CULTURAL CHANGE IN GABRIEL OKARA’S ‘ONCE UPON A TIME’: A GUIDE TO WASSCE 2026-2030 LITERATURE SUDENTS -- By Prisca C. Chukwuma

abriel Okara’s ‘Once Upon a Time’ is a poem that deals with insincerity in the interactions among Africans. It consists of seven stanzas with the number of lines differing. The poem appears to be a conversation between a father who represents the old African tradition and a son who represents the new Africa. Using the device, dramatic monologue, the poet persona exposes the deceptive and insincere attitudes of Africans after being colonized by the western culture. The poem therefore explains the themes of cultural clash, cultural change, sincerity versus insincerity, etc.

Cultural change has proven to be one of the major themes in the poem. This is because the poem passes a central idea of horrible changes that occurred in the lives of Africans after the influence of the western culture. The poet persona says, ‘We used to laugh with our hearts.’ This reveals that Africans were once sincere and full of love. Laughing ‘with their hearts’ shows happiness and true love in our interactions. We used to ‘laugh with our eyes’ meaning that we possessed love and care within us as we interacted with one another. But now, we only ‘laugh with our teeth,’ revealing that our culture has changed as we now laugh without true love and happiness. Our culture has changed thanks to the western culture, forcing us to change our normal way of life and instilling in us insincerity and deception. This insincerity and deception is seen in the line ‘while their ice-block-cold eyes, search behind my shadow,’ as it exposes the fact that Africans look for the faults and mistakes of fellow Africans or for their uniqueness or success to destroy.

Furthermore, cultural change is seen in the second stanza where the poet persona says, “We used to shake hands with our hearts.” This line expresses true love and all-round happiness that once existed. But that’s ‘gone’ which implies that the time we shook hands with love are no more and we only shake hands now as a mere formality. The second stanza further emphasizes the lack of love and authenticity in our interactions, with the line “they shake hands without their hearts,” showing deception and lack of happiness. The line, ‘while their left hands search my empty pockets,’ draws attention to how Africans give out their hands as gesture only when they want something in return.

 Next, cultural change is demonstrated in the line, ‘for then I find doors shut on me.’ This uncovers the rejection given to the poet persona despite the pleasantries offered: ‘Feel at home!’ ‘Come again.’ The poet persona finds ‘doors shut on him’. He is rejected by his own people. The poet persona uses this to explain the drastic change in our culture, the influence of western and the negative attitudes that came with modernity in Africa. He has no one to rely on or call a friend, for even after their pleasantries – ‘Come again,’ he comes ‘once’, ‘twice’ – the pleasantries end there; ‘there will be no thrice.’ Thus, friends turn their backs at him.

However, in the fourth stanza, the poet persona confesses that he too has been influenced by this new African culture. He says, ‘I too have learned to wear many faces’ which symbolizes various attitudes or behaviours to match the occasion. These faces include ‘homeface’, ‘officeface’, ‘streetface,’ ‘hostface,’ ‘cocktailface.’ These faces all represent the characters he exhibits ‘like dresses’ for each occasion. The poet persona’s behaviour changes at home, in his office, in the street and even during parties similar to the way we change clothes.

The poet persona admits that he has learned to ‘laugh without hearts,’ and ‘laugh without eyes,’ which means that he has been influenced by this new culture and he now laughs without true love and happiness. He asks his ‘son’ who symbolizes innocence and purity to teach him how to laugh the way he used to for his ‘laugh in the mirror only shows his teeth, like a snake’s bare fangs!’ which symbolizes deception and cunningness.

In conclusion, the poem centres mainly on the change that occurred among Africans after the colonization of the western culture. Gabriel Okara constructed this thought-provoking poem to draw attention to how Africans used to interact with one another, with true love but all that has been changed.

My appreciation specially goes to The Graceland International School, Port Harcourt for grooming me intensely in literary knowledge and analysis. Through the teaching and coaching hands of my literature teacher, Mr Prince Wekpa, whom my thanks also expressly go to, I can now stand on high pedestal to demystify literary texts and give them the right taste of interpretation they deserve.