Another Tale of Two Cities

Protesting Globalization in Odia Ofeimun's London Letter and Other Poems

Abstract

Globalization is unequivocal about the centrality of the image of the cities to the accomplishment of its mission. Whether from London to New York, or from the Asian Tigers to Lagos and Johannesburg, the image of cities looms large in such a way that suggests how the conceptual agenda harks back to history, reminding us of the roles of various cities as veritable sites of operation for the previous Euro-American imperialist activities. However, the current postmodern agenda not only implicates the cities but also critically operates in such a manner which creates a split between them. This paper seeks to study London Letter and Other Poems, a poetry collection by Nigeria’s Odia Ofeimun, as a direct response to the challenge of globalization. It seeks to explore how the work contextualizes the experience of Lagos migrants in a global city like London, and the challenge these Lagosians face in this place as against Lagos, their non-global city of nativity. Specifically, the paper examines the contradictions and odds against the operation of globalization besides the fact that it impoverishes some cities to enrich others in terms of financial and human resources.