I really fear for the future of my people.

A part of the OP post has it that Igbo literature is not developed, but I say its not true.

Its either some ppl didn't acquaint themselves of that or they don't visit bookshops in the East

I grew up on Igbo literature.
Thanks

Abagworo:

The parts of Igbo that are clannish seem to preserve their language more than the parts that are indifferent. Check out Abiriba or Ngwa and notice that the dialects are spoken fluently by those born and bred in USA and Japan and some of them don't even know central Igbo. Some of these Igbo dialects have words that lack in central Igbo. Take the Ngwa word "Iko" which means "concubine" and the non-existence of the word in central Igbo.

Very true.

But ikwa iko is being used in central Igbo to mean pros.titution, same as igba akuna

ketoprofen: A part of the OP post has it that Igbo literature is not developed, but I say its not true.

Its either some ppl didn't acquaint themselves of that or they don't visit bookshops in the East

I grew up on Igbo literature.
Thanks

For me, I don't know any classic Igbo novels or novelists outside of classic children's books used for Igbo classes. Is there an Igbo-language equivalent of Achebe or Adichie? If so then I'll take back the comment.

ezeagu:

For me, I don't know any classic Igbo novels or novelists outside of classic children's books used for Igbo classes. Is there an Igbo-language equivalent of Achebe or Adichie? If so then I'll take back the comment.

This shows u are not into Igbo literature at all.
By Adichie/Achebe, do u mean those that have won int' l awards? How can that be, its only those that understand Igbo, that will award the writers.

Or by Achbe standards, u mean in terms of being classic?
Some of the classic Igbo novels include:

TONY UBESIE

-Ukwa ruo oge ya....o daa
- Isi Akwu Dara na ala: centered on a typical family in the biafran civil war
- Mmiri oku Eji Egbu Mbe
- Onye OMA Emeka - A phrase that is being used by every Igbo speaker today. It is Tony' s invention.
- Can't remember the rest, Tony doesn't write ' unclassic ' novels.


CHINEDU OFOMATA

- Ihe Onye Metere
- Ihe ojoo gbaa AFO
Can't remember the rest.

-Nwata bulie nna ya elu


Wait, don't tell me u didn't read these books, they are even more interesting than most English novels.
The authors use more proverbs per paragraph than Igbo writers of English literature.
Lota na ilu bu mmanu ndi igbo ji eri okwu
I mentioned these two authors because they are the most prolific.

Reading Igbo works outside the classroom is not common among the Igbo as u said but ppl like my mother and I......we believe Igbo literature is the Literature, dats y I was kujad when u said Igbo doesn't have developed literature.
Asi asi.

Igbo may have some literary works (novels, stories), but it lacks an academia. Igbo literature is truly not developed.

ChinenyeN: Igbo may have some literary works (novels, stories), but it lacks an academia. Igbo literature is truly not developed.

Am done with the argument. I thought the original talk was that there are no classic Igbo works.

Just know that those that did not acquaint themselves of the experience should not make statements they can't defend.
The problem is not in the academia, which in my opinion is not lacking, the problem is the fact that many igbos dont read igbo novels- they are two different tnnz.
The latter factor is the one that needs to be addressed.

Many of us saying Igbo Lit is not developed have not even read much or anything themselves and are not even aware of recent Igbo works in the market.
Ochupuru onwe ya n' Igbo asikwana na ugbo eruteghi ya.

The problem in Igbo language is in the propagation through the media. There's a dearth of Igbo content in music, movies and other content and even the little that are available are not been promoted.

Afam4eva: The problem in Igbo language is in the propagation through the media. There's a dearth of Igbo content in music, movies and other content and even the little that are available are not been promoted.

Ur last clause is what am talking about.
Also, I don't totally agree with u in the area of music

ketoprofen:

Ur last clause is what am talking about.
Also, I don't totally agree with u in the area of music

If you say Igbo gospel and traditional music then i'll agee with you but the world is moving forward and a lot of our people especially the young don't listen to songs like Osondi Owendi or Akanchawa. They now listen to modern Urban music and we're lacking in this area. Apart from few people like Ill Bliss, Phyno, Flavour that sing modern music in Igbo language, a lot of musicians of Igbo root don't. We have to move with the trend but still maintain the Igbo content.

