O:JA&L BOOK REVIEW
Ibrahim Nureni, Contributing Editor
A Review of Adjei Agyei-Baah’s Scaring Crow
Scaring Crow by Adjei Agyei-Baah; Buttonhook Press; 2022; 44 pp.
“The worm does not allow us to enjoy the ripe kola nut, just as death does not allow us to fully enjoy life.”
. Yoruba proverb
Adjei Agyei-Baah was a renowned writer and the pioneering editor of The Mamba Haiku Journal. It feels almost unnatural to speak of him in the past tense, as I regarded him not only as an extraordinary mentor but also as a fellow writer who shared my artistic spirit. His untimely death left a void in the haiku community both in Africa and in the world at large, cutting short a journey brimming with boundless creativity. Although he left us early, his works continue to resonate and will remain significant in the discussion of haiku and senryu. Adjei Agyei-Baah’s literary contributions were both profound and prolific. Among his standout volumes are Afriku (2016), Piece of My Fart (2017), Ghana 21 (2018), Finding the Other Doors (2021), and Scaring Crow (2022). Each collection reflects his unique voice, his deep connection to his Ghanaian root, and his view about nature and human endeavors. In this review, I will concentrate on examining Scaring Crow as an outstanding creative work.
Adjei Agyei-Baah’s collection, Scaring Crow, published by Buttonhook, creatively examines the symbolic and practical uses of scarecrow. It presents scarecrows not only as an inanimate guardian in the agricultural fields, but also as a symbol that represents the passage of time and change. Thematically structured around seasonal and situational interactions between scarecrows and their environment, the collection presents both sad and humorous moments that reflect the natural world and human existence.
One of the haiku in the collection goes thus:
grandpa’s will
all his clothes go
to the scarecrow (13).
Another haiku that is similar to the above is:
daddy’s clothes−
passed on to me
passed on to the scarecrow (23).
The beauty of these haiku is their thematic revelation of inheritance, memory, loss, and occupation, in just a few words. The poem describes how Africans transfer their cultural practices and work traditions from one generation to the next. In the first haiku, the word “will” depicts grandpa’s inheritance. The second haiku clarifies that what is described in the first poem encompasses not only inheritance but also the family occupation that is passed down through generations. Set in postcolonial epoch, the two haiku delineate farming as the primary source of work in Ghana and, by extension, other African societies. The poetic speaker learned farming techniques from his grandfather, and when he attempts to build a scarecrow according to tradition, he uses grandpa’s clothes. The two haiku both speak about the tradition of recycling in that old clothes in African cultures find new life through repurposing.
Agyei-Baah also shows the relationship between farm owner, his children, and scarecrows in the collection, thus: “behind the scarecrow/the farm owner’s children/play hide and seek” (23). The haiku contrasts childhood innocence with the presence of a scarecrow to present the antithetical themes of work and play.
In the haiku, “harmattan—/even scarecrow/testifies” (19), Agyei-Baah uses “harmattan” as a kigo (the African season comparable to winter in the United States). In the harmattan season, the wind blows through from West Africa from November to March. Agyei-Baah brings life to the scarecrow through natural forces and gives it a voice during West Africa’s harsh dry season. Harmattan brings cold temperatures, causes lips to crack, and blows dust into one’s eyes. In the haiku’s context, not only do humans suffer from harmattan harshness, but scarecrows also provide evidence of becoming dusty throughout the period.
All in all, Scaring Crow is a great contribution to haiku literature due to its use of creative tropes to breathe life into the figure of scarecrow. Adjei Agyei-Baah thus transforms an agricultural tool into a symbol of resilience and existential reflection. Every haiku enthusiast, new and old, would find the collection both engaging and thoughtful.
About the reviewer:
Ibrahim Nureni is a writer, book reviewer, and critic whose haiku have been published in various literary journals, including The Mamba Journal, Acorn, and Heron’s Nest. He has made significant contributions to the literary field through his engagement with the Open Journal of Arts & Letters, Baram House, Wawa Book Review, and others. Currently, he is a 2015 Fellow of Harrison Middleton University’s Humanities in the Ides program, where he writes reviews and engages in discussions with faculty and students on topics related to natural science, philosophy, literature, and more. Additionally, he is a Fellow of the Bill Anderson Fund. Ibrahim serves as an assistant editor for The Mamba Journal and is a member of the Africa Haiku Network.
OJAL Art Incorporated, publishing since 2017 as OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters (O:JA&L) and its imprints Buttonhook Press, HOT BUTTON PRESS Contemporary Issues, and HIGH BUTTON PRESS Contemporary Art, supports writers and artists worldwide.
Explore O:JA&L’s Buttonhook Press offerings on Amazon.
Subscribe to the O:JA&L YouTube channel.
Become an O:JA&L Member through Patreon.
Follow O:JA&L on Facebook.
Support Pamelyn Casto’s text for writers: Flash Fiction: Alive in the Flicker
Support O:JA&L’s free presses.
