Arts/Literary
Expose Of Nigerian Literary Themes
Nigerian literature covers a wide range of literary works written in Nigeria or written by a Nigerian in any language. For a work to be declared Nigerian literature it is expected to have certain features some of which include, being written by a Nigerian, must have its setting in Nigeria and should tell a Nigerian experience at its thematic preoccupation and should be centred in Nigerian lifestyle and day to day happenings in Nigeria.
Nigerian literary authors from the first generation set of writers to the present day attempt to imitate the Nigerian society with the consideration of the lives of Nigerians during that period. One key factor that has largely influenced the thematic focus of Nigerian literature is the common history shared by most Nigerians.
First generation writers took advantage of the various experiences that happened during the colonial era to put down their stories. While some wrote fictional events of the experience, some writers wrote a real recount of the period the events that happened between the precolonial and colonial era have been adapted by many writers in their works.
The precolonial era refers to events that happened during the period before the advent of colonialists in Nigeria, it deal with the history, lifestyle, culture and tradition of Nigerians in their ruled one another without influence of the British colonialists. Some writers adapted the events that happened during this period into their work.
An example of a precolonial text is Ola Rotimi’s ‘OvonrainwenNogbaisi’. It is a historical play as the characters and events portrayed in the play are actual happenings and have a link with the Benin history. The eponymous character ruled the Benin kingdom between 1888-1897 before he was dethroned and exiled to Calabar by the British colonialists.
Another work that was set during this period is AkachiEzeigbo’s “The last of the Strong Ones”. The novel depicts the centrality of women in the love of omega traditional existence before the coming of the White man.
The colonial era in Nigerian history deals with events that happened during the British rule on Nigerian soil. The events between the British entry and 1960 when Nigeria gained independence constitute the event of the colonial era. This period witnessed Nigeria’s indirect rule, external government and loss of identity, some of the works set in this period include Chinua Achebe’s “Arrow of God”,andWole Soyinka’s “ Death And The King’s Horseman”, though these works were not written by their writers within the colonial period, the works were set during this period, therefore recreating memories of what happened during this period.
Chinua Achebe tries to show how the British colonialists and missionaries destroyed the culture and belief of the natives. Through the character of Ezeulu, the priest of Uhu, Achebe shows how the priest becomes useless when the missionaries brought their religion and system of government. The novel was set in southern Nigeria with a predominantly Igbo population.
Wole Soyinka’s “Death And The King’s Horseman” shows the trial of the major character Eleshin, who as the custom permits, should sacrifice himself 30days after the death of the king. The Eleshin is hindered from performing his duty by the colonial powers.
The post colonial Era in Nigerian history started in 1960 after Nigeria gained independence from Great Britain. After a seemingly unending number of years, Nigeria’s dream of becoming free has come forth. Aspirations were high, the new government was expected to do a whole lot of things, happiness was on the air, the spirit of freedom grew tense amidst Nigerians, literary writers in this period captured the society and events that happened at post independence. The work, the pain and aftermath of colonialism and excesses of military government. ChimamamandaAdichies’s “Half of A Yellow Sun” is a post colonial text that talks about the Nigerian civil war and how the Genesis can be traced back to colonization and military shortcomings. The play however, uses the immediate family as its case study. The concurrent repetition of colonisation in many Nigerian texts qualifies the theme to be one of the thematic focuses of Nigerian literature.
In Nigeria’s history, one of the key factors that shaped the lives of Nigerians is the Nigerian civil war of 1967-1970. Other clashes, battle and wars also played significant roles in the making of Nigeria. As expected, these events also influenced the writings of some Nigerian writers, thus was and conflict becomes a major theme in Nigeria literature.
Leading the lists of conflicts in the Nigerian which has been adopted as a muse for many writers some of whom wrote in support of Biafra, others against Biafra. Christopher Okigbo, a Nigerian poet was notable for fighting the course of Biafra. He wrote the poems “path of thunder” and “Last Testament” where he seemed to prophesies his own death.