Afam4eva:
If you say Igbo gospel and traditional music then i'll agee with you but the world is moving forward and a lot of our people especially the young don't listen to songs like Osondi Owendi or Akanchawa. They now listen to modern Urban music and we're lacking in this area. Apart from few people like Ill Bliss, Phyno, Flavour that sing modern music in Igbo language, a lot of musicians of Igbo root don't. We have to move with the trend but still maintain the Igbo content.

Better.
But u forgot Dekumzy, Desperate Chicks, sunny bobo, J martins, Nigga Raw, Slow Dog and the unpopular ones.
Anyway, who said the young didn't listen to osondi owendi and Akanchawa when they reigned? I biakwa.

ketoprofen:
Better.
But u forgot Dekumzy, Desperate Chicks, sunny bobo, J martins, Nigga Raw, Slow Dog and the unpopular ones.
Anyway, who said the young didn't listen to osondi owendi and Akanchawa when they reigned? I biakwa.

The young listened to those songs back in the days but not today. The young these days are attracted to funkified music and you have to give them that but in Igbo.

I really find it annoying wwhen a big ethnic group as Igbos brandish the list you just brandished as a sign thaat Igbo musicians are singing in Igbo language. How popular is Dekumzy? Apart from his popular hit "I celebrate", which other one has he released that's listended to nationally? Sunny Bobo is a local Igbo musician and it's motly the older people that listen to him. What percentage of Igbo content do you find in J Martin's songs? When last did Nigga raw release a song let alone a popular one? And who is slow dog?

Afam4eva:
The young listened to those songs back in the days but not today. The young these days are attracted to funkified music and you have to give them that but in Igbo.

I really find it annoying wwhen a big ethnic group as Igbos brandish the list you just brandished as a sign thaat Igbo musicians are singing in Igbo language. How popular is Dekumzy? Apart from his popular hit "I celebrate", which other one has he released that's listended to nationally? Sunny Bobo is a local Igbo musician and it's motly the older people that listen to him. What percentage of Igbo content do you find in J Martin's songs? When last did Nigga raw release a song let alone a popular one? And who is slow dog?

OK. After telling u about Igbo urban musicians, u replied that they are no longer popular.
Well, many went into Recording and Productions which give u more money but less fame.
Ot
Ngwa rapu wanu.
Ndi Hausa ole na agu urban music na enwu enwu na Nigeria, ka o na ha abughi 'a large ethnic group '.

Moreover, I don't think u stay in the east.

Afam4eva:
The young listened to those songs back in the days but not today. The young these days are attracted to funkified music and you have to give them that but in Igbo.

I really find it annoying wwhen a big ethnic group as Igbos brandish the list you just brandished as a sign thaat Igbo musicians are singing in Igbo language. How popular is Dekumzy? Apart from his popular hit "I celebrate", which other one has he released that's listended to nationally? Sunny Bobo is a local Igbo musician and it's motly the older people that listen to him. What percentage of Igbo content do you find in J Martin's songs? When last did Nigga raw release a song let alone a popular one? And who is slow dog?

OK. After telling u about Igbo urban musicians, u replied that they are no longer popular.
Well, many went into Recording and Productions which give u more money but less fame.
Otherwise they were popular before.

Meanwhile,
Ndi Hausa ole na agu urban music na enwu enwu na Nigeria, ka o na ha abughi 'a large ethnic group '.

Moreover, I don't think u stay in the east. How can u say young ppl don't listen to Sunny Bobo? Is it the grandfathers that do so.

I agree with u in the area of Igbo movies. They got that one Capital zero.

ketoprofen:
OK. After telling u about Igbo urban musicians, u replied that they are no longer popular.
Well, many went into Recording and Productions which give u more money but less fame.
Otherwise they were popular before.

Meanwhile,
Ndi Hausa ole na agu urban music na enwu enwu na Nigeria, ka o na ha abughi 'a large ethnic group '.

