Exploration of Dzukogi's "Sex is Beautiful

By Muhammad Kabir Yusuf

B.M Dzukogi (aka kindirmo poet) is a writer, literary critic and activist and columnist. The writer of Kano to Ibadan by Road just produced a daringly bold title Sex is Beautiful which generated a lot of comment within the literary circles. LEADERSHIP's MUHAMMAD KABIR YUSUF reviews the book.

Title: Sex is Beautiful

Author: B. M. Dzukogi

Pages: 71

Publisher: Kraft Book Ltd

To start with, Dzukogi has basically two reasons for writing the pamphlet Sex is Beautiful. The two reasons are not sequential; the two reasons can not be numbered 1 and 2. Each of the two reasons is an independent number 1. They independently address two different issues. The first reason is an internal compelling urge towards uplifting the moral standards of our beloved country. In Dzukogi's words, "this pamphlet is... a quest to reverse the ills of our immediate environment". Where did this reason originate from is a significant question in the formation of the bedrock of this review. This question must have its origin traceable to Dzukogi's wide experience in teaching; interacting with young people, about whom he knows more than parents do. He must have had first hand information about how deep has the social ills eaten into the flesh of the body of our code of values.

Coming back to the second reason which is an argumentative postulation, Dzukogi wrote his pamphlet presumably, for the simple fact that he has three daughters. Dzukogi wouldn't have written the pamphlet if he had three sons? No! I can't believe this. Dzulogi would still write it. This reason is just argumentative postulation for those who still wonder why Dzukogi had to write the pamphlet even after listening to him as he presents the first reason. This is inferably clear in Dzukogi's presentation in the introduction of the pamphlet. He wrote and I quoted "For those who still wonder, why I had to write this, perhaps I should say, I have tree daughters"

What do you think I am trying to do here? You think I am trying to explain the reasons why Dzukogi has to write his pamphlet? Not at all. Maybe I am trying to read the minds of those asking Dzulogi for his reasons for writing the pamphlet. Yeah! After perusing through Sex is Beautiful, I now want to read the mind of other people who read the pamphlet and still have reason to ask why the pamphlet has to see light.

You know what? I think of two things right now. Whether Dzukogi's friends missed the correct question or else, they were hasty in asking the question. The right question should be why the pamphlet should carry the title Sex is Beautiful. Or maybe to make it clearer, the question should be how accurately the title captures the essence of the pamphlet? Is Dzukogi really trying to explain how Sex is Beautiful? Actually not. He is in fact trying to explain how sex is bitter not beautiful. Yes, the outcome of casual sex is bitter, especially to the young girls. Young girls are often the victims followed by the children born on the other side of the blanket.

One question always leads to another. It is pertinent here to ask the question why Dzukogi must title his pamphlet Sex is Beautiful if that is not what he is talking about. In his words, Dzukogi seeks to justify this by saying "I wanted something that would compel the young to pick it up and read". The title is therefore, more of a hook statement than a title. Dzukogi is making his pamphlet a must read by all the youth that come across the title. That is wise of him. But is it literarily and morally justifiable? How confident is Dzukogi about the content of his pamphlet; I mean, why must he "unnecessarily" seek to hyper carefully select a title that will call attention to the content. I mean, why must he create reading hunger in the minds of his readers? Is it part of the Nigerian literati self promotion syndrome? All these are questions I think should be answered by another reviewer. At least, I have done part of the job by raising the questions.

Dzukogi is... No! Sex is Beautiful, is... No! I think both are daringly bold. They are bold independent of one anther. Yes, boldness has been a trademark to Dzukogi, long before he wrote Sex is Beautiful. But the thing is that, the topic treated in Sex is Beautiful can only be treated with boldness. It doesn't matter whether Dzukogi wrote it or some body else did. To explain to young people the dire consequences of casual sex one needs to be bold or else one should forget it. No second option. So, where Dzukogi's personality comes in is not in the boldness with which he treated the topic, but the very first step of the book; the question is that of Dzukogi's ability to convince himself to write about the topic. Dzukogi's bravery lies in his conviction to practice purposeful literature at the time when his friend E.E. Sule preaches the gospel of Art-for-art sake.

Having said all these, there remains another crucial question. Is Sex is Beautiful really a literary piece or a text book in Sex Education? Assuming it to be a literary piece we will be faced with the question of genre. Sex is Beautiful will not pass for a prose, poetry, (with the exception of the poems in it) or play. I think this is a problem. The conventional, (or is it just traditional) classification of literary work is too narrow to accommodate a lot of literary works nowadays. Sex is Beautiful is an example. But then, the pamphlet can pass for a good text book in Sex Education. Agreed that the author taught Physical Health Educational (PHE) for 2 decades, is that enough justification for writing Sex Education text book for a literary work? I think yes. That is exactly what makes our works ours; for they have in them the experiences we went through in the journey of life, the uniqueness of our personalities and the very things that made us different and independent entities. That is exactly what guarantees our ability to transmit our world to the up coming generations through our literature. That is what makes literary works immortal.

I will not just sit at the comfort of my office and predict that Dzukogi's pamphlet is going to achieve its aim or even sit here and recommend that it is a must read book as used to be done at the end of every review. I consider that as a sycophantic and aristocratic scholarship which I don't want to identify with. For that, I am not going to judge the pamphlet by future success. That one is left to be seen. In fact, I will not even judge the book by the fact that it has been written. Many written books in today's literary production are not worth there salt. I am comfortable to judge Dzukogi's pamphlet by the author's inner working while contemplating the decision to write the book. I am comfortable to judge the pamphlet by those times Dzukogi spent alone in solitude wondering what would be the future of these inexperienced young girls launched into this sexually reckless world. I want to imagine Dzukogi's concern over the morality of his society and judge his pamphlet by that. This is because the pamphlet is produced by that concern. I want to believe that when Dzukogi talked about his daughters in the introduction of Sex is Beautiful, he is making a symbolic statement. He imagined himself to be the society and his daughters as all the vulnerable young girls the society produced. You want me to go further explaining my belief? Each of the 3 daughters symbolises one major Nigerian tribe; Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, while the others that will come (as he stipulated) are the symbolism of other girls from the other Nigerian tribes. What else do we need to begin to shout "job well done keep it up Dzukogi"?