About Half and Half of a Dream
Half and Half of a Dream explores our fascination and fear of dreams, examines the ressentiment that frames political dreaming, and raises questions about the validity of diasporic dreams of identity, time, and place using poignant metaphor and imagery. This poetry collection, in its Walcottian approach, captures the desire to return home and the realities of living in the diaspora, even while criticizing the socio-political factors that force individuals from their homes and create hardship for those who remain. This is a work of technical control, sustained by a vision of human flourishing, outcome of fundamental concerns with simultaneous continuity and discontinuity, rapture and rupture, hope and hopelessness, or unity and division.
Half and Half of a Dream is a magnificent exploration of the validity of individual dreams. The collection explores the intricate relationship between individual dreams and the enduring pull of a diasporic past. Rooted in the poet’s longing for their homeland, it transcends nostalgia, examining the dreams of the past, present, and future through affecting imagery and introspective questioning. As readers navigate the landscapes of memory and aspiration alongside the poet, they are compelled to confront their own dreams and the intricate roots from which they spring.
—Jumoke Comfort Verissimo, award-winning poet and novelist. Author, i am memory.
Wariboko’s new poems are prayer songs of love and despair for his country and continent that are lined with hope and his fingers crossed. They burst with empathy, local energy, lyric beauty, and hard truth imagery of the past, the present, and different pathways for the future. Africa is always promising. Let’s hope Wariboko’s dreams come true. The louder we sing these poems the better chance we have.
—Kevin Gallagher, poet, editor of spoKe (a poetry journal), and author of And Yet it Moves.
A masterpiece collection… Half and Half of a Dream is a poetic representation of the Nigerian society, garnished with cascading metaphors and movingly evocative imageries. Wariboko, through vivid language, rich imageries, personifications, and extended metaphors, captures the depths of sociopolitical realities of the nation in this collection, examining the fragile balance between dreams and disillusionment, and the perilous influence of religion on the African continent.
—Professor Toyin Falola, renowned historian.
More Praises
Half and Half of a Dream is a beautiful literary offering with strong aesthetic value. Here, Wariboko straddles home and diasporic ruptures yet contains the significations seamlessly.
—Utibe Hanson, author, Unnoticed Presence of Things, Winner, ANA Poetry Prize 2023.
In this haunting collection that bristled with the righteous indignation of a rebellious Muse, Nimi Wariboko traces a ragged line through the fabric of tattered but redeemable dreams. Dreams that are caught in the kaleidoscopic hues of many meanings and many accidents. Dreams that want to taste life. This collection carries the weight of a poet’s theological insights into our existential reality. Dreams don’t die because they are “celestial sparkles” the Muses—and God—“outsourced to us.” The poet’s ululation titillates our serene sadness. Can we dare to regain the loftiness of our dreams through the shimmering fogs of our realities?
—Adeshina Afolayan, Professor of Philosophy, University of Ibadan.
Nimi Wariboko’s Half and Half of a Dream is an evocative tapestry of poetry that delves into the intersection of personal introspection and collective experience. Through lyrical mastery, Wariboko captures the vivid textures of dreams, both personal and national, intertwining them with themes of identity, spirituality and the human condition. Each poem in this collection resonates with a unique cadence—by turns tender, indignant and profoundly soulful.
The poet’s technique combines vivid imagery and sometimes, mournful language that draws readers into contemplative spaces. From the tender lament of “Our children, tender twigs” to the existential grappling of “Reclaim yourself from where you scatter it,” the collection paints a portrait of a world both fragile and resilient. The emotional resonance of Wariboko’s words linger long after the page is turned.
The poet’s indignation at societal injustices, as in the poignant “Suicidal Dreams,” merges seamlessly with a fierce hope and reverence for beauty, as in “Africa” and “The Dream of Muses.” Wariboko’s message is deeply personal and universally relevant, addressing not only the specific struggles of his homeland but also the universal yearnings for freedom, justice. and fulfilment.
Half and Half of a Dream is a heartful poetic journey; a reminder of the power of dreams to illuminate, challenge and transform both individuals and societies. This collection invites readers to dream boldly and reflect deeply.
—Anwuli Ojogwu, managing director, Narrative Landscape.
Half and Half of a Dream is a wild romp through twilight moments between sleep and waking, and places both forlorn and joyful, from where we encounter nostalgia, hope, wonder, and truth anew. Nimi Wariboko’s poetry distills immense constellations of experience with raw emotion, profound reflection, and heartbreaking simplicity.
—Utitofon Inyang, poet and literary critic, assistant professor of Africana Studies, Binghamton University (State University of New York).
Half and Half of a Dream is a scintillating journey through the varied possibilities of a person, from childhood to adulthood, from Nigeria to the United States. I came away with the sense of watching a life unfolding at the nexus between self and environment and inspired by the grit, resourcefulness, and unflinching gaze of the poetic persona at contexts dreadful and sublime.
—Oluwatoyin Vincent Adepoju, Independent Scholar, Compcros.
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