Leaked Footages
Leaked Footages by Abu Bakr Sadiq, published by U of Nebraska Press in November 2024, presents a collection of poems that delve into urgent themes such as death, disappearance, grief, and memory. This edition, comprising 102 pages, explores the intersection of technology and poetry, utilizing mediums like closed-circuit TV and cinematographic techniques to convey complex truths. The work reflects a contemporary tradition of witnessing, drawing parallels with poets like Garous Abdolmalekian and Ilya Kaminsky while offering a unique perspective through its multifaceted speakers.
Readers will find an exploration of northern Nigeria through speculative poetry, where lyrical elements intertwine with chronicling the impacts of terrorism and war. The poems engage with Afrofuturism and experimental techniques, emphasizing structure and form. Sadiq’s approach includes erasure poems that reflect themes of disappearance and contrapuntal poems that articulate the experiences of those who endure loss. This collection invites readers to confront the grave realities faced by survivors, all while maintaining a focus on the artistry of language and expression.
Official synopsis Publisher
Winner of the Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets
The poems in Leaked Footages carry urgent subjects, ranging from death to disappearance to grief to memory. Not only do the poems fulfill the tradition of witnessing often manifested in contemporary poets such as Garous Abdolmalekian and Ilya Kaminsky, but they extend that tradition by the medium through which they witness: the technical and the technological. Here, the camera, the closed-circuit TV, cinematographic techniques, and the cyborg are trusted for truth telling. Reality is represented in footage seen through the eyes of multifaceted speakers.
In Abu Bakr Sadiq’s exploration of northern Nigeria in speculative poetry, the lyrical meets the chronicle. In this fusion of Afrofuturism with experimental poetic techniques, the reader witnesses a country ravaged by terrorism and the consequences of war, as well as the effects of these on those who survive. While the tone is grave with concern and conscience, the poems do not take the easy route of sentiment. Instead, attention is paid to structure—from the erasure poems that are informed by the theme of disappearance to the contrapuntal poems that are influenced by the testaments of leaving.
Publisher
Topics
FAQ
What is “Leaked Footages” about?
Who is the author of “Leaked Footages”?
When was “Leaked Footages” published?
What is the ISBN for “Leaked Footages”?
What are the book details (language, pages, edition)?
