Review of Christopher Okigbo’s The Passage (Heavensgate)

By Nwuguru Chidiebere Sullivan

Christopher Okigbo’s The Passage is a speculative poem that revolves around the theme of supplications renderd to Idoto, a popular water goddess in Idemilli, Eastern Nigeria. Throughout the poem, we witness how the poet offered solicitation to the goddess with a heavy sense of humility crowned with the hope that she, Idoto, would hearken to his pleas. The speculative approach of Okigbo towards to the delivery of this poem ensured that the existence and the essence of the goddess, Idoto, was heavily felt and alive throughout the lines of the poem.

In Okigbo’s words, “Before you, mother Idoto, Naked I Stand, Before your watery presence, A Prodigal.” Here, through the opening stanza of the poem, the poet introduced us to the gender and the role of the entity he was rendering his supplication to by addressing it as a mother; this way the readers share in the sense of respect the poet bestowed to this entity, and the level of relationship he shares with her. We equally see through the opening lines of the poem, the great level of humility with which the poet addressed this entity, this he portrayed in his words, “Naked I Stand”, thus, passing across t0 us with the use of vivid imageries, his meekness towards Idoto.

Understandably, the poet having passed through western religion may have contributed greatly to his negligence at some point towards his traditional worship. This explains the need for the supplications and reunions that he sought for through this poem. For example, the biblical allusion was employed here through the reference to the story of the prodigal son to portray the poet’s quest for a reunion with the goddess whom he had left behind for a while after being whisked away by western culture during his quest for higher education away from home.

In the second stanza of the poem, the poet pictured himself “leaning on an oil bean”, thus, creating a sense of the vicinity surrounding the goddess to which he was praying to, especially since deities were associated with trees in the Eastern part of Nigeria from where the poet hails. He went on to capture the aura that surrounded the goddess by presenting how he was lost in her legend, especially since he had stayed away from home for a long time before this moment of reunion with the goddess which he sought to achieve through the poem.

To further immerse us into the decorum that existed between his supplication, and the goddess he was praying to, the poet went; thus, “Under your power wait I on barefoot, Watchman for the Watchword at Heavengate;” Heavengate here symbolizes the river into which the goddess was also believed to live in. Dissecting further through the line, we see the proximity between the poet and his supplication — “Watchman for the Watchword,” all of which have been brought before Idoto, the goddess of water with the hope that she hearkens to them as pointed by the fourth stanza of the poem, thus; “out of the depths my cry: give ear and hearken…”

Generally, the poem explored supplication as its major theme. It equally explored the theme of humility especially in the way the poet appeared before the goddess, and in the way he worshiped her with meekness and respect. The poet equally relied on the employment of clear and relatable imageries to drive his message home; this was evident in the way he was able to create a special sense of settings that relate to the goddess Idoto. Biblical allusions were also employed by the poet to achieve a clear delivery of the message. For instance, the case of prodigal son in the bible was employed here to clearly communicate a similar state of relationship between the poet and the goddess, as well as the urgency of the reunion between him, the poet, and the divine entity, Idoto.

The poet uses simple language and clear imagery to create a vivid picture of his encounter with the supernatural being. This makes the reader feel as if they are witnessing the event firsthand. Okigbo's unique and beautiful way of delivering his poetry allows the reader to experience the supernatural encounter as if it were real.

Christopher Okigbo is one of Nigeria’s most renowned poets. Born in 1932 in Ojoto, Eastern Nigeria, Okigbo studied Classics at the University College. He is the author of several poems including The Star Have Departed, Newcormer, Watermaid, Love Apart and For He Was a Shrub Among The Poplars. Okigbo died on the battlefield in 1967, at the start of the civil war in Nigeria.