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Kofi Anyidoho has established himself as one of the major figures of the new generation of African poets with his Elegy for the Revolution (1978), A Harvest of our Dreams (1984; see WLT 59:4, p. 647), and Earthchild with Brain Surgery (1985; see WLT 60:3, p. 508). These earlier collections were influenced by his study of and familiarity with African--especially Ewe--folklore. The orality of his style has given his work a distinctive African mark. Many of his poems are written to be chanted or declaimed.
AncestralLogic & CaribbeanBlues reinforces the qualities for which Anyidoho is well known. Focusing on Africa and Africans of the diaspora, the poet appropriately uses African folklore for the formal, linguistic, and imagistic reinforcement of his Afrocentric ideas. Perhaps to show the connection with his past poetry, he includes in his new volume "Earthchild," from his 1985 collection.
The poet's preface, "IntroBlues," sets the sad tone for poems about the condition of Africans both in the diaspora and on the home continent. The...