystery series.  Briefly Mr Raphael Mokoena in the book “Tebogo In The Thick of Things” (Introduction) accentuates the fact that Omoseye Bolaji and the African Detective genre is one of the most inspiring, comprehensive yet terse.  This essay has now been translated into many international languages, including French and Spanish.

Equally important Omoseye Bolaji’s  flair for writing has been witnessed by his multi – skilled repertoire in creating so many piquant literary genres that include fictions, play, poems etc.   Glaringly, as many know Omoseye Bolaji is seriously passionate about literature since his childhood.  Apparently, in his literary autobiography My Life and Literature is conspicuously noticeable to understand that the protagonist is comprehensively attached to literature.

Moreover, it is important for me to state that Omoseye Bolaji originated from a country (Nigeria) where literature has been highly advanced for decades.  Nigeria over the years has produced many remarkable writers whose literary influence has contributed immensely in the world of letters.  Starting with Achebe (world famous for Things Fall Apart) and Wole Soyinka the first African writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature – these are outstanding African writers. 

Nevertheless, Omoseye Bolaji though he originated from a country where literature is extremely thriving but his broad mind remains the pillar of strength in his overall impressive understanding of literature.  In fact it is generally conceded that his literary achievement although internationally recognized essentially blossomed in South Africa where he garnered so many delectable accolades.

Moreover, it is quite interesting to apprehend the fact that Omoseye Bolaji’s literary dexterity has earned him oodles of respect throughout the world.  Apparently, his splendid achievement and studies are explicitly glaring on the internet! On the whole, he is an extraordinary writer in Africa and the world. 

It is gripping and enthralling to see Omoseye Bolaji continuing to produce proliferating number of exhilarating books.  Definitely, while the memory of his more recent books – like  It couldn’t matter less, Kunle Apantaku (below) Tebogo In The Thick of Things (some might include Bolaji in His Pomp by Pule Lechesa) - is still vibrant and alluring in many people’s mind.  He has again just done it on his latest birthday, with the publication of his new book.

Nevertheless, it is profoundly arresting to find out that at this point in time he persists to delight the world with his unremitting writing.  The assiduous Omoseye Bolaji remains a symbol of inspiration to many people, patently he is a charismatic African writer.  In essence I would like to briefly compare him with the never-to-be-forgotten Ullil Beier.

Ulli Beier was a German Jewish editor, writer and scholar, who had a pioneering role in developing literature, drama, and poetry in Nigeria as well as literature, drama and poetry in Papua New Guinea.  Of course Omoseye Bolaji might have been influenced by Beier as he was one of the impressive teachers in Ibadan who was interested in Yoruba communities – but that was decades ago!.

Due to his subsequent anthropological work among the members of the clans that are native to these places, Beier was awarded Yoruba honorary Chieftaincy, a titular ilk that was also conferred on Bolaji.  Omoseye Bolaji has also been conferred with an African Chieftaincy by the Olubadan of Ibadanland in Nigeria, again for his contributions to African literature. Beier was pivotal in encouraging and publishing many first generation African writers. And how Bolaji has encouraged literature in general too!

In the meantime it is worth mentioning that the new book by prodigious Bolaji is being launched here as the icon celebrates his birthday on the 16 August.  As many mark his special day I must say his new book is a must-read book and it is fundamental to advance literature. The new book Far Up! Far Out! Far More! is dedicated to Petro Schonfeld and Obafemi Fasanmi (Esq). It is a super- duper, fantastic work of literature that whets the appetite...

Selected Bibliography of Bolaji

They Never Say When (1994)

Snippets (1998)

Fillets of Plaice (2000)

 Impossible Love (2000)

The ghostly Adversary (2001)

The Guillotine (2001)

Tebogo's spot of bother (2001)

Thoughts on Free State Writing (2002)

Tebogo Fails (2003)

People of the Townships (2003)

Ask Tebogo (2004)

The Subtle transgressor (2006)

Reverie (2006)

Poems from Mauritius (2007)

My life and Literature (2007)

Tebogo and the Haka (2008)

Tebogo and the epithalamion (2009)

Tebogo and the pantophagist (2010)

Miscellaneous Writings (2011)

Tebogo and the Bacchae (2012)

It Couldn't Matter Less (2013)

KUNLE APANTAKU (2013)

Tebogo in the thick of things (2013)

Far Up! Far Out! Far More! (2014)

Omoseye Bolaji takes a cursory look at Orwell's 1984

Re-reading George Orwell's classic, Nineteen Eighty Four has been a
poignant, sobering experience. Orwell wrote the book in the 40s
chillingly depicting a terrible world of ruthless dictatorship and
suppressed citizenry.