Moreover, I don't think u stay in the east. How can u say young ppl don't listen to Sunny Bobo? Is it the grandfathers that do so.

I agree with u in the area of Igbo movies. They got that one Capital zero.

The bolded is one of the major problems of Ndigbo. Why the need to always compare yourself to others to look relevant? Are the Northerners as educated and open minded than easterners? Let's learn to tell ourselves the truth cos that's the only way we can move forward.

Anyways, in the music area, Igbo content can still be seen though more work needs to be done but in the movies, it's ZERO. Nothing is hapening there as far as Igbo movies are concerned.

Even if the original point was made with "classic works" (which for Igbo means books filled with stories and proverbs), it does not mean that the discussion necessarily ends there. Literature is not limited to novels and story books. Literature extends beyond storytelling and encompasses a wide variety of publication "genre". Essentially, if all Igbo has to show, in respect to literature, is storybooks, then we can be sure that it means Igbo literature is not developed.

ChinenyeN: Even if the original point was made with "classic works" (which for Igbo means books filled with stories and proverbs), it does not mean that the discussion necessarily ends there. Literature is not limited to novels and story books. Literature extends beyond storytelling and encompasses a wide variety of publication "genre". Essentially, if all Igbo has to show, in respect to literature, is storybooks, then we can be sure that it means Igbo literature is not developed.

Am not disputing that literature does not end in novels which u chose to refer as story books.
Am yet to see a novel that is not a story book

I only answered a question sb asked about the presence of classic works in Igbo, hence I didn't say Igbo literature ends in novels.

What am saying is that since u ChinenyeN has not entered any bookshop to ask for any igbo work this year, don't make any conclusion on the state of Igbo lit.

As far as am concerned, the supply for Igbo works is bigger than the demand.

Afam4eva:
The bolded is one of the major problems of Ndigbo. Why the need to always compare yourself to others to look relevant? Are the Northerners as educated and open minded than easterners? Let's learn to tell ourselves the truth cos that's the only way we can move forward.

Anyways, in the music area, Igbo content can still be seen though more work needs to be done but in the movies, it's ZERO. Nothing is hapening there as far as Igbo movies are concerned.

As for your first sentence, my comparison with hausas is not the selling point of my
argument and u know it.
Even though I know that the person I was replying was comparing Igbo to the Yoruba.
He can't stay in Lagos and make that huge conclusion.

ketoprofen:

This shows u are not into Igbo literature at all.
By Adichie/Achebe, do u mean those that have won int' l awards? How can that be, its only those that understand Igbo, that will award the writers.

Or by Achbe standards, u mean in terms of being classic?
Some of the classic Igbo novels include:

TONY UBESIE

-Ukwa ruo oge ya....o daa
- Isi Akwu Dara na ala: centered on a typical family in the biafran civil war
- Mmiri oku Eji Egbu Mbe
- Onye OMA Emeka - A phrase that is being used by every Igbo speaker today. It is Tony' s invention.
- Can't remember the rest, Tony doesn't write ' unclassic ' novels.


CHINEDU OFOMATA

- Ihe Onye Metere
- Ihe ojoo gbaa AFO
Can't remember the rest.

-Nwata bulie nna ya elu


Wait, don't tell me u didn't read these books, they are even more interesting than most English novels.
The authors use more proverbs per paragraph than Igbo writers of English literature.
Lota na ilu bu mmanu ndi igbo ji eri okwu
I mentioned these two authors because they are the most prolific.

Reading Igbo works outside the classroom is not common among the Igbo as u said but ppl like my mother and I......we believe Igbo literature is the Literature, dats y I was kujad when u said Igbo doesn't have developed literature.
Asi asi.

I think the point in this conversation is too complicated and intertwined with other issues, there's an argument that comes out of judging what is classic and what is classic because there really isn't anything else. Are the books you wrote a classic or a classic novelty? Is it part of a literary tradition (as in written works) or is it just peoples attempts at writing Igbo? These questions are what I mean by developed.

