Telephonic Conversation poem by Wole Soyinka

Telephonic conversations

      This poem is written by ‘Wole Soyinka’. Poet deals with racism and relation of black and white people. Talk about first world country and third world country. A black man wont to perchance home (land) from white lady. There is telephonic conversation between them. Telephone is symbol of connecting people, it is tool of communication.  But here in poem it shows distance between two people and nation also. Lady represents first world country and black man represent third world country (nation). Here we found Frantz Fanon’s concept of “Black skin and white Mask”. In this poem both are rich, necklace shows richness of lady and black man want to buy home so it shows richness of black man. But lady over power man because she represent or belongs to ‘first world nation’.  Lady is colonizer and man is colonized. Location place (home) white colony and for Negro man it is kind of achievement. In this poem we found that lady asked several question, like ‘where are you from? How dark? Are you light or very Dark? After this there is a deep silent. Silent suggest so many things. Silent is ill manner silent. Here we have one question that who is really dark? Black man gives self-confection, ‘I am African’ and many other things. Word use by man “Madam” is shows man gives respect to white lady. I’m not fully dark, don’t go with my color, and in this poem we found that man give his identity to that lady. But lady not give her identity. At the end of the poem there is one line, “About my ears-‘Madam,’ I pleaded, wouldn’t you rather See yourself?” it shows that what men think and mentality of white lady. When we look at this poem with post-colonial perspective, how white people feel superior and black people are inferior. What white people think about black people? That they are always bad and cruel, black people are barbaric, uncultured and uncivilized people.