Over the years, thanks to this book, certain terms have become commonplace. They include Big Brother, Thought Police, Newspeak, The Ministry of Love, and (the dreaded) Room 101!  

 Of course in the modern world now the TV Reality show, Big
Brother is watched with keen interest by millions. This is one of the
legacies of Orwell's book; although not exactly what the author had in
mind.        

The concept of Big Brother is concisely and powerfully explained in the book, 1984:  

‘At the apex of the pyramid comes Big Brother. Big Brother is
infallible and all-powerful. Every success, every achievement, every
victory, every scientific development, all knowledge, all wisdom, all
happiness, all virtue, are held to issue directly from his leadership
and inspiration. Nobody has ever seen Big Brother. He is a face on the
hoardings, a voice on the telescreen. We may be reasonably sure that
he will never die, and there is already considerable uncertainty as to
when he was born. Big Brother is the guise in which the Party chooses
to exhibit itself to the world...’

It is a journey of rather warped discovery for Winston, the protagonist
of the novel; the work lucidly and imaginatively traces his
beleaguered life, his exhilarating affair with the lady, Julia, and
his fascination with O'Brien who turns out to be something of a
nightmare.

 In the book, the powers that be pull out all the stops with their
relentless propaganda to ensure that the people at large are always
hoodwinked and deceived. Winston, though wary enough is in no way
deceived; as this pellucid passage shows:      

‘He looked around the canteen. A low-celeinged, crowded room, its
walls grimy from the contact of innumerable bodies; battered metal
tables and chairs, placed so close together that you sat with elbows
touching; bent spoons, dented trays, coarse white mugs; all surfaces
greasy, grime in every crack; and a sourish, composite smell of bad
gin and bad coffee and metallic stew and dirty clothes...

‘…there had never been quite enough to eat, one had never had socks or
underclothes that were not full of holes, furniture had always been
battered and rickety, rooms underheated, tube trains crowded, houses
falling to pieces, bread dark-coloured, tea a rarity, coffee
filthy-tasting, cigarettes insufficient...one's heart sickened at the
discomfort and dirt and scarcity, the interminable winters, the
stickiness of one's socks, the lifts that never worked, the cold
water, the gritty soap, the cigarettes that came to pieces, the food
with its strange evil tastes?...’

This might remind us of what often happens here in Africa: with many national and provincial/State governments anxious to convince the denizens that life "has never been so good" for them, despite a preponderance of evidence to the
contrary. As life gets harsher, much more difficult, with even basic
facilities thin on the ground, the spin-doctors are always ready with
jejune statistics to "prove" how much better life is for the common
man and woman. Tosh.  

In the book, 1984, Winston is tortured in despicable fashion to ensure that he toes the line, and is finally "brainwashed" to regard the Party as the be-all and end-all.

There is an ambience of inevitability mixed with inconsolable melancholy as the book peters to an end, and we read: "It was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He (Winston) had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother."

TEBOGO IN THE THICK OF THINGS. By Omoseye Bolaji

A review by Ishmael Mzwandile Soqaga

Another fine literary book of the prolific African writer Omoseye Bolaji is currently out with some stunning popularity.  The book among many other things is exhilarating, it is a book that the literati may enjoy exceedingly and the general lovers of literature would like to own.  This year alone we have witnessed a plethora of books being churned out in the Free State. 

The book Tebogo in the thick of things comprises two famous two books written by Omoseye Bolaji.  They are popularly known as Tebogo and the Ephithalamion, and Tebogo and the Pantophagist.  Enthusiastically the combination of the known mystery series created by Omoseye Bolaji has a lot of excitement to provide.  Although most of Omoseye Bolaji work is known on the grassroots level and internationally but his mystery series have gained gigantic and interesting publicity.  Apparently among his books the Tebogo Mokoena mystery series has been the one which the protagonist used his prodigious zeal to create such awesome literary fiction.   In the new book Pule Lechesa (Literary Critic) has written a gripping introduction:

“How well I remember my unbridled glee when I discovered the "Tebogo Mystery Series many years ago in Ladybrand libraries! My exhilaration increased when I realised the series was based in the Free State!  I devoured the early adventures, and as subsequent episodes were churned out I read them - many times over.”