The issue with Igbo literature is partly because of disinterest as you said, but I think the root lies in education and not with peoples preference. The reason why I used Adichie and Achebe was not because of international awards but because 1. they are part of two generations of a particular literary tradition, and 2. because their books are widely read among Igbo speakers. The two biggest authors in Igbo society have not published (translated) their works in Igbo simply because no one will read them, and even if they did, this is the main issue, most people wouldn't be able to read them.

1) what I listed are classic works .
If u want i give u examples of the non-classic ones. That is y I said that the bulk of those talking about Igbo lit here are not even aware of what is happening in that field.
How can u ask me whether ' Is I Akwu Dara N'ala is classic or not.
That means u don't know the book.

2) the only problem I see in Igbo lit remains the reading by the Igbo ppl..
The poetry, drama and prose works are are in the market.
However, those works are almost only utilized by those in d univ studying Igbo Lang and literature, lecturers and teachers of the Igbo Lang and lit, sec sch students who are mandated to read them for their exams.
Only few ppl actually go to the bookshop to buy Igbo literary works just for leisure.

3) I don't know the primary sch u attended but we read the Igbo translation of things fall apart in Primary 4 and No Longer At ease in primary 5.
In essence, I had read the Igbo versions of these books in primary sch bfr the English version in JSS.

Leave all these tnz u ppl are saying, devt in Igbo lit is not as bad as u wanted to portray it.
Most ppl' s interests are not there .
Till an expert in igbo lit tells me the lit is dying, i cant take any conclusion made by those that have not even read the igno bible or any igbo work in the past 10 years.
end of discussion

ketoprofen: 1) what I listed are classic works .
If u want i give u examples of the non-classic ones. That is y I said that the bulk of those talking about Igbo lit here are not even aware of what is happening in that field.
How can u ask me whether ' Is I Akwu Dara N'ala is classic or not.
That means u don't know the book.

2) the only problem I see in Igbo lit remains the reading by the Igbo ppl..
The poetry, drama and prose works are are in the market.
However, those works are almost only utilized by those in d univ studying Igbo Lang and literature, lecturers and teachers of the Igbo Lang and lit, sec sch students who are mandated to read them for their exams.
Only few ppl actually go to the bookshop to buy Igbo literary works just for leisure.

3) I don't know the primary sch u attended but we read the Igbo translation of things fall apart in Primary 4 and No Longer At ease in primary 5.
In essence, I had read the Igbo versions of these books in primary sch bfr the English version in JSS.

Leave all these tnz u ppl are saying, devt in Igbo lit is not as bad as u wanted to portray it.
Most ppl' s interests are not there .
Till an expert in igbo lit tells me the lit is dying, i cant take any conclusion made by those that have not even read the igno bible or any igbo work in the past 10 years.
end of discussion

I don't think you understood what I was trying to point out. What good is a classic if no one knows about it? It means its status as a classic is up for debate. Everyone has their own idea of what a classic is. That's the first point.

The second point is that the origin of the disinterest lies in education, people cannot read Igbo well as well as they do English.

The last point is that the 'classics' have not opened a door for a literary tradition. "Only few ppl actually go to the bookshop to buy Igbo literary works just for leisure."

U are shifting grounds a lot.
just know that only few Igbos outside those compelled to read Igbo works do so.

- that u are not aware of the works doesn't mean they aren't classic or that others do not know about them..
nig generally doesn't even celebrate Literature. if not for the whites, do u think Achebe and adichie would be popular, yet, they wrote in English.

- Don't just conclude many Igbo can't read Igbo Lang because that is not true.
Have u seen anybody that failed Igbo in the sec sch. Even the dullest of students can read Igbo. In the catholic churches, passages are read in Igbo, if many Igbos can't read Igbo, y will it be the medium of writing prayer books.

just accept the problem is from interest as u said in your last point.

ketoprofen: U are shifting grounds a lot.
just know that only few Igbos outside those compelled to read Igbo works do so.

- that u are not aware of the works doesn't mean they aren't classic or that others do not know about them..
nig generally doesn't even celebrate Literature. if not for the whites, do u think Achebe and adichie would be popular, yet, they wrote in English.

