Blood on the Tides

Blood on the Tides examines the epic - a tale of a warrior and his sorcerer grandmother's revenge upon the assassins who killed her son - both as an example of oral literature and as a reflection of the specific social and political concerns of the Nigerian Delta and the country as a whole. 

In addition the book considers various iterations of the saga, including a performance of the entire saga in 1963 in Ibadan by the folk artist Okabou Okobolo, which was subsequently transcribed, translated, and edited by the renowned Nigerian poet, playwright, and scholar John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo. 

The study concludes with a look at the work of contemporary Nigerian creative writers and their connection to the powerful literary and historical currents of the Ozidi story.