An Igbo poem from eastern Nigeria. This poem is from the Odo masquerade when, through masked dancers, the ancestors speak to the living.
I live by the Ngwu tree
Near the Nkwo market…
If We Should All Die, Who Then Will You Govern?
Five Igbo satires from eastern Nigeria. These songs are of the type performed at the funerals of prominent people by groups of singers known as Abigbo singers. The satirical sections form only a part of the performances on these occasions, but the Abigbo singers are renowned for their eloquence and outspokenness.
A message should be taken to the Council men at Aboh,
Should the ruling of this world be with guns?
The Wife who Refuses to Feed the Visitor
A good-humoured Igbo song from eastern Nigeria, the singer chiding an individual about the duties of hospitality towards a guest.
Woman, though you cook without ending
And leave your pot on the fire till evening,
Self-Praises for the Ozo Title Day
An Igbo poem from eastern Nigeria, celebrating initiation into the Nze na Ozo society. To be made Ozo is to become a pillar of the community and a member of the most revered magical-religious community within the Igbo.
I am:
The Camel that brings wealth…
In Praise of the Farmer
An Igbo poem from eastern Nigeria, praising the farmer for his fortitude and encouraging him in his cultivation.
You have wedded your hoe to the soil,
You uproot trees with bare hands,
To a Young Lady
An Igbo poem from eastern Nigeria, consisting of a series of metaphors for the beauty and the goodness of the young lady who is being praised.
Young lady, you are
A mirror that must not go out in the sun,
