Igbo literature

Igbo Literature

Igbo literature encompasses both oral and written works of fiction and nonfiction created by the Igbo people in the Igbo language.
It reflects the cultural heritage, history, and linguistic diversity of the Igbo community.

History

Oral Literature

In the precolonial era, Igbo literature existed in oral forms:

Chants, especially by women during rituals and childbirth ceremonies
Folk songs, narrative poetry, and storytelling (ife)
Proverbs, reflecting wisdom of the elders
Riddles, for child entertainment and learning

Oral storytelling was categorized into:

Tales with songs
Tales without songs
Tales sung without prose

It was typically shared at night under moonlight, told by mothers or young adults, sometimes with musical accompaniment.

Written Literature

Before colonial influence, the Igbo used writing systems like:

Nsịbịdị – prevalent in Aro and Cross River
Uli – used by the Ngwa
Akwụkwọ mmụọ – in Okigwe
Aniocha scripts – in western Igboland

These systems declined after the introduction of Western education.

Key Early Publications

1777 – History of the Mission... by G.C.A. Oldendorp included two forms of Igbo
1789 – The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano included 79 Igbo words
1837 – Scottish explorer Macgregor Laird compiled an Igbo wordbook

Missionary Influence & Linguistic Development

1841 – Niger Expedition: Edwin Norris, James Schön, and Samuel Ajayi Crowther began documentation of the language
1857 – Crowther's Igbo primer (Isuama dialect)
1861 – Schön & Taylor published Oku Ibo: Grammatical Elements of Ibo Language
1869 – Taylor published Igbo proverbs
1881–1883 – Crowther and Schön compiled the first Igbo dictionary
1892 – Julius Spencer published An Elementary Grammar of the Igbo Language

Notable Translations & Literary Milestones

1913 – Thomas John Dennis translated the Bible into Union Igbo
1923 – Israel E. Iwekanuno’s Akuko Ala Obosi
1933 – First Igbo novel, Omenuko by Pita Nwana
1937 – Ala Bingo by D.N. Achara
1963 – Ije Odumodu Jere by Leopold Bell-Gam

Periods of Igbo Literature

Isuama Period – early dialectal literature
Union Igbo Period – Owerri/Umuahia dialects
Central Igbo Period (1941 onward) – Standardization based on Central dialect
Post-Civil War (Standard Igbo Period) – Political themes and wider literary spread

Traditional and Modern Theatre

Traditional Igbo theatre is described as "total theatre", combining:

Music
Dance
Masquerade dramas (ancestral worship)
Visual storytelling

Notable Traditional Performances

Odo and Aba Ugwu – Nsukka and Udi
Okumkpa – Afikpo
Owu and Ikoro – Ngwa

Modern Igbo Theatre

Emerged in 1974 with Udo Ka Mma by Anelechi B. Chukuezi
Plays became part of school curricula to broaden readership

Traditional and Modern Poetry

Igbo poetry is categorized into:

Panegyric poetry – childbirth, love, rituals
Elegiac poetry – war, satire, funerals

Early Influences

1934 – Church Missionary Society translated hymns and Book of Common Prayer
Often criticized as religious propaganda rather than genuine literary effort

Civil War & Resistance Poetry

Joseph C. Maduekwe – Onyekulum chants for Biafran soldiers (oral poetry)

Written Poetry Emerges

1971 – Poetic Heritage by Romanus N. Egudu & Donatus Nwoga
1975 – Akpa Uche – First true anthology of written Igbo poetry
- Edited by Romanus M. Ekechukwu
- Contained 65 poems by 13 poets

Since 1975, 52 anthologies of written Igbo poetry have been published.

Notable Igbo Writers

Anthony Uchenna Ubesie (1950–1994)

A pioneer of modern Igbo fiction. Notable works include:

Ukwa Ruo Oge Ya Ọ Daa (1973)
Isi Akwu Dara Nala (1973)
Mmiri Oku Eji Egbu Mbe (1974)
Ụkpana Okpoko Buuru (1975)
Jụọ Obinna (1977)

Julie Onwuchekwa (b. 1944)

Author of Chinagọrọm, notable for feminist themes in Igbo literature.

Ude Odilora

Secondary school teacher and author of Okpa Aku Eri Eri (1981),
a widely read novel addressing materialism in Nigerian society.

Chief Frederick Chidozie Ogbalu (1927–1990)

Key figure in standardizing the Igbo language.
Founded the Society for Promoting Igbo Language and Culture
and helped publish many early Igbo literary works.

References

Citations

Various historical sources and missionary records, including works by Oldendorp, Schön, Crowther, Taylor, and others.

Bibliography & Further Reading

Emanajo, E.N. (1986). The artist and his society: the situation in creative literature in Igbo.
Black Orpheus: A Journal of African and Afro-American Literature, 6(1), 8–16.
Emenyonu, Ernest N. (1978). The Rise of the Igbo Novel. Ibadan: Oxford University Press.
Emenyonu, Ernest N. The Literary History of the Igbo Novel: African Literature in African Languages. Routledge.

Eaglewiki