Words, mostly flowery, serve as a consent weapon for an African love poem, or as it would be said, the gatekeeper of the door to consensual intimacy. The concept of touch-and-rub-and-kiss, just as the literary orientation of writing about the self rather than the beloved, is alien to Africa. Africans first belief is in the word, whether spoken, written, or sung. Thus, this anthology's demonstration of the development of African love poetry through words, albeit contemporary, exploring the different ways that love can be interpreted — testifies to love poetry longevity and endurance. More importantly, the anthology has built on the gift-giving long songs of ancestral traditions to render an exemplary archival work that re-inaugurates the African erotic genre. At a time when the world is shredded apart from the explosiveness of integration, questing love, and its several forms of sanctity, here could be the answer to why Africans especially must do it right by borrowing ancestral screams from the atmosphere.

Aremu Adams Adebisi
Editor, Newfound, ARTmosterric
Published July 2021