Awka Arise!

(Awka Times Promotional Advert Script)

By Chudi Okoye

Awka is a town pregnant with possibilities
No one can yet decipher what she will deliver
Awka was part of the nexus of early Igbo civilization
Throughout, Awka has carried the burden of Igbo history
Great deeds were done in this land of manifest destiny
Awka forefathers created a great society
To spark the eruption of modernity in Igboland, even Nigeria
Awka made things, manufactured things: For self and others
Awka sustained the gods of foreign lands
Equipped other peoples to build their own economies
Awka was the smithland of Igboland
And later became the capital of a core Igbo state
The inner city from which Igbo civilization would radiate

But look at Awka now: spent and bent in desperate despair
The bearer of distant burdens has become a burden itself
Community leadership is diffuse and obtuse
The people are dazed and confused
The town feels abused and abandoned
Lagging behind peers as a township
Slagged for its ragged look and musterless leadership

But Awka has an irrepressible spirit!
An inexpressible destiny!
Awka will rise again!
Awka will rise to the battle
With new clamor and new amour
Led by citizens with resurgent valor!
The age of Awka rebirth is dawning!
Awka Times, a Trumpet With Certain Sound
Summons a generation primed for its time!

December 8, 2019