You laughed and laughed and laughed (Gabriel Okara)

 

You Laughed and laughed and Laughed

                                                                         - Gabriel Okara

In your ears my song
is motor car misfiring
stopping with a choking cough;
and you laughed and laughed and laughed.

 

In your eyes my ante-
natal walk was inhuman, passing
your ‘omnivorous understanding’
and you laughed and laughed and laughed

 

You laughed at my song,
you laughed at my walk.

Then I danced my magic dance
to the rhythm of talking drums pleading, but you shut your eyes
and laughed and laughed and laughed

 

And then I opened my mystic
inside wide like the sky,
instead you entered your
car and laughed and laughed and laughed

 

You laughed at my dance,
you laughed at my inside.
You laughed and laughed and laughed.

 

But your laughter was ice-block
laughter and it froze your inside froze
your voice froze your ears
froze your eyes and froze your tongue.

 

And now it’s my turn to laugh;
but my laughter is not
ice-block laughter. For I
know not cars, know not ice-blocks.

 

My laughter is the fire
of the eye of the sky, the fire
of the earth, the fire of the air,
the fie of the seas and the
rivers fishes animals trees
and it thawed your inside,
thawed your voice, thawed your
ears, thawed your eyes and
thawed your tongue.

 

So a meek wonder held
your shadow and you whispered;
‘Why so?’
And I answered:
‘Because my fathers and I
are owned by the living
warmth of the earth
through our naked feet.’

 

 

 

Essay

About the Author:

Born in 1921 in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, Gabriel Okara witnessed firsthand impact of British colonialism on his indigenous Ijaw culture. This experience deeply shaped his worldview and artistic expression. Despite limited formal education, Okara possessed an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. He immersed himself in literature, drawing inspiration from diverse sources like William Butler Yeats, T.S. Eliot, and the rich Nigerian oral tradition. This self-education instilled in him a deep appreciation for language and its power to challenge conventional narratives. Okara emerged as a pioneer of Nigerian modernist poetry. He rejected the Eurocentric styles imposed by colonial education and embraced his native cultural influences.

Introduction:

“You Laughed and Laughed and Laughed” by Gabriel Okara is a poem about the interaction between a white colonizer and an African native. The poem is made up of 10 stanzas and explores the pain caused by the disrespect European foreigners showed towards Nigerian culture. Gabriel Okara's "You Laughed and Laughed and Laughed" goes beyond a mere exchange of laughs. It is a potent exploration of colonialism's impact, cultural clashes, and the search for understanding.

Power Dynamics and Stereotypes:

The laughter in the poem is deeply rooted in power dynamics. The "you," often interpreted as a colonizer, wields the power to judge and ridicule the speaker's cultural expressions. Words like "inhuman" and "misfiring" reflect colonial stereotypes that portrayed African cultures as inferior and primitive.

Resistance and Reclaiming Identity:

The speaker's laughter becomes a form of resistance. Their "magic dance" and "talking drums" reclaim their cultural heritage and reject the imposed narrative. However, the initial resistance does not translate to immediate understanding. The "you" remains isolated, highlighting the difficulty of bridging cultural divides.

Laughter as a Double-Edged Sword:

Both the speaker and the "you" laugh, but their laughter carries vastly different meanings.  "You's" laughter is mocking, dismissive, and rooted in ignorance. The speaker's laughter evolves, starting as defiant and then transforming into "fire laughter" – passionate, transformative, and seeking connection.

Fire versus Ice: Contrasting Worldviews:

The contrasting imagery of fire and ice reveals deeper clashes. Fire symbolizes warmth, life, and the dynamism of African culture. Ice, on the other hand, represents the coldness and rigidity of the colonizer's worldview, unwilling to engage with different perspectives.

Invitation and Ambiguity:

The poem's ending offers a glimmer of hope. The speaker's invitation to "dance the new yam dance" extends an olive branch, urging the "you" to move beyond judgement and share a cultural experience. However, the "you" leaves "laughing all the way," leaving the outcome ambiguous.

Open Questions and Enduring Relevance:

Did the "you" truly understand the invitation? Was their laughter a sign of dismissal or a seed of potential connection? The poem leaves these questions unanswered, inviting readers to ponder the ongoing struggle for intercultural understanding and the complexities woven into the act of laughter.

Conclusion:

Gabriel Okara's "You Laughed and Laughed and Laughed" resonates beyond its words and stanzas. It invites us to step outside our comfort zones, confront our biases, and engage in the delicate dance of understanding across cultures. So, the poem prompts us to question, learn, and ultimately, join the human symphony where laughter, in all its complexities, becomes a bridge, not a barrier.