Quote by Okot p'Bitek: “The beautiful one has fallen into the trap, She is finished!”

This quote, though from Ocol, highlights his disdain for Clementine, portraying her as having lost her traditional beauty and spirit by adopting Western ways. It's a poignant lament for the perceived loss of indigenous authenticity.

Following the success of Song of Lawino, P'Bitek wrote Song of Ocol (1970) to present the opposing, Westernized perspective. This era was marked by intense debates about which path newly independent African nations should take – tradition or modernity.

Ugandan poet and anthropologist whose 1966 long poem Song of Lawino is a foundational text in African literature, presenting an Acholi woman's lament against a husband who abandons his culture for Western ways. P'Bitek championed Acholi oral tradition and taught across East Africa and beyond.