- Don't just conclude many Igbo can't read Igbo Lang because that is not true.
Have u seen anybody that failed Igbo in the sec sch. Even the dullest of students can read Igbo. In the catholic churches, passages are read in Igbo, if many Igbos can't read Igbo, y will it be the medium of writing prayer books.

just accept the problem is from interest as u said in your last point.

Before we continue, how would you say the words 'prose', 'conjunction', and 'etymology' in Igbo? I want words that are used commonly.

ezeagu:

Before we continue, how would you say the words 'prose', 'conjunction', and 'etymology' in Igbo? I want words that are used commonly.

Lolz.

Conjunction- Njiko
Etymology - is a technical term, hence will be known by experts.
Prose - Can't remember.
? Edemede
I can remember words for drama and poetry

ketoprofen:
Lolz.

Conjunction- Njiko
Etymology - is a technical term, hence will be known by experts.
Prose - Can't remember.
? Edemede
I can remember words for drama and poetry

That's what I meant by the problem is education.

ezeagu:

That's what I meant by the problem is education.

Which kind education, I no fit forget Sth again?
Even the kyn etymology, I have to find the English meaning first.
Does that mean am bad at English Lit.
And I was thinking medical examiners were the worst.

ezeagu:

That's what I meant by the problem is education.

Which kind education, I no fit forget Sth again?
Even the kyn etymology, I have to find the English meaning first.
Does that mean am bad at English Lit.
And I was thinking medical examiners were the worst.

FYI, I was well trained in Igbo lit in sec sch

ketoprofen: FYI, I was well trained in Igbo lit in sec sch

Yeah, and you don't know/forgot what prose is in Igbo, anyway the point is that Igbo literature is nowhere near as developed as in Western and East Asian literatures.

ezeagu:

Yeah, and you don't know/forgot what prose is in Igbo, anyway the point is that Igbo literature is nowhere near as developed as in Western and East Asian literatures.

So that means you should throw away your language?

The day you can only speak a foreign tongue, that's when you'll realize what you've lost.

StarFlux: So that means you should throw away your language?

The day you can only speak a foreign tongue, that's when you'll realize what you've lost.

Pls, help me out .
His case don tire me.

As if I haven't forgotten the meaning of some things I learnt in final year.

East Asian lit my left thigh

StarFlux: So that means you should throw away your language?

Who is talking about throwing away language? This is simply a discussion to call people's attention to the current condition of Igbo.

ketoprofen: As if I haven't forgotten the meaning of some things I learnt in final year.

You're against the assumption which states that Igbo literature (as an extension of the condition of Igbo language in general) is underdeveloped, yet, forgetting what 'prose' is in the Igbo language does nothing but to support my point, which I will write again: Igbo literature is underdeveloped because of the lack of an Igbo-language educational institution.

If we move away from this 'classic'/popular books argument (which came from an off handed comment), we will start to put the consistency and technicality of existing Igbo literature under scrutiny. What I'm saying is: can you tell me whether the books you have read follow a consistent use of orthography which includes spelling, use of marks for accents, consistent use of loan words, consistency of dialect, proper use of vocabulary (as opposed to 'lazy' use of loan words), pre-European depth of vocabulary. Are these books backed by a body that may be able to scrutinise the grammar, structure, enjoyability of the book, and etc. Are there any literary academic journals written in Igbo and are these peer reviewed and edited to enforce a standard for Igbo (regardless of dialect)? Can you tell me wether these classics have been compared to anything else in the Igbo language and can you tell me if these books are quotable?

Are there even any courses in the world (which there really should be at lest in secondary school) for Igbo literature separated from Igbo language (learning), like how there are English language, and English literature courses? Igbo language courses (every single one around the world) are solely based on teaching the languages, as opposed to studying them. I hope you get the difference.

This is the entire institution of literature, and compared to this Igbo has no literary tradition/institution, no matter how many books are translated (for use in Igbo language learning, rather than Igbo literature study) or books that are essentially 'labours of love'. It's as ridiculous as saying an indigenous language of the Amazon rainforest has an established literary culture because there are two popular books written in the language and a bible translated by missionaries in the 1920s.