Manorism

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While two praise poems to Tutuola and Malagasy poet Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo bookend Refractive Africa, the long central piece ‘The Congo’ is the star. It ranges across myth and time to upend what you know, about the land, its history, brutalisation, scars, rebellions, icons. It’s hard not to quote from it liberally, so forgive me but it’s the only way to really convey the scope of thinking and subjects Alexander encompasses. Within the space of a few lines, he can essay the now of the current Democratic Republic of Congo, and what it owes to the past: It wasn’t long before he realised that singers and songwriters were storytellers too. This prompted him to stretch his musical ear and surprisingly he was able to identify with a broad spectrum of sounds and genres. If the measure of a work of art or literature is the level of insight the reader gains into the artist’s world, then ‘Manorism’ succeeds supremely well. It does this because of the inventive use of language and the ability to show us the world of the writer.

Jonsson has a sure, controlled presence and animates not just his inner voice but those of the aunties around him, even Ade’s quiet voice and Big Mummy’s bigger one. Despite the subject matter, the play comes with playful moments cocooned in poetic language; Junior’s pleasure in overeating contains mischief; the rush hour is a fast-flowing crowd in which he plays Tetris. I went in expecting to feel inspired ..I didn't expect to also feel challenged, validated, riled up, soothed, seen and understood to the level that I was.

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There is a message of community that runs through the entire collection (whatever you perceive that to be): And then take your breath away as he describes one of the results of this: ‘the populace bony / sleeping as thistles over fire’. Or even more brutally: ‘I appear to the Occidental eye as carbon without consequence’. Unsurprisingly the ‘carnivorous paws’ of King Leopold don’t come out of this well. Searing, shimmering, brilliant. As hard to swallow as it is to put down. Yrsa Daley-Ward, author of THE HOW When I speak of justice and anger written with luminous genius, I will forever be speaking of Yomi Sode's Manorism, a glorious, furious collection that tells a thousand stories in stunningly crafted verse. A triumph that everyone should read Nikita Gill, author of GREAT GODDESSES and WILD EMBERS but i found this book genuinely amazing. undoubtedly i’ll be reading more by yọ̀mí ṣódé in the future, his work is absolutely incredible, i could not look away, i read this in pretty much one go. some parts i’ve already reread.

Expertly directed by Miranda Cromwell, it never once feels lethargic, though it has pools of stillness weighted with heavy emotion. Jonsson does not rush through these, nor indulge in them, but times them to a perfect pitch so that his story is about the bewilderment of grief but also the depth of love between these two men, and delivered without sentimentality. His debut solo play COAT, about immigration, identity and displacement, was developed with Nimble Fish, Apples & Snakes, Southbank, and as part of the Last Word Festival at the Roundhouse. It then played at the Roundhouse before touring with performances at the Battersea Arts Centre, The Albany Theatre, and festivals including Africa Writes Festival and Brighton Festival. AND BREATHE..., the live theatrical adaptation of poems from the 3rd section of MANORISM, premiered at the Almeida Theatre in June 2021, starring David Jonsson and directed by Miranda Cromwell. Yomi’s play WALTZ, about his lived experiences as a social worker, had a reading at the Bush Theatre in 2021 directed by Daniel Bailey, and MANORISM, an immersive adaptation of his first poetry collection, recently opened at the Southbank Centre as a genre-breaking fusion of live poetry, dance, projection, music and theatre. These experiences and perceptions are portrayed through a wide range of linguistic devices – poems, vignettes, prose, idiomatic use of English (e.g., often dropping the th from the so the definite article is reduced to e). There are phrases and sentences which are presented in a language of Nigeria. Because of the ambition and originality of this collection, I would suggest readers read it at least three or four times so as to tune into this remarkable portrayal. This first collection is impressive while being direct and speaking to a strongly lived experience. Born in Oyo State Nigeria, Award-winning Yomi Ṣode grew up around music. Once long-listed as one of MTV’s Brand New Artist’s, Yomi has been performing for the past 12 years. He balances the fine line between both Nigerian and British cultures, which can be, at times, humorous, loving, self-reflective and uncomfortable. i could not recommend this more, i recommend this to even people like me who usually don’t read poetry.The word ‘Manorism’ itself is another of these frameworks: a code for living by, one where the role of pride and respect – how it is earned, what happens when it is not present – is inescapable. Ṣode’s definition, in ‘On Fatherhood: Proximity to Death’, is subtly revealing in what it says about relative power between young men: ‘whether one yields to the other and keeps walking, / or whether we both head-nod to mark a familiarity as skin folk.’ Ṣode’s eye for respect and its absence is acute. In ‘A Sestina, for the Curious Oyinbo’, he details what happens when a woman at a writing retreat asks the tutor ‘ Do you want to be white?’: Part-confession, part-conjuring and wholly unique, Yomi Sode's debut collection is unflinching. As he writes, Our stories are open wounds. ?ode takes us on a visceral journey, spilling secrets nakedly, not allowing us to look away from the hard truth. And we're better for it -- Peter Kahn, author of LITTLE KINGS Yomi Sode writes with clarity, anger and love. Manorism reminds me of the paintings of Caravaggio. Empathy and chiaroscuro. More shadow than light. But that is the way of the world -- Andrew Graham-Dixon, author of CARAVAGGIO: A LIFE SACRED AND PROFANE Part-confession, part-conjuring and wholly unique, Yomi Sode's debut collection is unflinching. As he writes, "Our stories are open wounds." ?ode takes us on a visceral journey, spilling secrets nakedly, not allowing us to look away from the hard truth. And we're better for it Peter Kahn, author of LITTLE KINGS