“Bosiako; the Bloodbath”, a new masterpiece of Ghanaian poetry
Just as every penny counts in banking, in poetry, every word counts. It is with such precision that Kingsley Kojo Antwi weaves words beautifully to deal with cryptic and great themes of life.
And for Kojo’s debut poetry anthology, ‘Bosiako; the Bloodbath”, words breathe their own meanings in every line as he carefully takes his readers along with him to explore his subjects.
Advertisement
The name “Bosiako” is an Akan word for a proverbial warrior, who is said to have called for the death of his Siamese brother “Antwi.” To put simply, the title of the book reflects sacrifice!
I must say that Kojo’s economical use of a few words to tell a story of thousand words deeply reflects his maturity in poetry. And coincidentally, this year marks exactly a decade since he joined the poetry arts.
The anthology contains 30 poems, opening with “Bosiako” and ending with “My Neighbour And The Maize.”
Some of the titles you can find in the book include “Paapa”, “Till I'M Gone”, “Hymn For The Rebel Soul”, “In Her Own Words,” “Epiphany,” “Black Cinderella,” “God's Stepson,” “Friend,” “Papa Kill The Fulani,” “My Neighbour And The Maize.”
Right from the onset of the first poem, “Bosiako”, readers are made to know that they are going to hear the stories, tales and myths of a warrior—his inspirations, pains, struggles, doubts, victories, defeats and hopes. This is made perfect in how the writer described the birth of the warrior and the happiness it brought to the whole community. Check some lines!
See how they paraded your head at the market square
what pricked the eyes of the angry skies? ……
Since your head fell, libations were poured with laughter
Gods flaunted their worth in your mockery
How the mighty has fallen!
It’s only the drunkard who called you a hero
Kojo’s precision with words in context is amazing and requires long years of practice. Beyond the beauty of Kojo’s words, he uses his craft to bring to light histories, tales, fears, believes, customs, traditions, values, and myths of his subject and his people in general throughout the book.
Kingsley Kojo Antwi, the author
And as the saying goes, every writer’s work reflects some aspect of his personal life, I believe strongly that Kojo invariably may be using his book to also share his own life experiences with his readers and you wouldn’t want to miss this great opportunity to know the man behind this beautiful work.
The book will be launched virtually on July 23, which also happens to be the writer’s birthday. All interested buyers can get the book online at Chinese prices—very cheap! Buy the book, read it and thank me later!
To preorder, the social media handle for the book is Bosiako Creative. You can also check Bosiako Creative on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Whether you are in Ghana or not, you can preorder and your book will be delivered to you.