Language, Translation, and Poetic Realities: The Poetry (Àfàìmò Àti Àwon Àròfò Mìíràn) of Akínwùmí Ìsòlá

Akínwùmí Ìsòlá (1940-2018), renowned writer, scholar, and sentinel of indigenous African languages, contributed to the development of Yorùbá literary traditions by producing most of his literary works in Yorùbá.

His artistic pacesetting in Yorùbá literature included his anthology, Àfàìmò Àti Àwon Àròfò Mìíràn (1978), which contains poems composed over a significant period in his life. Language, Translation, and Poetic Realities considers Ìsòlá’s language use in this anthology; his contributions to the promotion of Yorùbá and African linguistic and cultural values; and the procedures, benefits, and challenges of translating his poetry into English.

In so doing, Akinloyè Òjó examines the understudied relationship between African oral traditions and contemporary African literature, addressing in particular the influential role of traditional forms of praise-singing in contemporary Yorùbá poetry.

Akinloyè Òjó is Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and Intercultural Studies and Director of the African Studies Institute at University of Georgia, USA. His publications include In Flight: A Collection of Poems (2000), Africans and Globalization: Linguistic, Literary, and Technological Contents and Discontents (2017), Gender Equality and Human Development in Africa (2018), and Language, Society, and Empowerment in Africa and Its Diaspora (2022).