Other works that discussed the Nigerian civil war include: Chinua Achebe’s “There Was A Country” and “Half of a yellow sun (2006)” by ChimamandaAdichie. She tries to show the effects of the war on the Nigerian society with emphasis on immediate family. IsidoreOpkewho in his poem “casualties” (1970) also described the effects of the civil war and those at the receiving end of the effects.
War and conflicts have thus become a major theme of Nigeria lias many other works have been published with war and conflict as major themes, some are fictional, while others are non fictional. Examples of non fictional are: IsidoreOpkewho “ The Last Deity” and Femi Osifisan’s “Women of Owu” and “Moroun Rodin” which adapted its storyline from the Agbekoya uprising of 1965.
Clash of culture is another major thematic forma of Nigerian literature, the inability of one culture to surrender to another or the inability of one culture to consent to the fact that another culture is superior to its own is major theme in many Nigerian texts.
Notable texts where this theme is present are Wole Soyinka’s “Death and the kings Horseman” (1975) Chinua Achebe’s “Arrow of God” (1964), Hope Egbagha’s “Death Not A Redeemer (1998) and Ahmed Yerima’s “ Abobuki (2015).
Arrow of God by Achebe treats the issue of clash of religion, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe also discussed clash of culture. “The Trail of Brother Hero by Wole Soyinka is a social satire which centred its scope on religion as a tool for exploitation. In this drama, Soyinka mocks Christianity and how some of the sacrosanct merely use religion to enrich themselves or to disguise.
Elnathan John’s “ Born on a Tuesday” (2016) discusses explicitly the idea of religious intolerance, sects and religious fanatic using Islam. The text set in Northern Nigeria portrayed how violence can be erupted within a particular religion.
Politics as a general term for anything that concerns government is also part of Nigeria that cannot be thrown out. As expected, writer have taken this opportunity to air their voices in Nigeria’s political makeup. While some writers emphasised on excesses of government and power tussle, others laid emphasis on those at the receiving end of government policies and Leeds.
Chinua Achebe in Anthills of the Savanna discussed the quest for power, military and dictatorship in Nigeria’s political system. Helen Habila in his novel “Oil in water” portrayed the flaws f government and how it affects the society and its people.
Niyi Osundare’s poem “My Lord Tell me Where to keep your Bible”? and P.o.cUmeh’s “ Ambassadors of poverty” are satirical poems that discuss the excesses of government and government official. To lay emphasis on this satirical topic, ZickyKofomorola’s “Chambers of cockroaches” personified politicians and government office holders as cockroaches. This is to show what extent Nigerian politicians are filthy and the end result of their greed.
In discussing Nigerian literature, the status quo of gender in the society is an inevitable subject of consideration. In the Nigerian society, sex and gender characterisation is very important, considering the patriarchal nature of people, the societal makeup, marriage,ratio of Boy Girl education and the status of feminism in Nigeria, how writers portray gender in their literary works thus becomes a dominant thematic preoccupation in Nigerian literature.
Nigerian writers have different opinions, views and ideologies about gender. A number of Nigerian writers have been characterized as been patriarchal in their characterisation. These set of male gender is dominant and superior in the social hierarchy and decision making process.
Examples of writers who share this philosophy include Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe. Critics believe that Chinua Achebe is charactrischaracterisationofchiclo as a goddess in Things Fall Apart is to the extent a way of balancing gender, but most of his works portray a typical African society where patriarchy remains the order of the day.
Contrarily, some other writers try to balance gender of portray the feminine gender as superior to the male gender as opposed to what we found in Achebe and Soyinka. Writes like BuchiEmecheta, ChimamandaAchichie, Zaynab Alkali and Sefi Attach tried to bridge the gender gap in the African societies in their works as they support the idea of frminiy, the struggle for recognition of women right and gender equality.Source:- SarayiJibree: Thematic focus of Nigerian literature.
By: Jacob Obinna
Girl-child education is a way by which a girl- child is being exposed through formal education for proper education.
It is a process whereby a girl-child is being exposed to some certain things according to “teachmit@wp”.
Girl-child education refers to the aspect of education that ends at developing the skills and knowledge of girls and women no matter their backgrounds.
