James Oyewale
Civilization. Modernisation. Technology. The tripodal words have raised the bar of living by humans, bringing wider exposure, connectivity and comfort to mankind. The world indeed has become a global village. But again, with the rise in standard of living comes other negativities hitherto unknown to man.
These include problems of individualism, leading to loss of self-identity, terrorism and conflict, global warming and climatic change, and rising wave of crimes across the continents. Where and how did man lose it?
The world, in spite of advancement in science and technology, is becoming difficult to live in. Man seems to have lost his identity in the labyrinth of modernization. The search of the real man at the crossroads of life is the theme of Bursting Our Bubbles, a collection of meditative and inspirational poems written by prolific Nigerian author, Shola Akinyemi and published by Greenlife Publishers, UK.
In the prologue to Bursting Our Bubbles, Akinyemi describes the book as a “collection of contemporary and meditative poems for kindred souls.” He then adds, “You may want to describe this book as a ticking clock that comes to distrupt our sleep, or as a friend that comes to give us a gentle pat on the back to wake up in time.
But then, Bursting Our Bubbles is much more than this. Laced with deep philosophical thoughts, the collection is an amazing trip to self-discovery, self-identity and self-actualization in the wondrous maze of life. Most of the poems are lucidly written in free-flowing verses and spiced with imagery. Akinyemi adopts narration and apt description of mans actions and inactions to convey his messages in an increasingly complex and difficult world. This could be seen vividly in poems such as In the Beginning, The Law of Rub Off, The Average Man, and Do You Know Who I Am among others.
As revealed by the author, Bursting Our Bubbles is actually the first in a series of six poetry books he intends to publish.
According to him, other titles would follow in due course. They include BOB 2.0: Conscious Growth, BOB 3.0: Life and Reality, BOB 4.0: Global Consciousness, BOB 5.0: Religion and Spirituality, and BOB 6.0: Love and Unity.
Pappy, as Shola Akinyemi is fondly called, affirms that he is a ray of light, an explorer and scientist of the soul, who has spent the best part of his life inquiring into the state of this reality. If indeed this is Akinyemis article of faith, then Bursting Our Bubbles has done justice to his credibility as an author and poet of life.
(Author: Shola Akinyemi,
Publisher: Greenlife Publishers, UK, 2019,
Pages: 80)