The contexts and functions of Igbo oral poetry

Abstract

Poetry according to Egudu (1975) is in the first instance literature. Literature consists of a number of major genres and poetry is one of them. According to Finnegan (1977) “…the effect a piece of poetry is likely to have depends not on some permanent characteristics in the text itself, but on the circumstances in which it is delivered, the position of the poet, and perhaps on the native and wishes of the audience”. It is this striking statement of Finnegan above that the researcher tries to identify specific contexts and some notable functions poetry perform in the Igbo literature. Igbo oral poetry plays a lot of roles and is sung in several contexts. By context here, we are talking about situation or occasion in which this particular kind of literature is performed. We have general distinction based on context in various Igbo tradition for instance Ifo or Folktales is an Oral performance distinguished in terms of context as they are told in the might for entertainment. The Igbo Oral Poetry performs specific functions to the audience and the performers alike. These various functions of Oral poetry are distinguished from their context on the basis of what use they are put to as against where they are performed. It is quite difficult for a layman to distinguish between the two as they interwove. The role Igbo oral poetry play in one situation could change in another situation therefore the function Igbo Oral poetry perform is very much related to the context. This work however is limited to the context these poem are sung and some recognizable functions they perform.