The Tebogo mystery series has been appreciated by many literary pundits.  And in particular it has been reviewed and studied by literary experts and critics.  In particular the compendium titled OMOSEYE BOLAJI, put together by Hector Kunene contains extraordinary reviews about Omoseye Bojali Mystery books.  On the very same book on pages 48, 50 and 52 Pule Lechesa, Peter Moroe and Paul Lothane wrote remarkable reviews on the book Tebogo and The Epithalamion.  Lothane gave special attention on ‘folksiness in the Tebogo and the epithalamion’. Pule Lechesa in his own review stated clearly that "for the average reader or even many critics like me the first thing that comes to mind is: what is the epithalamion.  We learn that an epithalamion is or was a sort of song or poem in celebration of a bride/wedding.”

Secondly Peter Moroe also wrote significantly in his review "Although probably the worst book in the series, this is another very readable edition of the adventures of Tebogo Mokoena the private investigator.  Regular readers of the series would be thrilled.”  Thirdly, Paul Lothane also wrote "The important thing is how a chord of folksiness on the part of the people runs through this work.  There is a strong, unforced feeling of camaraderie and bonhomie- in part also typified by the many jokes, smiles and grins-in Tebogo and the Epithalamion.  A feel good factor is reinforced despite the mystery involved; and it is almost as if we black Africans are reclaiming our heritage in the new Millennium…”

Excitingly enough in the same book by Hector, Peter Moroe on page 88; and Pule Lechesa on page 96 also provide thrilling review on the book Tebogo and Pantophagist.  Peter Moroe asserts that the book "Tebogo and the Pantophagist is the seventh book featuring the adventures of Tebogo Mokoena, the Free State based sleuth created by Omoseye Bolaji.  And this new edition is also readable.”  In the meantime Pule Lechesa concentrated on football, a favorite sport of author Omoseye Bolaji.  Lechesa emphasized that "This story is less complicated than the others and the elements of mystery are mainly concentrated in chapters one, and nine.  But here I want to emphasis the aspect of the football loving side of the author that emerges again in this new work.  Bolaji has published countless articles on soccer football over the years in newspapers and magazines all over the world.  In fact he was one of the first black African to contribute lengthy articles on football to the British based international magazine, World Soccer.  It is no surprise that sometimes his love for the sport emerges clearly in his work.”

Quite significant is the combination of this “two into one book” edition; ie Tebogo in the thick of things.  Obviously the mystery book created by Bolaji has been respected worldwide.  Patently it deserves special recognition.  Perhaps I might be misunderstood as one who just ‘worships and praise’ the great achievement of Omoseye Bolaji literary work.  Honestly, I mostly enjoy reading Omoseye Bolaji books and I have relished them in the most exhilarating way.  I am grateful for the publication of the book, its introduction by the critic Pule Lechesa is piquant.

Imperatively in the introduction he magnificently explains how Omoseye Bolajis literary mystery series is considered as rather unique especially produced by black African writer. The mystery books of Omoseye Bolaji are worth reading.  In the first paragraph in the introduction Pule Lechesa said "Mystery/Detective fiction is an integral part of western writing and literature.  We all know world famous names, protagonist like Sherlock Holmes (created by Conar Doyle), and Hercule Poirot (created by Agatha Christie).  Over the centuries, so many such writers and their sleuths have emerged in the western world.  Research into what we might call the Africa equivalent of Mystery/Detective genre or series will easily reveal that authentic black authors in this wise are very much thin on the ground.  Indeed the two (arguably) most famous African writers of this ilk are both white- Alexander McCall Smith, and Pepetela.

