Chapbook Review: Adetutu Adediran’s Odd Things is a conglomerate of odd ends and pieces | Temitope Abigail Larayetan

As the title suggests, Adetutu Adediran’s Odd Things is a conglomerate of the odd ends and pieces that make up the author’s experience while living in Nigeria. While some are unique, others are relatable to Nigerians or women living in Nigeria, this is what makes Adetutu Adediran’s Odd Things; there is something for everyone to chew on or just chuckle about.

From the author’s note, there is something that strikes you about Adediran that is reminiscent of Maya Angelou. She writes fluently, soothingly, like meeting an old friend in front of your favourite ice-cream place, or finding your “old sweater” on a rainy night. Adediran confesses a thought several poets and authors have buried beneath layers of warm soil.

I cannot certainly state that I have infused mind-blowing ideas into these poems neither do I claim to have written something that hasn’t been explored before; rather, this is an expression of influences enforced on my mind consciously and unconsciously on the subject matter, love by people I’ve met, read and loved.

She affirms that ideas are transient. However, while the ideas behind her Odd Things are not new, she serves them in a new bowl of wit and relatability.

In her four-stanza poem that begins the collection, “Love Has No Religion”, she tackles the issue of religious tolerance prevalent in the Nigerian society, with four pens. The first pen(stanza) explores how this ideology is engrained from childhood through “Sunday Schools” and other religious gatherings for children. The poet maintains a looking-in-from-outside stance, through which she shows respect for other religion(s), in this case, Islam. She does not claim to know more than what she has been told by elderly individuals about marrying “Wahab Micheals” and losing “Amen to Amin”. Even then, there is no malignancy in her tone.

The second and third pens explore the writer’s personal experience with her Romeo who although did not don a “moustache” or “three-quarter trouser” as is the stereotype for Muslim men, he did not meet the requirement of bearing the cross which is the symbol of Christianity. By the third stanza, the poet persona falls in love until she remembers that her “mother called her Deborah” while “his name was Ishmeal.”

With a tone of resignation, she concedes that even though “God is one, not two, (He is) still the creator of two that can’t be one.” With this, the poet suggests that religious divide might never end.

Odd Things by Adetutu Adediran also tackles a contemporary problem brought about by the Americanization of the Nigerian society in “Are You an Android Too?” A large chunk of the Nigerian culture seems to have dissipated with technological advances. While that might not always be a bad thing, it has watered down the importance of indigenous languages which could potentially lead to language extinction. The poet’s tone is one of irritation at the task of having to teach “Kemi” who is of the Yoruba tribe like the poet how to pronounce her name after “teaching” her android phone not to change the name “Adekunle to some incoherent distant nonsense.” In a fit of frustration, she asks “Kemi,” “are you an android too?” The poet’s decision to use Kemi instead of the full name “Oluwakemi” is a subtle attestation to the watering down to the indigenous languages of Nigeria.

In line with the importance of Literature reflecting the times, Adetutu Adediran sends a strong-worded message to patriarchy with her five-stanza, “How to Keep A Man”. In a unique brand of wit and sarcasm, Adediran shares the knowledge she has received from “an article titled five ways to keep a man”. With each stanza, she reveals a new ridiculous tip that violates the woman’s autonomy. Still, she waits for the end to deal the blow – her response to the article, “I wrote at the bottom of the article/Then pray some more that this be enough.” With this, she highlights the futility of giving oneself up, as a woman, for a man, because the patriarchal system gives men the liberty to do whatever they want. So, what is the point of losing yourself for someone who probably does not care about your feelings and the consequences of his actions?

In conclusion, Adetutu Adediran’s Odd Things is a toast to modern poetry while tackling age-long issues. Adediran offers a fresh yet witty perspective on navigating these pervasive issues as a young woman in Nigeria. As much as possible, she touches on several sectors ranging from religion to language; a collection of odd things.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Temitope Abigail Larayetan, a three-time Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP) outstanding entrant, is a graduate of English Language and Literature from the University of Lagos. Temitope’s short story was published by Farafina in the International Sisi Eko anthology. She currently blogs at “Medium” where she wrote every day of 2019 as a personal challenge.