THEME AND STYLE OF IGBO BIRTH SONGS

ABSTRACT

This study analysis the theme and style of Igbo birth songs. Presenttly, with the introduction of  Christianity and  civilization  in  the  forms  of  cinemas,  televisions,  videos,  computers, phones and even Igbo written literature, many Igbo people hardly practice the oral aspect of the Igbo language like birth songs, funeral and nuptial poetries which are mostly context based. This study examines the structure of Igbo birth songs. It analyses the themes of Igbo birth songs in relation to their functions in the  Igbo socio-cultural life. It examines the linguistic and paralinguistic features used in expressing birth song performances and also identifies similarities and differences (if any) between birth songs in the the five core Igbo speaking states of Nigeria : Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states. The major source of data collection for this study is fieldwork. The study adopts two different theories for its framework namely: the functionalist and the contextual theories.   The findings show that birth songs being in solo-response form, feature three types of responses based on lyrics. The first is in word perfect form of both solo and chorus, the second is in the form where the solo exist in the non-fixed form and the chorus in fixed form. The third type is in the form where both the solo and the chorus are in the non-fixed forms. The study also identifies three interrogation styles in birth songs as follows: The type in which the answer(s) precede the question(s).The second type is the type where, the answers to the questions are supplied immediately after the questions have been asked and lastly, we have the rhetorical questions. Furthermore, the study concludes that in recent times most women especially the Christians, dissociate themselves from birth song performances. It, therefore, recommends that since there is nothing fetish in the performance of birth songs, Christian women should participate and help in its promotion because its promotion invariably means the promotionand celebration of Igbo women in particular and Igbo cultural heritage in general.

1.         Background to the study

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

Literature does not exist in a vacuum. According to Ezikeojiaku, (2001:48), “It is an imaginative work of art embodying ideas significant to the culture that produces it”. This means that literature mirrors the society that gives birth to it. Literature could also be simply defined as the art of language. It could be written or oral. The major difference between oral and written modes of literature is that the distribution, composition and performance of oral literature involve the word of mouth while the written counterpart is recorded in writing. However, this difference is fluid, that is, the modes can flow in and out of each other. Literature is classified into three major genres namely: prose, poetry and drama. Igbo birth songs performance, which is our concern in this study is an aspect of poetry. Although there may not have been a definite definition of poetry, but all ideas about poetry center on one thing, which is man‟s display of emotions in a unique language that is entertaining. This idea makes poetry to be a method of literary expression which suggests emotional feelings by means of imagery, rhythm and sound. It centers on  beauty through language. Usually, man expresses his feelings, experiences, expectations and dreams through the medium of poetry. According to Onu (2014:3), “poetry is a method of clothing new ideas and objects that are naturally ordinary. In this sense, it becomes a miracle created around common place things”. On the onset, there does not seem to be any difference between poetry and song as both are compositions  that  are  similar  in  nature  but  lately  there  seems  to  be  visible  difference between them though just divided by a thin line. Poetry is a collection of words that need not be set in music whereas a song is a composition that can be sung on a particular piece of music.   In other words,  poems such as onye ume ngwụ written by Onyejekwe & Ikeokwu (2009: 40/41) for instance is very  rhythmic and full of thought provoking words but it cannot be accompanaied by any kind of instrumentation whereas songs such as those composed by Chinyere Udoma and birth songs are usually accopmpanied by some instrumentation.  There  are  different  modes  of  delivery identifiable in  Igbo  oral  poetry. Uzochukwu (2001: 27-29) identifies three modes of delivery namely: songs, chants and recitations.

The  social  life  or  activity of  every  community  requires  some  form  of  linguistic behaviour from individuals or groups of individuals in different situations.   Some of such activities and  situations include occasions such as birth, death or marriage, that attach values which seem to govern their practices. Poetry is, therefore, performed according to different

contexts and functions. For example, funeral poetry is performed during burial ceremonies, nuptial poetry is performed during marriage ceremonies and so on. Birth songs which this study is concerned with are performed whenever a woman puts to bed. It is called abụ ọṅụ nwa in some parts of Anambra State and in some parts of Enugu and Ebonyi States; it is called egwu nwa while it is known as nkwa ọṅụ nwa in some parts of Abia State. For the purpose of this study and henceforth, we will refer to birth songs as egwu ọṅụ nwa. This is because egwu ọṅụ nwa is a more standard form which best translates birth songs.

