The relevance of verbal art or oral literature in solving human and societal problems is not limited to pre-literate societies. It is still relevant in contemporary societies everywhere as generations after generations and community members continue to sustain and promote some aspects of their cultural oral literature to deal with their social problems and protect their ethical and moral values. This paper examines the ethical and ritual dramatic satirical songs of the Ngwa-Igbo communities which special focus on the Kperembhuethical ritual dramatic satirical songs, sung and performed by women and men of the Obikabia/Umuokenya Ovom community in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria. The ethical ritual dramatic satirical songs studied and analyzed in this paper are those sung and performed during the Kperembhucultural festival, a festival indigenously so named by the people, which is organized and celebrated to satirize observed vices within the community and remind members of the community that the Kperembhu spirit is watching them and their actions. The songs analyzed here were collected by the authors through participant observation and oral interviews. Findings from this study show that the songs strongly attack what the Obikabia/Umuokenya Ovom community regards as vices. Also embedded within the lyrics of the songs are correctional measures that act as deterrent for potential culprits. Through this creative means, the community maintains a delicate balance between the general good of the members of community and the Kperembhu spirit whose norms of ethics must be upheld. The continuous use of the ethical and ritual dramatic satirical songs by members of the community also contributes to the inter- generational transfer of the songs which in turn enhances a continuous and robust use of the Igbo language in oral performance.
Written By:
Aaron Nwogu
Department of Linguistics & Nigerian Languages,
University of Calabar,
aaron.nwogu@gmail.com
Nkechi Ukaegbu
Department of Linguistics & Nigerian Languages,
National Institute for Nigerian Languages, Aba,
nkechi.ukaegbu@gmial.com
Ogbonna Anyanwu
Department of Linguistics & Nigerian Languages,
University of Uyo
ogbonna@uniuyo.edu.ng
