The author of this article, Chidi Anthony Opara, who I cc'd on posting it, indicated that he has copyright to this article. This disclaimer should have had this disclaimer:
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Also, the sender does not necessarily agree or disagree with any opinions that are expressed in this message. ********************************************************************** --- In AfricanLanguages@yahoogroups.com, "Don Osborn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > FYI, this item has apparently been reposted from several lists including > USAAfricaDialogue and H-AfrLitCine; I saw it on H-West-Africa: > > > ------------ > > Overview > > Nigeria, the most populated country in Africa, is a multi-ethnic and > multi-lingual Nation. It is made up of ethnic nationalities like: > Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba, Igbo, Ijaw, Efik, Ibibio, Bini, Nupe, Igala, Urhobo, > Itsekiri, to mention a few, each with its distinct language. > The country's multi-ethnic and multi-lingual nature engenders an equally > multi-cultural setting. Nigeria's cultural diversity find expressions in the > literary and artistic endeavours of her peoples, namely: poetry, prose, > painting, music, sculpture, drama, dance, etc. > > Pre-Colonial Poetry > > Poetry as an art form has undergone evolution from pre-colonial to colonial > and then to post-colonial and contemporary eras in Nigeria. > Poetry in the pre-colonial era was unwritten. There existed a thin line > between poets and musicians, who composed and rendered poetry in musical > form. Poets then like Mazi Oparan'aku Onyeukwu(author's grandfather), of > Umude Avuvu in the present day Ikeduru local Government Area of Imo State > Nigeria, whose nocturnal poetry renditions earned him the nickname "Obe na > abali" meaning "the nocturnal voice", published their works in form of > renditions at funerals, marriage ceremonies, etc. Poets then were also > prominent in boosting the morale of tribal warriors, as well as composing > verses for use by diviners like the Ifa priests of the Yoruba race. Their > presence in palaces were also considered as a paraphernalia of royalty. > Poetry themes then consisted in praising virtues and condemning vices in the > then compressed society. One feature of pre- colonial Nigerian poetry that > is lacking in other eras is its spiritual leaning. Poets in that era had > affinities with deities worshipped in their cultures. In most pre-colonial > Nigerian cultures, poets were regarded as annointed mouthpieces of deities > and are accorded recognition as quasi-priests. Remarkable also is the > resilience of the (oral) poetry of this era which still find expressions in > the works of modern day Nigerian scholars of oral literature like Professor > Wande Abimbola. > . > Colonial Poetry > > The introduction of western style education in Nigeria by the colonial > missionaries, radically changed the shape of poetry, this generation of > Nigerian poets, like; Wole Soyinka, John Pepper-Clark, Christopher Okigbo, > Gabriel Okara, et al, having acquired western education, published their > poems in book form and rendered them in radio and television stations and on > the stages of semi- modern theatres. The themes however, centered mainly on > fighting colonialism, which was regarded as a vice. Poetry themes during the > colonial era tended towards academic, resulting into a tendency to weave > the poetry of that era to appeal principally to members of the academia. The > polarization of international political economy into capitalism and > socialism also affected the themes of colonial era Nigerian poets, most of > whom were educated in Europe and America. The effect of this polarization > will better be appreciated when the works of Nigerian poets of this era are > assessed. > > Post-Colonial Poetry > > By the end of colonialism, poets in post-colonial Nigeria, now exposed to > technological education, drastically changed the style and themes of poetry > writing and rendition. Compressing Nigerian poetry themes in the > post-colonial era into particular moulds is somehow difficult. This is > because of the emergence of various socio-economic, political and cultural > tendencies which poets of this era must appeal to. Even in the midst of this > difficulty, post-colonial era Nigerian poets like Niyi Osundare, Onwuchekwa > Jemie, Chari Ada Onwu, et al, managed to focus on socially, politically and > culturally relevant themes. > > Contemporary Poetry > > Contemporary Nigerian poets like: Obi Nwakanma, Odia Ofeimun, Chidi Anthony > Opara, Ogaga Ifowodo, Maik Nwosu, Sola Osofisan, et al, publish mainly on > the Internet and render their poems with sophisticated audio-visual > instruments via equally sophisticated > > > > audio- visual broadcast channels and on stages of ultra-modern theatres. One > of the major challenges faced by Nigerian poets of this era is the inability > and/or reluctance on the parts of literary critics, who should normally be > the fulcrum of qualitative literary craftmanship to upgrade their own skills > to meet the challenges of literary productions in an Internet age. Another > major problem is the erroneous belief in contemporary Nigeria that Poetry is > only an intellectual exercise, whose entertainment content should not be > emphasized. While contemporary Poets in other parts of the world are > exploiting this entertainment aspect to enhance themselves and their > societies, professionally, economically, politically, socially and > culturally, contemporary Nigerian Poets still view their craft from an > erroneous prism of poetry being only an intellectual exercise, with its > attendant professional, economic, political, social and cultural > consequences. > > ( Culled From an article in Google knol By; Comrade Chidi Anthony Opara), > > Link: > http://knol.google.com/k/chidi-anthony-opara/poetry-evolution-in-nigeria/146 > h4rvslkg1x/2# > ------------------------------------ Yahoo! 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