Tanure Ojaide

Tanure Ojaide studied at International Writing Program, Syracuse University and University of Ibadan. The recorded working language is English and Nigerian Pidgin. The field of work recorded is African studies, creative writing and academic. Places of work recorded in the authority are Charlotte. Employment is recorded with University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Works named in the authority record are In the House of Words.

• Name — Tanure Ojaide • Born — 1948 • Birthplace — Nigeria • Citizenship — Nigeria • Occupation — Poet, academic • Notable Works — Songs of Myself: A Quartet (2017) • Education — University of Ibadan; Syracuse University • Awards — 2018 Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa

Tanure Ojaide was born to Urhobo parents from Okpara Inland in Agbon Kingdom of Delta State. He credits his grandmother with having inspired his writing. He attended secondary school at Obinomba and Federal Government College, Warri, before proceeding to the University of Ibadan for his degree program in English. He attended Syracuse University, where he earned an M.A. in Creative Writing and a PhD in English. He later taught at the University of Maiduguri, before being appointed as Professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He has been a visiting scholar and has taught at several universities across the world, including at Delta State University, Abraka, and Kwara State University, Malete. His poetry is widely read and he is known for the infusion of Urhobo folklore and Udje aesthetics in his poetry.

Tanure Ojaide's poetry is characterized by its engagement with environmental justice, cultural memory, political criticism, and the lived experiences of communities in the Niger Delta. Scholars have noted that his work frequently addresses the social and ecological consequences of oil exploration in the region, presenting poetry as a form of cultural resistance and advocacy. A recurring feature of Ojaide's writing is the incorporation of Urhobo oral traditions, folklore, proverbs, and indigenous cosmologies. Literary critics have argued that this synthesis of oral performance traditions and modern poetic forms contributes to a distinctive poetic voice within contemporary African literature. His poetry often combines personal memory with collective historical experience, exploring themes of displacement, identity, migration, and the relationship between individuals and their communities.

Environmental concerns occupy a central place in Ojaide's literary work. Many of his poems address the ecological degradation of the Niger Delta and the effects of petroleum extraction on local communities. Scholars have described his poetry as an important contribution to African environmental literature and ecocriticism. Through both poetry and critical essays, Ojaide has drawn attention to issues including environmental pollution, cultural dislocation, economic inequality, and the consequences of resource exploitation in the Niger Delta.

• To Those Who Love Me (Ibadan: Bookcraft, 2022) • Narrow Escapes: A Poetic Diary of the Coronavirus Pandemic (Lakewood: Spears Media, 2021) • The Questioner (Ibadan: Kraft Books, 2018) • Songs of Myself: A Quartet (Ibadan: Kraft Books, 2015) • Love Gifts (Lagos: African Heritage Press, 2013) • The Beauty I Have Seen (Lagos: Malthouse, 2010) • Waiting for the Hatching of a Cockerel (Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 2008) • The Tale of the Harmattan (Cape Town: Kwela Books, 2007) • In the House of Words (Lagos: Malthouse Press Ltd, 2005) • I Want to Dance and Other Poems (San Francisco: African Heritage Press, 2003) • In the Kingdom of Songs (Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 2002). • Invoking the Warrior Spirit: New and Selected Poems (Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 2000). • When It No Longer Matters Where You Live (Calabar, Nig.: University of Calabar Press, 1999). • Invoking the Warrior Spirit (Ibadan: Heinemann, 1999). • Delta Blues and Home Songs (Ibadan: Kraft Books, 1998). • Daydream of Ants (Lagos: Malthouse, 1997). • The Blood of Peace (Oxford, UK: Heinemann, 1991). • The Fate of Vultures (Lagos: Malthouse, 1990). • Poems (Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Poetry International, 1988). • The Endless Song (Lagos: Malthouse, 1988). • The Eagle's Vision (Detroit: Lotus, 1987). • Labyrinths of the Delta (New York: Greenfield Review Press, 1986). • Children of Iroko & Other Poems (New York: Greenfield Review Press, 1973).

• Ghost Fishing: An Eco-Justice Poetry Anthology (University of Georgia Press, 2018).

• God's Naked Children (Lagos: Malthouse, 2018) • Stars of the Long Night (Lagos: Malthouse, 2012). • The Old Man in a State House & Other Stories (Lagos: African Heritage Press, 2012). • Matters of the Moment (Lagos: Malthouse, 2009). • The Debt-Collector and Other Stories (Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 2009). • The Activist (A Novel) (Lagos: Farafina Publications, 2006). • Sovereign Body (A Novel) (Spring, TX: Panther Creek Press, 2004). • God’s Medicine Men and Other Stories (Lagos, Nigeria: Malthouse, 2004)

• Drawing the Map of Heaven: An African Writer in America (Lagos: Malthouse Press, 2012). • Great Boys: An African Childhood (Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 1998). A memoir

Tanure Ojaide worked in African studies, creative writing, academic, literary criticism and poetry. He was employed by University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He belonged to University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He worked at Charlotte.

Ojaide's work has attracted extensive scholarly attention within African literary studies. Critics have praised his ability to merge indigenous oral traditions with contemporary poetic expression while maintaining a strong commitment to social and environmental issues. Several scholars have identified Ojaide as one of the leading voices in contemporary African poetry, particularly for his sustained engagement with questions of environmental justice and cultural identity.

Ojaide is regarded as one of the most influential contemporary African poets. His writings have contributed significantly to discussions of environmental justice, postcolonial identity, and the cultural history of the Niger Delta. His poetry and critical writings are widely studied in universities across Africa, Europe, and North America, where they form part of courses on African literature, ecocriticism, and postcolonial studies.