All Because of Abiku: A Reflection on Memory and the Living Past

By Igwe Grace 

During a lecture recently, a simple mention of an old poem sparked an unexpected moment in class. The lecturer began reminiscing about poems from his own school days, especially Abiku, the famous works by John Pepper Clark and Wole Soyinka. Hearing those names immediately brought back memories.

For some people, Abiku is more than just a poem studied in school. In many homes, it has remained a lasting memory long after secondary school days are gone.

One student in the class had grown up hearing the poem repeatedly because of her mother, who still remembers it from her own school days decades ago. Even today, she can still recite the poem from beginning to end without missing a line.

As the lecturer tried to remember certain parts of the poem during the discussion  “Do stay out of the baobab tree” the student quietly followed along, already familiar with the verses from hearing them so often at home. At some point, she mentioned that her mother could still recite the entire poem by heart even today.

The lecturer seemed impressed at first, but in his usual humorous way, he joked that her mother “must be an Abiku herself.” The classroom immediately burst into laughter.

While the comment amused everyone, the moment also carried a different feeling. Rather than feeling embarrassed, the student felt proud knowing that something studied so many years ago could still remain alive through memory.

Later at home, she shared the story with her mother, who simply laughed and brushed it off, describing the lecturer as a funny person. Her reaction reflected the kind of person she is, someone who values memory, culture, and old literary works enough not to be bothered by a passing joke.

The experience became a reminder of how much people are shaped by their environment.

To many students today, Abiku may seem like just another old poem, and some may not even know much about it. But for others, it remains a strong connection to literary history, cultural heritage, and personal memory.

The fact that a poem can stay in someone’s mind for over forty years says a lot about the impact literature once had and still continues to have. Sometimes, ordinary moments in a classroom reveal something deeper: the influence of parents, the power of memory, and the way stories continue to live through generations.