Orok Otu Duke – författare

Nigerian Civil War stories through the eyes of a Calabar child records the travails of Orok Otu Duke during the war and seeks to document for posterity, the traumatic experiences of the Nigerian Civil War, narrating his personal and nuclear family experiences in different locations and encounters; employing simplistic anecdotes to shed more light on the dilemma of the Minorities of Eastern Nigeria during the war.

Oluchi's Journey, is a compelling story about three generations of the Okerekes in Calabar: Before, during and after the Nigerian Civil War (1967 - 1970) "Oluchi had lived on the wild side of life. The fly says that no person with a sore can go through his father's compound without him greeting him. But Oluchi was not a house fly. She was a Christian child, with high hopes and dreams. A good girl that had a normal upbringing, just like many other children in Calabar, in the 1960s. Her parents were Igbos and had left Arochukwu to settle in the Edibe area of Calabar in 1961, before the Nigerian Civil War (1967 - 1970). Her mother was Mrs. Nkechi Igwe Okereke and her father was Mr. Igwe Emeka Okereke.

The surface of the earth says:"The treasure is within."The glowing jewel says:"Don't be fooled by my beauty-the light of my facecomes from the candle of my spirit."- RumiTreasures (A collection of Poems), seeks to reinforce the notion that most poets would cherish being seen by their community of friends and relatives as 'functional', the voice who sanctions and gives formal expression to their lives in verse, who serve as the repository of their thoughts and experiences, much like the Calabar 'Eting Uto', 'Akwa-ikwo' or griot. In Treasures, every poem creates a presence that is so physically, emotionally, and intellectually charged that we encounter ourselves in our response to it, all within the vision of the social stratum. And our wider society.

Calabar Modern Stories seeks to amalgamate some of our recent stories, whether underlined or undermined by our cultural, political or social experiences or practices. These are recent and topical stories that are experienced, foretold, told and recounted in and about Calabar - the ethnic colouration of these protagonists and antagonists notwithstanding. Over the years, the lines became blurred over the actual discernment of fables, history and outright propaganda. The present day demands for stories, issues and didactic projections for the succeeding generations of Calabar people. We have moved on from 'Old Calabar' to the modern and cosmopolitan Calabar. These are some of our stories: Book One: Ekpenyong-Abasi and Ekanem Book Two: Eme and Godwin Book Three: Ekamma and I

Winnowing (A Collection of Poems) is the seventh "Collection of Poems", published by Orok Otu Duke, following: Clementines,Sentinels,My Song, Sentinels, Dances on the Plains, Ellipses and Treasures. You are invited to join in his "Winnowing". Here is an introduction to Duke Town, his place of origin in Calabar..."Duke TownThe horizons do not age,As I see the rivers running back home,Salivating over the sensuous rhythms of my town.In this milieu, the mangrove trees still stand as sentries,Like the celebrated ceremonial guards of London.Standing on the only blocked marina in my continent,I still feel the presence of the Portuguese,The Germans and the British Visitors and conquistadores in the millennia past.We had a great start at first,But heartaches and pains soon followed our steps,Words that never existed in our vocabulary,Soon joined the enemy's constabulary.Now fear for crimeRuns very high.Holding firmly to the reins of ruinsBecomes a debacle which onlyThe maniacally bemused mindsWould really appreciate.With Oron looking like a cleftAnd Henshaw Town to my left,Obutong stays close to the right like an intrusive elder brother,While Creek Town and Adiabo look on like nosey sisters,Ogling NNS Anansa, Eastern Naval Command and Amphibious Brigade.This is a town that has defied history.Welcome to Duke Town."

The surface of the earth says:"The treasure is within."The glowing jewel says:"Don't be fooled by my beauty-the light of my facecomes from the candle of my spirit."- RumiTreasures (A collection of Poems), seeks to reinforce the notion that most poets would cherish being seen by their community of friends and relatives as 'functional', the voice who sanctions and gives formal expression to their lives in verse, who serve as the repository of their thoughts and experiences, much like the Calabar 'Eting Uto', 'Akwa-ikwo' or griot. In Treasures, every poem creates a presence that is so physically, emotionally, and intellectually charged that we encounter ourselves in our response to it, all within the vision of the social stratum. And our wider society.

Oluchi's Journey, is a compelling story about three generations of the Okerekes in Calabar: Before, during and after the Nigerian Civil War (1967 - 1970) "Oluchi had lived on the wild side of life. The fly says that no person with a sore can go through his father's compound without him greeting him. But Oluchi was not a house fly. She was a Christian child, with high hopes and dreams. A good girl that had a normal upbringing, just like many other children in Calabar, in the 1960s. Her parents were Igbos and had left Arochukwu to settle in the Edibe area of Calabar in 1961, before the Nigerian Civil War (1967 - 1970). Her mother was Mrs. Nkechi Igwe Okereke and her father was Mr. Igwe Emeka Okereke.

Nigerian Civil War stories through the eyes of a Calabar child records the travails of Orok Otu Duke during the war and seeks to document for posterity, the traumatic experiences of the Nigerian Civil War, narrating his personal and nuclear family experiences in different locations and encounters; employing simplistic anecdotes to shed more light on the dilemma of the Minorities of Eastern Nigeria during the war.

Calabar Modern Stories seeks to amalgamate some of our recent stories, whether underlined or undermined by our cultural, political or social experiences or practices. These are recent and topical stories that are experienced, foretold, told and recounted in and about Calabar - the ethnic colouration of these protagonists and antagonists notwithstanding. Over the years, the lines became blurred over the actual discernment of fables, history and outright propaganda. The present day demands for stories, issues and didactic projections for the succeeding generations of Calabar people. We have moved on from 'Old Calabar' to the modern and cosmopolitan Calabar. These are some of our stories: Book One: Ekpenyong-Abasi and Ekanem Book Two: Eme and Godwin Book Three: Ekamma and I