Adamou Idé, a Nigerien writer, poet and novelist, was the guest of Studio Kalangou on 1 April 2026 on the programme Le Niger sur Kalangou. What is the role of poetry? What contribution can this art form make in times of crisis to maintaining peace? And what future does it have in the Sahel? The poet answers Habibou Garba’s questions in a two-part interview published by Studio Kalangou, Fondation Hirondelle’s media outlet in Niger.
Listen to the full episode of Le Niger sur Kalangou from 1 April 2026 on Studio Kalangou, or right here:
Adamou Idé: At a time when the world is shaken by alarming news affecting people’s security, global peace, the suffering of families and young people, and insecurity everywhere, particularly in our Sahelian countries, it is worth asking whether poetry can offer its own understanding of what is happening around us, at home and elsewhere.
Poets have always been called upon by this kind of situation, not only because of the condition they themselves experience as poets, but also because of what they see around them, which leads them to interpret these situations through this particular genre that is poetry.
Studio Kalangou: What is poetry?
Adamou Idé: How can poetry be defined? There are many ways to approach this literary genre. For example, Aimé Césaire says that poetry is a “plunge into the depths of being”. That is one perception of poetry. Makhily Gassama, for his part, says that poetry is a “celebration of words”. In our African countries, from the time of kingdoms to the present day, poetry has held a very important place. For example, in feudal societies, the poet was the one who spoke, who harangued, who advised the chief through poetry: he was the one who held the power of speech. He spoke on behalf of the people, of society: he was the only one who could tell the truth where others could not. So the poet has always played an important role in preserving social peace.
In modern societies, I believe that Africa’s independence would not have been possible without the battle cry of poets such as Léon-Gontran Damas, Senghor, Aimé Césaire, David Diop and Agostinho Neto, who placed their talent at the service of their people’s freedom. So this literary genre carries an important responsibility. It is a role that must be assumed, because what is at stake is freedom, justice and peace among human beings.
“The poet has always played an important role in preserving social peace.”
Studio Kalangou: How do you see the future of this literary genre?
Adamou Idé: It must be said that this is a genre that young people rarely approach with ease. Many think it is difficult; yet, without saying that it is simple, it mainly requires attuning oneself to the poet’s vision, to what the poet carries within, because he speaks from the gut. It is a way of communicating one’s being or one’s distress. Poetry touches the senses. It makes your hair stand on end. You almost enter a trance when reciting certain poems that raise questions about the life of the world and of the country.
If I take the example of our country, we have had very great poets such as Issa Ibrahim, Paul Hazoumé, Banyasai, Mamani Aboulaye, Boubou Hama… There are also new poets today. At independence, it was these poets who carried the birth of our state. So we are a country of poets.
Unfortunately, this genre is disappearing. We do not know why. I think this is the moment to bring it back into fashion and to offer children another way of seeing the world through reading poems. If moments could be set aside during the day for reading poetry, that could be interesting for pupils.
“Poetry touches the senses. It makes your hair stand on end. You almost enter a trance when reciting certain poems that raise questions about the life of the world and of the country.”
Studio Kalangou: It is said that the internet is affecting the development of this literary genre. What do you think?
Adamou Idé: Yes, we need to do without it. We need to find the time to pick up a book, to enter into that book, whether it is poetry, a novel or another genre. I think we are beginning to discover the limits of the internet. I take the example of some young people here, even in our country, who have formed reading clubs with physical books, who read and report on what they have learned from the book and share it. That is a very good thing.
Whether it is the novel or poetry, I think it is very important for young people to detach themselves a little from the screen and physically pick up a book and engage with it, whatever the genre. For poetry, it is a very good idea to start thinking along those lines.
I think it is children’s first language. They immediately understand what one wants to say because it is the sincerity of being: in poetry, one cannot hide who one is. In a novel, one can take shortcuts, one can tell a story or even speak about oneself through a fictional character; in poetry, that is not possible: it is the deepest self that speaks.