9899Psychosocial Fracture and Restorative Images in Barth Akpah’s Land of Tales

Since the evolution of modern Nigerian poetry, the exploration of sociological and psychological realities has constituted its center stage. Like the older poets, the new Nigerian poets are committed to addressing the prevailing psychosocial conditions in Nigeria, and they reinvent relatable scathing images to inspire societal regeneration. The turbulence and repression engendered by social and state terrorisms have given rise to rhythms and poetic canvasses that are depictive of chaos and anguish. This attests to the utilitarian import of new Nigerian poetry, a form of artistic cultural production that documents and stimulates solutions for the Nigerian predicaments. This study examines imagery of psychosocial fracture and restorative vision in Barth Akpah’s poetry collection, Land of Tales . Poems in the collection were purposefully selected based on their portrayal of the depressing conditions in contemporary Nigeria and were critically analyzed. The analysis of the poems draws on the framework of postcolonial trauma, which demonstrates the interface between sociopolitical repression and psychological trauma. In a blend of angst and pain, Akpah decries the socioeconomic convulsion in Nigeria and its corresponding effect on the people’s psyche. Through the rhythm of distress, the poet recreates the social triggers of the Nigerian trauma. As evident in the work of Akpah, the new Nigerian poets are conscious of the Nigerian challenges and are psychologically committed to addressing them.