Conspicuously, Omoseye Bolaji is one of the few prolific African writers who have managed to create the most admired mystery series books based on Tebogo Mokoena, the fictional Free State townships sleuth.  At the launching of Tebogo and the Pantophagist the protagonist Omoseye Bolaji (in his book, Miscellaneous writings (page 53) says: "It rather excites me that the Tebogo Mystery series is almost ten years into since inception!  The first one I wrote and published was Tebogo Investigates(2000); this has now been followed by Tebogo's  Spot of brother (2001) Tebogo Fails (2003), Ask Tebogo (2024) Tebogo and the Haka (2008), Tebogo and the epithalamion (2009); and now Tebogo and the pantophagist. (Of course Tebogo and the bacchae was to come out in 2010)

I believe the Tebogo Mokoena Mystery is the most profound ever produced literary work by Omoseye Bolaji.  It has received many excellent reviews from prolific writers and critics and it can be found in many libraries and on the internet.  The outstanding Petro Schonfeld has set the record straight by producing a very fine enchanting study based on the Tebogo Mokoena Mystery series.  It can be more exciting to see many studies produced and made about Tebogo Mokoena Mystery series.

Lastly on Bolaji's literary legacy, the well known literary critic Raphael Mokoena posits: “What will Omoseye Bolaji's main legacy be as regards African literature?  Few would disagree that it is mainly his striking contributions to the Mystery/Detective fiction that many will continue to cherish him for…”

Pule Lechesa writes on literary snippets in Omoseye Bolaji's It couldn’t matter less

Book: It Couldn't Matter Less


Author: Omoseye Bolaji

Isbn: 978-0-620-55980-5

It is stating the obvious now to say that a thread of literary allusions always runs through virtually all Omoseye Bolaji’s published works – his new book, It Couldn’t matter less (2013) is no different. A number of literary commentators have over the years written about this aspect (1)

It couldn’t matter less contains almost 50 short essays – “shorter writings’ of the author penned in recent times. This of course reminds us of the earlier work Miscellaneous Writings (2011) which was very much the same. The topics treated are disparate in their range, breadth, approach and quality.

There are many references to the world of literature, African and international, in the book. There are also direct quotations from the works of writers, often weaved into individual essays. Some examples here:

“The unexpectedness of my daughter smoking gave me a shock . A woman’s mouth exhaling the acrid smell of tobacco, instead of being fragrant. A woman’s teeth blackened with tobacco instead of sparkling with whiteness” (Mariama Ba in so Long a letter)

“The moon watched us caress. It lit over the perfect world of perfect persons, a man and a beautiful woman under its unwinking stare and the stars who winked as if celebrating our glorious kiss. Table mountain could have peeked over the balcony to witness us under the conspiratorial luminescence of the moon”(Deon-Simphiwe Skade in A series of Undesirable events)

“Blessed be the man that spares these stones and cursed be he that moves my bones” (William Shakespeare’s will)

“The people who have the sweetest insides are the think-nothing people and we here try to be like them. Like logs in the river we float and go whither the current commands and nothing enters our insides to turn the sweetness into bitterness” Gabriel Okara in The Voice

“To the last I grapple with thee;

From hell’s heart I stab at thee;

For hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee!” Ahab in the classic, Moby Dick.

The essay, ‘Unsung literary catalysts’ pays tribute to a medley of great literary personnel in African history who are not as celebrated as they should be; figures like Uli Bieir, David Cook, Jacomien Schimper, Alrina Le Roux, Ben Mtobwa, Vonani Bila – although arguably the latter is quite celebrated enough in SA!

The ‘essay’, Interviews with effervescent Writers – the text shows the author’s excitement over the ‘project’ – highlights one of the classics of African Writing, Talking with African Writers, by Jane Wilkinson. Indeed it is an eminent work that focuses (via interviews) on many outstanding African writers from different countries. Maybe one day the book, Interviews with effervescent writers will assume a lot of significance too?

The ‘effervescence of the Nobel award’ once again reveals the author’s exceeding admiration and respect for the illustrious African writer Wole Soyinka. The piece is supposed to celebrate Nobel laureates, such as they are in Africa, but Bolaji’s ‘worship’ for Soyinka mars the piece and makes it rather unbalanced.

Even worse is the piece titled, ‘The lady Bards’. Hardly have I come across such an opening stringent powerful argument followed by a weak, timid conclusion or concession! Here Bolaji initially bravely explains why sometimes he finds himself undermining poetry or ‘poets’, and with good reason too, offering international examples to buttress his point. Then unexpectedly he starts singling out and praising a trio of female bards without even highlighting their work!

