Karofi and Collins, in a song of endless flames remind us of the forgotten purity of the language of poetry and the aesthetics of metaphors, of imageries and wisdom, weaved in lush philosophical pontifications on the absurdist state of a nation in despair and “endless flames”. Their entangled emotions incite us to ponder the rhetorics of our jarring humanity. They remind us of why we constantly return to the classical rendition of T. S Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” and the metaphysical invocations of Christopher Okigbo’s “The Passage”. These bards are worthy heirs to the throne of poetry.—Paul Liam, is a poet, critic and editor with several critical essays on contemporary Nigerian literature to his name.
“Amid assertions and declarations, Karofi and Collins brush through the isle of postcolonial conditionalities in tones ultimately personal but encompassing a broader spectrum of our collective sociopolitical and existential dilemmas”—Ifésinàchi Nwádikè, author of, “How Morning Remembers the Night”
“The duo poets, whose allegoric music, otherwise politically relevant, present to us images of the transition of individuality, nation-space and history. Even relationship, time and uncertainty wasn’t isolated from the intrigues of change. Usman and Nosakhare make sure that we appreciate the chance offered us to live together, no matter the letters of our journey.”—Francis Annagu, Author, “Our Land in the Beak of Vultures”.
This is a collection of poems that paints images of our reality in the minds of the readers. Here is the story of citizens in a country chocked by insurgencies, uncertainties and a seemingly never ending rain of calamities; and yet trying to cling on to the last string of hope dangling before their eyes.—Naseeba Babale, Secretary, poetic Wednesday initiative. Columnist, Konya shamsrumi.
Poems in this chapbook are songs from the patched lips of disillusioned patriots agonized by the pains of their beloved homeland. The tone of misery and despondency in high pitch are unmistakable in these verses that relish prophetic denouement.
There is a creative balance of rage in this collection. Like a capella, Usman Karofi’s hard-toned, even hopeless refrain are moderated by Nosakhare Collins’ warm voice to give us a song whose endless flame was lit to keep our hearts forever warm for our nation.—Aminu S. Muhammad, Writer and Founder, The Arts-Muse Fair.
The poems in this collection are sombre yet rich, speaking of our woes and the lacks of many years while giving hope for better days to come.—Edidiong Etukudoh, Lawyer, poet and critic
A song of Endless flames attempts to paint mental picture of a burning republic, the sad but true picture of a nation dazzling in flame. Each line speaks fire that resonate with reader’s emotion. i see in this collection not only lines of poetic beauty, but also a rich historical documentation.—Awodiya Funke, author of “Farmer’s daughter” and “Woman to woman”
A Song of Endless Flames pays the ultimate price for restoration, in lines that move the reader to question, to ponder and to search. It says, ‘our poetry now has no taste’. Indeed, the nerves touched in this chapbook are charged and screaming for redemption.—Bash Amuneni, (Performance Poet and Author of ‘There Is A Lunatic In Every Town’)
When Ben Okri said that poets are the barometers for measuring the overall health of society, perhaps he had these poets (Nosakhare and Karofi) in mind. With delightful language and assured voices as their paint and brush, these poets have created a mural containing gory images of contemporary Nigerian society. As in Picasso’s Guernica, they have articulated in vivid colours, the emotions of grief, loss and bitterness. In A Song of Endless Flames, we see the duet manifesting as a confluence: double embers of flame, glowing, rising, hissing to all at once, burn and purify the soul of man and society. These poets are Fire and Brimstone, Lightning and Jolt.—Umar Abubakar Sidi is the author of “The Poet of Dust”.
Duet poetry is a unique form via which the tripartite concerns of poetry: imagery, metaphor and rhythm are forged together beneath a common title, often with a common poetic concern written by two poets.
Like the common form of dueting familiar to most readers, singers taking turn to sing, A Song of Endless Flames by Usman Karofi and Nosakhare Collins is a duet with a difference and defiance to expectations of duet poetry. Though as a duet collection of poetry, the poems are written by the two poets, yet the poetry reads as if it is written by a single person, offering a dual perspective. A Song of Endless Flames like all good poetry lets the reader into a poetic conversation between two poets each at the height of his power
Written in a quasi “call and response” format, the poems in A Song of Endless Flames have the feel and fate of poems co-constructed by two different yet related personas, written by a poet and cheeky doppelganger. What’s more: the poems embody, as it were, the same reality and betray the same poetic sensibility but from different, even differing points of views.—Ismail Bala, Author, Line of sight
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