HIS EXCELLENCY KINGSLEY OTUARO’S CRITICAL THOUGHT ON ENEWARIDIDEKE EKANPOU’S POEM ENTITLED: ‘ TOMPOLO AND THE BANDITS’, By Kingsley Burutu Otuaro

I have just critically looked at Enewaridideke Ekanpou’s poem , ‘Tompolo and the Bandits’. A sweet poem it is when one is on a literary ground.The poet is exploring the theme of REDEMPTIVE SACRIFICE embedded in Tompolo’s liberation struggle over the years. The poet xrays Tompolo being violently abused and destroyed by words of people in Warri . Paradoxically, Tompolo being verbally abused becomes the joy , protection and freedom of the Warri people – both the born and the unborn of this generation.
I particularly like the diction and strength of imageries used in the poem… the striking similes, personification and metaphors. I like the choice of striking verbs – the image-carrying verbs deployed that elicit the pains associated with Tompolo’s redemptive sacrifice. Verbs like ‘torn’, ‘broken’ and ‘plucked’ are echoes of Tompolo’s redemptive sacrifice . Imagistically, I think you attempted a good comparison between this your poem and that of Jp Clark’s poem, ‘Ibadan’. I read Jp Clark’s poem, ‘Ibadan’, long ago but I can see how it echoes in this poem entitled: ‘ Tompolo and the Bandits’.You did creatively well in your poem on Tompolo. I commend your literary effort very specially, Dr. Enewaridideke Ekanpou.

His Excellency Barrister Otuaro writes from Warri, Delta State.