Timothy Abrak Lekwat
Lekwat commenced writing at the age of twelve, when he was in his first year of junior secondary school. His writing took the form of poetic outbursts that he wanted to suppress in order to be a novelist. Yet, he discovered quite early that in his writings, he would always be overtaken by a female persona. This persona confiscated the pen from Lekwat and poured out her lyrical feelings herself. Lekwat is unsure as to why since that early age, he got preoccupied with the concerns of women in the Nigerian and African society. He often attributes this preoccupation to the early passage of his mother from this earth. She left at exactly the age Lekwat started writing. His pursuit of a B.A. degree program was fraught with difficulties and uncertainties on account of family circumstances and labor union strikes in the Nigerian university system. Nigeria was under the most repressive military regime the country has ever known. Frequent clashes broke out between academic staff, who were advocating a better learning environment in a democratic society, and the military junta, which had no respect for education. Incessant shutdowns, strikes, low morale among students, and uncertainty for the future spurred Lekwat to engage social life through creative media. He sharpened his wits, honed his concept of poetics, and began using poetry to conjure a sense of what he wanted to convey. Lekwat has compared a poet to a singer, soloist, and songster. Accordingly, he has referred to most of his poems as songs. His poems (songs) have appeared in dozens of his publications, including From a Heart of Harmattan (Jos University Press, 1999), The Widow’s Song (Integral Publication & Channel, 2000), and Song of the Pride Lands (R & R Publishers, 2011).