Studying   songs in contextual situations are important not only for a clearer understanding of problems of meaning in a language but also for the deeper understanding of a people‟s life from which their meanings are ultimately derived.

The Igbo cherish and appreciate child birth so much. To the Igbo, the gift of a child is the highest gift from God as enunciated by some Igbo personal names such as Nwaamaka, Nwadimma, Iheyinwa (Nothing compares to the gift of a child) and Nwakakụ (Child is greater than wealth). Any family which is yet to be blessed by God with the gift of a child is not always very happy because of their childless state. Okechukwu (1999) posits that for the Igbo, to beget a child is to have fulfilled one‟s self and to have done the greatest service to the community.  It is the importance the Igbo place on child birth that gives rise to names like Nwakaego (A child is greater than money), and Mmaduka (Human beings are greatest), Nwanneka (Relations are greater than anything else) etc. According to Ebeogu (1992), the general  feeling of joy  and  gladness  which  accompanies  child  birth  calls  for the use of language that can create mental images that reflect the feelings of the women.  Gestation and labour are highly risky and as a result, when a woman is delivered of a baby, the Igbo would say Ọ rịtuola or Ọ rịdala (She has climbed down) which means she has been delivered safely. This expression signifies that the process of child delivery is synonymous with climbing a tree which if care is not taken, the climber could slip, fall and get injured or even die. A good  number of women die in pregnancy and  child birth. Such women  are not celebrated, rather, they are mourned. As a result of the risk(s) mentioned above, the husband of the woman also bears the physical and emotional pains of the pregnancy more especially during labour alongside his wife. This is why we have the Igbo proverb that says ime na-eme nwaanyị, ọ na-eme onye tụwara ya. (when a woman is in labour, the one that impregnanted her also  labours with her). Eventually, when the woman is delivered of her baby it calls for celebration and it is on that context that egwu ọṅụ nwa is performed. On another hand, egwu ọṅụ nwa is viewed as a cultural agent for the acknowledgement of Chukwu and Ala the great gods of fertility.

The performance of egwu ọṅụ nwa is an exclusive reserve of women.  It is a medium that affords women the opportunity to express group consciousness. Generally in Igboland, the performance of egwu ọṅụ nwa seems to be one of the major media through which women express  themselves  in  the  community,  yet,  it  is  not  given  the  desired  attention    and recognition  like  that  of  their  male  counterpart.  In  most  places  in  Igboland,  men  have traditional songs/dances that function as indicators of their socio-cultural identity. Some of these songs/dances within Igboland are Abiigbo men`s dance of Mbaise Igbo, Ohafia and Abam war dance (Iri aha), the wonder dance performance of Ugwuta and Egbema to mention a few. The performance of egwu ọṅụ nwa which seems to be one of the major media through which women express themselves therefore deserves some kind of recognition and documentation.

1.2        Statement of the problem

Scholars such as Ohale (1992), Mbuda (2003), Onyejekwe & Ikeokwu (2013) have studied egwu ọṅụ nwa but did not pay attention to the paralinguistic (non-verbal) features of the performance.   These paralinguistic or non-verbal features are very important in every performance because they have strong socio-cultural implications which complement the verbal features in communicating meaning.

The Igbo women have through the performance of egwu ọṅụ nwa and the use of these paralinguistic features such as dance, dramatization and music that accompany the performance, made salient contributions for the development and wellbeing of the society. For a better understanding and appreciation of egwu ọṅụ nwa therefore, both verbal and non- verbal features need to be studied and this poses a problem to the study.

