UI students group celebrates poetry

The literary culture at the University of Ibadan received a boost over the weekend with the debut of a students-owned online platform dedicated to the promotion of poetry.

Named UiteCreate, the platform also seeks to promote the University of Ibadan students’ exploits in business and technology.

“Wole Soyinka, Achebe, Okigbo were Uites that walked on the same roads we are walking on now. Why couldn’t we do it,” said Dolapo Amusat, the convener said.

“We decided to do an anthology. We chose Poetry because we felt it is the most popular form of Arts practised in UI. It is also the easiest to relate to,” he said.

The first project from UitesCreate – The UitesWrite Anthology – is a collection of over 200 poems was unveiled virtually on Saturday, 13th August 2016 and is available for free download at uitescreate.org. The poems were taken from about 400 submissions from poets in the university student and alumni communities.

Though initially dedicated to Arts, Amusat said the reception the idea got made it necessary to expand the focus.

“The idea of UitesCreate then came, as we realised that there are Unibadan students and alumni making waves in almost every imaginable sphere. We then decided to tag the bigger idea: UitesCreate. UitesWrite is the Art/writing arm of UitesCreate.”

“The journey took me like in a swirl through curves and crevices, and streets broad and narrow and left me richer than when the journey began,” said Dr Olayinka Egbokhare, who herself is an author and lecturer in the Department of Communications and Language Arts, University of Ibadan.

“It is refreshing to see intending Pharmacists, Doctors, Engineers and other scientists become a word -smiths who succeeded in breathing fresh air into this favourite pastime of many sages.”

Amusat said the members of the team behind UitesCreate never met physically since September 2015 when they first came together until August 10 when they had to do a photo shoot for the launch of their first anthology.

For him, the need to create a platform to showcase the talents of the students of the university was a calling. “People are talented. They just need a platform to express themselves,” he enthused.

“We have loads of other projects outlined for the UitesCreate platform and we sincerely can’t wait to execute them.”