Some parents think that educating a girl- child is wasting of their resources. No. When a female child is educated, it gives her that respect even the husband cannot treat her anyhow because he will know her worth.
The importance of educating the girl- child cannot be overemphasised. It helps to empower the country and makes them have a better life. Once they are educated, they realise the importance of exhibiting good hygiene habits.
It may interest you to know that when a girl-child is educated, she has a sense of belonging in the society. In Nigeria nowadays, they have the potential of becoming governors, chairmen of local government areas, among others.
The tendency of taking cognisance of the importance of reduction in child bearing is high. When a woman is educated, the level in which she will give birth will reduce considering the dangers inherent.
Firstly, she will calculate herself and know when to conceive, although with the consent of her husband and the numbers of children she wants.
A girl who is educated will know how to educate her children properly. She will be of good benefits to the family.
Truly, a girl who is not properly educated will suffer lack of knowledge, fall into early marriage which will lead into early pregnancy. Some of these can cause domestic violence.
Women need education because without proper knowledge, a woman cannot run her home properly. A woman that is educated leads her home aright.
Some men use and take advantage of uneducated women by rendering all kinds of abuses on them, some rape their wives in course of making love and others insults their wives in public all because there is no education. In life, males and females should be educated without discrimination.
Furthermore, educating a girl-child is like investing in a big business that one will not run into a loss.
According to Dr Shaifali, girls’ education is like sowing the seed which gives rise to a revitalised, cheerful and full-grown family plants.
She also said educated women have the capacity to bring socio- economic changes.
Growing up from the family of three, my father told me that he was not ready to train a female child and when I asked why, he said: ” because when you will grow and become great, then, a man will come from nowhere and marry you and all my money will be wasted. When you marry, your name will be changed that means all your riches and wealth will become your husband’s own because you people are one”.
Frankly, I was very bitter with myself and I started questioning God that why was I not created as man, but I took it upon myself that weather the devil likes it or not, I will prove my father wrong by going to school and I will show the difference.
As parents when training children we should not think less of any child because every child is important and have value.
Every child is a blessing from God. This is a clarion call to all men of our present society to accord their wives the respect they deserve. A man can develop his wife after marriage.
Education plays an important role in the life of a girl-child. Let every girl-child be educated. The government should provide the society with basic amenities such as good schools that are well-equipped.
Parents from time to time should be re-oriented in this regard taking cognisance of the importance of developing the girl-child. None should be misled by saying that the girl-child need not attend formal education.
Since some parents do not have the wherewithal to sponsor their children, governments at all levels should introduce free education to give room for equal opportunity. Bursary payment should be re-introduced in all higher educational institutions.
Education is the bedrock of any society therefore women education cannot end in the kitchen.
Princess Npapa
Princess Npapa is a student of Pan Africa Institute of Management and Technology.
A woman is a dynamic multifaceted individual who embodies resilience, courage and determination.
She is a game changer and a force to be reckon with, a confidant empowered, supportive, adaptable and inspirational.
Many had asked why women are being celebrated even as recorded in calendar so frequently unlike men and I said, a woman being multifaceted and embodies resilience and determination is worth being celebrated unlike in the 80s when women were meant to understand that their place was in the kitchen of their husbands’ houses.
What an amazing level of development where women can choose a career and work on themselves and know that there is more to life than being in the kitchen and ending up in a man’s house with nothing to show for it.
Women are the strongest versions of the gender of humans in the world even in their silence, women hold a depth of emotions, questions and unspoken thoughts. Their smiles often conceal their true feelings, masking their fears, doubts and desires.
Despite these challenges, women continue to rise above, shattering glass ceilings and pushing boundaries.
Today innovative, women are enterprenuers, leaders, and change agents. Inspiring women like Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Chimamanda Adichie and many others have paved the way for future generation, their achievements serve as testaments to women’s strength, resilience and capabilities.
The calendar tell us how unique the woman is and her significance in the home and society at large. As a woman, she holds power and I celebrate every woman out there in the world irrespective of how you may have fallen, you shall rise above the challenges, support one another and celebrate collective strength and resilience.
