Namibian Poetry as an Expression of Agony: A Postcolonial Analysis of Thaniseb’s Searching for the Rain, Kahengua’s Dreams and Iizyenda and Kinahan’s (ed.) My Heart in your Hands

Abstract

This paper analysed how different Namibian poets have utilised different poetic devices to depict the theme of agony in Namibian post-independence poetry. Guided by the postcolonial theory, the paper looked at the use of different poetic devices in selected poems from three Namibian anthologies, Dreams, My Heart in your Hands and Searching for the Rain. The study found that certain socio-political and socio-economic issues act as the main catalysts for the agony prevailing in post-independent Namibia. Such issues include poverty, unemployment, inequality and disillusionment. These issues are the most prevailing themes in the selected poems. In the same vein, the study found that these postcolonial issues play a significant role in the struggles of the masses in post-independence Namibia. Furthermore, the study established that most poets have employed similar poetic devices to portray different dimensions of suffering experienced in the postcolonial era. The commonly used devices are onomatopoeia, imagery, irony, repetition, simile as well as personification. Lastly, the study established that Namibian poets have successfully employed different poetic devices to highlight and emphasise the struggles faced by Namibians in the post-independence era.