According to Azuonye (2002), the Igbo language has been enlisted as one of the endangered languages by UNESCO. Igboanusi (2008) and Nkwopara (2011) corroborate the UNESCO assertion by enlisting the Igbo language as an endangered language. Even more endangered is the oral literature aspect of the language. Many factors contributed to this enlistment. Some of the factors are the introduction of Christianity and civilisation, which causes mass exodus of rural dwellers to urban areas where oral poetry is hardly practised. Another factor is the introduction of Igbo written literature. Mny Igbo people now prefare bto read Igbo literary texts to practising the oral literature.  Many Igbo women hardly practise the oral aspect of the Igbo language like egwu ọṅụ nwa, funeral poetry, and nuptial poetry which are mostly context based as they involve special occasions for their performances. These factors mentioned above have made such oral performances to be threatened more with

extinction and dearth than the Igbo language itself. One other major reason we decided to undertake this study is to account for a proper documentation of egwu ọṅụ nwa in order to avoid the extinction and dearth that has been threatening it.

1.3 Scope of the study

The primary focus of this study is to analyse egwu ọṅụ nwa. To identify the structure and themes of egwu ọṅụ nwa. To examine the stylistic (verbal and non verbal) features of egwu ọṅụ nwa and then identify similarities and differences (if any) between egwu ọṅụ nwa collected across the Igboland. It is restricted to egwu ọṅụ nwa in the five core Igbo speaking states of Igboland. Egwu ọṅụ nwa are collected from these states, Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo states.

1. 4     Objectives of the study

The main purpose of the study is to analyse the theme and style of egwu ọṅụ nwa in

Igboland.   Specifically, the study seeks to:

(i)        identify the structure of egwu ọṅụ nwa in Igboland

(ii)        analyse the themes of egwu ọṅụ nwa in relation to their functions   in the Igbo socio-cultural life

(iii)      examine the stylistic  (verbal and non-verbal)  features employed in    egwu ọṅụ

nwa and

(iv)        identify the similarities and differences among egwu ọṅụ nwa in the different geographical areas of study

1.5       Research questions

The study is guided by the following research questions. (i)        What is the structure of egwu ọṅụ nwa in Igboland?

(ii)        To  what  extent  can  the  themes  of  egwu  ọṅụ  nwa  be  employed  (as  corrective measures) in the Igbo socio-cultural life?

(iii)      What stylistic (verbal and non-verbal) features are employed in egwu ọṅụ nwa?

(iv)       Are there similarities and differences that exist in egwu ọṅụ nwa among the different geographical areas of study?

1.6         Significance of the study

The study of egwu ọṅụ nwa, which is a form of oral literature, will be significant in various ways.  It will provide insights into the structure of egwu ọṅụ nwa as well as establish the stylistic (both verbal and non-verbal) elements in them as exposed by their socio-cultural implications. It will also help in bringing to fore the similarities and differences between egwu  ọṅụ  nwa  across  different  Igbo  geographical  areas.  Again,  it  will  highlight  the

contributions that Igbo women have been making towards the welfare of the society by analyzing the themes of egwu ọṅụ nwa and their corrective inputs to Igbo socio-cultural life. Lastly, the documentation of egwu ọṅụ nwa will help to a greater extent in the prevention of its extinction and serve as a reference material in the library for researchers in the area of oral performance.

1.7       Limitations of the study

Two major limitations encountered in the course of this study were firstly, the context based nature of egwu ọṅụ nwa. Egwu ọṅụ nwa is only performed whenever birth occurs. Therefore, most times, we waited for women to be delivered of their babies and that took many months. In the case, we waited patiently until the women were delivered of their babies.  Secondly, there two types of egwu ọṅụ nwa. These two types also limited our study. The one performed immediately the baby arrives (gbata gbata egwu ọṅụ nwa) limited our study because we missed most of them not knowing the exact day that the baby will arrive. We only made use of the few performances we were lucky to participate in. The second type which usually prearranged also posed a limitation for us because in some cases the parents of the new born babies pretend not to have money for the egwu ọṅụ nwa performance and, therefore,  demand  that  we  fund  the  performance.  In  such  cases  we  tried  to  reach  an agreement to only support the family during the performance and not finance the entire ceremony.  In the long run, these constrains did not in any way affect the authenticity of the research findings.

₦5,000.00 – DOWNLOAD FULL PROJECT DOWNLOAD FULL PROJECT Added to cart

---

---

---

---

Related Project Topics :