Woman as an icon of strength is not just about individual achievements but creating supportive networks, uplifting others and celebrating collective success, defying expectations and redefining what it means to be a strong woman.
The strength and bravery of women are worthy of celebration by the entire world as none is unique as the epitome of nation builders, character molders and pacesetters not just in their family but to the society at large.
A woman is a selfless mother, lover and care giver to her family, a daughter who supports her parents, as a sister’s unshakeable bond with her siblings and a friends unconditional empathy and understanding.
These acts of kindness and love are not most times talked about but hold families and communities together and bonding strong women are powerful beings who have impacted the society, shaping the foundation of the world from the 80s to date, I personally want to celebrate all the icons of strength who had fought and are still fighting , that our voices as women are heard even unto the ends of time.
I celebrate you all amazing women for standing strong and paving ways for the future generation for equality, justice and human rights. To the rising child, teenager and adults who happen to be a ‘woman’, I celebrate our collective efforts, our strength in helping one another to rise, irrespective of our differences in our backgrounds.
We are super humans, unique beings, no wonder the Bible acknowledges the importance of our strength. Therefore, let’s celebrate every woman out there.
Kate Chisom Isiocha
Isiocha, is a student of Temple Gate Polytechnic.
It is the idea of God that family should exit. Children form part of the family. God loves family so much that Jesus was born into the family of Joseph.
Everyone’s family is good and important. Children should not look down on their family whether they are rich or poor.
Children should respect and honour their family and foster love among their siblings. They should work together and make peace in the family. They should always stand in the gap. It is good for family members to carry all along since everyone may not be doing well.
The Christianity that children learn is practised in family. Faith-based organisations do a great job in moulding children’s character. Those are the behaviours that children exhibit towards siblings in family.
Every child born in a family is there for a purpose. A baby born into a family is supplying something. It may be joy, wealth and so on. Everyone is important in a family.
Adolescents who have graduated from school but may not be contributing financially can do one or two things at home. You can engage in preparing meals at home while parents are away for a job or business. Contributing in house chores will go a long way to relieve parents of stress after a day’s job.
What do you contribute to your family, especially during holidays both in nuclear and extended family?
The family you were born is constant but friends are temporary. You can decide not to continue in friendship but you cannot cut off your family. No matter how bad you think your family is and you decide to leave home, you must surely return. Your friends can harbour you for a while.
The child’s first identity comes from the family. What the child learns first comes from the family.
Family is the centre of love and care. People have started playing down on marriage because of neglect on basics of family. Marriage starts today and and the next few months, it is threatened. Respect for family plays a crucial role in marriage.
No child grows without parental control and influence. If a child refuses to grow without taking instructions from parents, he may grow up being wild. There are consequences when children do not obey their parents. There are those who want to be rebellious against their parents. They should know that their length of days are tied to their parents.
Your bioligical parents know you more than every other person. There is the wisdom and knowledge your parents have that you do not so it is proper to listen to them before choosing carriers both in academics and job. A young man or woman can choose who to get married to, but a greater role in the choice of who to marry and the marriage proper comes from the parents.
They know what is best for you. No matter how modern trends will influence you and prove it wrong, parent is the key. No one can love you more than your parents because they are your blood.
A lot of parents have been traumatised due to the fact that children they nurtured and trained turned their back on them at older age. Children should not abandon their parents for any reason.
As you grow up, situations may arise in marriage when you decide it is over with your spouse, but no matter the level of provocation with your parents, they will not despise you. Parents will also play a role in that regard. Problem arises in every family but how it is handled matters a lot.
Some children honour their mentors more than their parents. Although there are parents who shy away from their responsibilities. It is important that parents take full responsibility of their children. You cannot bring a child to the planet earth and refuse to perform roles as a parent. But parents may not quantify what they spent from childhood to adolescence. That is a blessing children cannot get from another person.
There are people who have attributed their failure in life to the fact that their parents, especially mothers are witchcraft. It is wrong to feel that your mother is instrumental to your failure in life. The only way to success is hardwork.
Let money not determine the level of love for your parents. Wherever a child goes, family is constant.
Eunice Choko-Kayode