Poetry
The Oath of the Fontomfrom and Other Poems
Atukwei Okai · 1971
Synopsis
A collection of poems born of the oral tradition and made to be spoken aloud. In the title poem, the voice proclaims itself the fontomfrom, which never ceases to resound, and cries out “I am Africa”, while the village drummer calls on the community to rise against an aggression from outside.
Context
Published in 1971 in New York by Simon & Schuster, two years after Flowerfall, the collection precedes Lorgorligi Logarithms, published in 1974 by Ghana Publishing Corporation. Its author is regarded as the first true performance poet to come out of Africa, and his reading of 1975 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, during Poetry International, was acclaimed. Kwesi Quartey remembers a recitation of the title poem at the university as an unforgettable experience.
Who it is for
For hearing, even on the page, a Ghanaian poetry of voice, rhythm and drum.
Prizes and reception
A study of 2022 sees in it a resolute and unifying speaker, carried by a very concrete vision of the world.