This reinforces what I have always suggested that the author has some sort of weakness for women. (2) It also reminds me of one of my essays titled “Pule Lechesa refuses to be carried away by the hype over Free State of Mind’ where I stated that many men find themselves somewhat “intimidated” when confronted by the work of female writers. Is this not the case again with “The lady bards”?

In ‘Profundities of Initiation’, as we read on we do not really expect anything laced with literature; then suddenly the author refers to the great African writer, Camara Laye, and comments: “My mind went briefly to Camara Laye’s classic, The African child which brilliantly re-creates the poignant ambience, fear, dread, pains and travails of such initiations in his old society (Guinea) I suppose there is a lot to be said for Africans still having pride in certain ancestral customs...’ (page 34)

‘An Interview’ contains concise, straightforward discourse on literature – with breathtaking brevity. Most of the literary works referred to here are now regarded as classics; including – Pamela, Clarissa (by Richardson), Gulliver’s Travels, Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde), Madame Bovary (Flaubert), Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, Thomas Hardy, Samuel Beckett, Shakespeare, D.H Lawrence, Charles Dickens, T.S Elliot, Joseph Conrad, George Orwell...

In ‘Grappling with malignant hatred’ Bolaji brings in the celebrated work, Moby Dick, by Herman Melville. It is done in a creative manner, yet the details of “Moby Dick’ itself are presented with the usual brevity of the author: “I thought about Moby Dick where Ahab wanted revenge on the awesome whale, Moby dick; he hated it with all his heart to the gruesome end – with virtually everybody on the ship dead because of this”

‘It Couldn’t matter less’ (where the title of the book is taken from) shows how much Bolaji loved thrillers during his youth, in this case the works of Peter Cheyney. It is interesting that a contemporary critic, Achal Prabhala has confessed that he had never heard of Cheyney before in his life until Bolaji told him about him; then Achal found himself buying many copies of the work in India! Such are the disparate influences of literature

The piece, ‘The Behemoth’ illustrates the literary influence Bolaji is having on others himself. Here, in this charming narrative he meets a young South African reader in the townships so much enamoured with Bolaji’s detective series (books) based on the fictional Tebogo Mokoena. And by a coincidence, the young man’s name is Tebogo Mokoena too!

‘Parley with a critic’ features Bolaji having lunch with a critic, Ishmael Soqaga (who published a study on the author) at a wholesome ‘Waterfront’. They exchange ideas. Bolaji has always encouraged younger African critics and even mentored quite a number of them. Soqaga’s potential as a critic and intellectual is evident from in his debut work.

‘It’s festive season time again’ the last ‘essay’ in this collection, rounds off things in neat fashion; appropriately it was written at the end of 2012. Bolaji briefly ponders on his life as a writer, his credo; and reflecting on his latest Lifetime Achievement award writes: “...”The recent glittering Mbali Awards that took place in Clocolan was easily one of the highlights. It was an occasion when I was honoured with another Lifetime Achievement award and it was thrilling to see the phalanx of intelligent people, Black, White and “coloured” gracing the event. There were traditional Zulu and Sesotho praise-songs, or rather poems rendered in my honour. And Zulu regalia in particular can be picturesque!" (page 100)

This is a work in the mould of the earlier Miscellaneous writings, It couldn’t matter less is a very important book; often very informative and witty to boot.
- P Lechesa

REFERENCES

1. See for example R Mokoena’s essay titled “Literary allusions in People of the townships”; and “Literary references in Tebogo and the bacchae” by Paul Lothane. Both essays are published in Hector Kunene’s OMOSEYE BOLAJI (2010), and Ishmael Soqaga’s O. Bolaji: A Voyage around his literary work

2. The Evolution of FS Black Literature. By Pule Lechesa. 2006

Omoseye Bolaji's IT COULDN'T MATTER LESS (2013)

Book: It Couldn't Matter Less
Author: Omoseye Bolaji
Publisher: Eselby Jnr Publications
Year published: 2013

Isbn number:  978-0-620-55980-5

 

"This is a selection of recent shorter writings by the writer, Omoseye Bolaji, following in the wake of an earlier collection, Miscellaneous Writings (2011). Topics or/and individuals treated here include sports, world history, crime, circumcision, metamorphosis of television, Rasputin, Olympics, Peter Cheyney, Dvds, women abuse, Mary Slessor and Emily Hobhouse; Moby Dick, Gabriel Okara, John Brown, You Tube, among many others..."