ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the various ways concerns for the future are represented in modern African poetry. I argue that the modern African poet is consciously or unconsciously attempting to locate within written and/or oral media the conflated experiences of the postcolonial reality and the human tendency to embrace change. The chapter pays particular attention to the ways African poets integrate oral resources such as fables, folklore, myth, magic, and fantastic tales in verse to advance meaning and to enhance the imagery and color of the experiences captured, especially as they bring attention to postcolonial/neocolonial conditions, conflicts, and environmental and social forces that affect their respective communities.
