"The Star of the Morning": Ogoni Praise Songs of Ken Saro-Wiwa

Praise songs, called Leela in Ogoni, may be about human and nonhuman subjects. They may have human subjects, such as heroes, generous persons, or good professionals, or they may be self-praises, while nonhuman praises are about a variety of subjects such as deities and the musical gong. Ken Saro-Wiwa has been the subject of many praise songs, being praised as a folk hero in the songs of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni people (MOSOP), including the song below entitled "Ken Saro-Wiwa the Star of Ogoni":

Kpado Ogoni e kanaimon
Kpado Ogoni bon kiima kparake
Dene gbo gbara e dara ba boo
Dene gbo gbara nveeni kpooro
O dui O dui
E oa Bari zaa
Ken Saro-Wiwa giaakara eera
Suude ne gbo gima de
Adu kpooto no gbo buuna to
Eede pa Ogoni
E kanaimon ko o dui se?
O dui oo o dui o o O dui oo odui o o

The Ogoni race, we greet you
Ogoni people, humble race
All men raise their hands in your honor
All women support your program
Welcome, welcome, welcome
We thank God
Ken Saro-Wiwa, the star of the morning
The eye of the blind
The leg of the cripple
The bright day light of Ogoni
We welcome you
Welcome, welcome, welcome

The most dominant figure of speech in the "Star of Ogoni" song is synecdoche, which Oye Ogunyemi reminds us is using a part to represent a whole, or a whole thing as a part (30). Here Ken Saro-Wiwa is described as "eye of the blind," implying that he represents a group of people who are uninformed about the affairs of the world. He is also described as the "leg of the cripple," implying that he is a traveled man of the world, who has gone to different countries in his fight for the rights of the poor. Saro-Wiwa is also qualified as a source of bright hope for the future of the Ogoni people through the image of light expressed through the metaphor "Star of the morning" or "bright day light of the Ogoni." An uncommon juxtaposition is made in that first metaphor—the star of Ken Saro-Wiwa is described as shining in the morning; his light transcends the night, shining into early morning. This metaphor of light is amplified through the metaphor "bright day light of Ogoni," consolidating the strong illuminative attribute of light given to the personality of Ken Saro-Wiwa.

Most Ogoni people agree that Ken Saro-Wiwa was a good representative and should be regarded as outstanding, and I have described this attitude as the "group mind" in an earlier essay entitled "Inroads into the Psychological, Philosophical and Literary World of Ogoni: Saro-Wiwa's The Singing Anthill." It must be emphasized that there are several "individuals" in the Ogoni community. An individual's super-ego functions as a regulator of his desires and aspirations, and the individual faces several others like himself or herself in society. A person's ego may be wholly dominated by irrational values that clash with those of other individuals who are more rational and realistic. An individual learns right values through several conflicts with other individuals and with society. From what society accepts as norms—not necessarily by a formal legal process but through a long process of socialization, selection, rejection, and acceptance of good norms—rules or principles are established for the society. These become the "group mind," which is expressed through the tales in Saro-Wiwa's The Singing Anthill (Ngaage, "Inroads" 37-38). When an individual like Ken Saro-Wiwa embodies the group mind or the aspirations of his people, he is applauded as a hero, since the community honors those who distinguish themselves: Saro-Wiwa's achievements show him to be the "bright day light of Ogoni." Thus...