Publishing Poetry in Nigeria

Introduction

Poetry is the earliest of written expression of beauty and thought. The earliest form of literature is poetry.  From the poetry of ancient Egypt e.g. Pentuar's celebrated heroic epic in Praise of Ramses II to the erotic works of Sapho of Lesbos and Homer's Illiad. Poetry has hung along the halls of palaces; the libraries of the aristocrats; the parlours of the intellectual elite and the simply beautiful.

Poem of Pentuar

Poetry though, no longer striding the halls of the social elite, still brings the soul of man to the fore; expressing the deep things of life. In this age we live in, poetry as an art form is no longer in the purview of the elite but is now expressed in writings of every strata of society; from the poems of kids to the poetry of published renowned poets, poetry is being written by everyone and anyone who is skilled enough to try.

Why the Need to Publish

Writers tend to want their works impact the world thus they write and they try their best to get published. Unfortunately, poetry has found less patronage and this has made it difficult to find poetry in print unlike prose and drama.
Every writer wants his opinion heard. Publication is the means by which a poet's thoughts are put out there for the world to ingest.
Poets like any other creative artist wants recognition. They want to know that their skill is appreciated. A poet can not write a poem and leave it to fallow as much as an actor can not act in his bedroom with his mirrored image as his only audience.

Quality of Poets in Nigeria

Nigeria is one of the most artistic countries in Africa. It has carved a niche for itself in the world of music, movies and authorship. Writers like Ben Okri, Chimamanda Adichie, Chinua Achebe, Abubakar Gimba, Tai Folarin, etc, to mention a few, have with their writings placed Nigeria in the world's consciousness. Poets like the nobel laurete, Wole Soyinka, JP Bekeredemo Clark, Christopher Okigbo, Philip Begho, Uche Nduka,Femi Osofisan , etc

Dr  Niyi Osundare

have also left their print on the sands of time. These poets have left legacies which young men and women with the passion and talent have taken but they have no platform to unleash these gifts.

Publishing in Nigeria

In the western hemisphere, the internet, self publishing websites, chapbook competitions, literary journals and magazines,  publishing firms and poetry competitions have gone a long way in putting the works of poets in print. Although, there is a gradual improvement in the area of submission sites, publishing firms are yet to properly apply themselves to the task of opening the world to the huge body of work floating in the ether; hidden in wardrobes and bags; locked in laptops and PCs in Nigeria. This affects the reading culture, the quality of books in circulation and the added value that well written books bring to the society.

Four Things Publishing Firms demand before a Poet is Published

The publishing firms in Nigeria seek for certain elements before works are accepted.
1. The work has to be from a renowned poet. A published poet's work is quickly accepted. Those who are not renowned find difficulty in getting their works to publishing firms
2. The work should have been lobbied into the syllabus of either the secondary school system or the university system. This is to guarantee continual patronage.
3. The poet, if relatively unknown, should have the money to pay for the publication and be ready to massively market the books by his or herself.
4. The poet must have won a literary award or must have been nominated, which basically changes him or her from an unknown talent to a marketable commodity.

Conclusion

Despite the quality and potential artistry of poets in Nigeria, publishing their works is certainly not seen as feasible thus making lots off these poets throw away their garb of observatory introspection for the nine to five slavery of the mundane masses.