Consternation

Consternation is a lyrical journey across time-through its fractures, echoes, and enduring truths. In this sweeping epic, memory becomes an act of resistance, and poetry emerges as a form of archival resistance to distortion, misrepresentation, and the forces of conquest. Here, Africa speaks to itself in a voice both intimate and expansive, moving through the depths of civilisational memory with clarity and gravitas as it reclaims history, reanimates silenced narratives, and restores identity to its rightful continuum. Reflective yet resolute, Consternation calls forth a spirit of remembrance and renewal, urging readers to draw strength from ancestral wisdom as they imagine and shape the futures they deserve.

The epic sweep and lyrical inventions of Utibe Hanson's Consternation confirms his promise as a major poet. Beyond the bravura performances in his lines is the steady apprehension of Africa's Zeitgeist. Sequenced as a symphony, this collection confronts our realities without ever forfeiting our African aspirations. This is one gem of a book by a gem of a poet. • Tade Ipadeola, Author of The Sahara Testaments (Winner; Nigeria Prize for Literature, 2013)