Professor Ernest Nneji Emenyonu: The Voice That Traced Igbo Literature Back to 1857

Professor Ernest N. Emenyonu at a library. Source: Igbostudies.org. “Okwu bụ ndụ.” (Words are life). The old proverb could well summarise Emenyonu’s life's work. To him, literature was not simply art; it was history, language, and identity woven together like the intricate threads of akwete cloth. From Umuahia to the World Born…

ByChinemerem Okwuchukwu1 day ago0Comments

Nigerian film crew shooting a movie scene.

Cultural Heritage Historical Studies

From Oral Traditions to Nollywood: The Evolving Platforms of Igbo Historiography

Eze Nri Obalike sounding his bell, Thomas Northcote Before ink touched paper, before cameras rolled or scripts were written, the Igbo people were already historians. Their archives were not libraries of stone, but living voices, their pages written in the air through story and song. When the moon rose over red-earth villages, elders gathered children…

ByChinemerem Okwuchukwu1 day ago0Comments

Historical Studies

From Living in Bondage to Nollywood: The Rise and Retreat of the Igbo Language in Film

In 1992, a new kind of sound echoed across Nigeria’s television screens. It was not the Queen’s English of colonial echoes, nor the accented Yoruba banter of Lagos streets. It was Igbo, spoken with unfiltered cadence and ancestral rhythm. The film was Living in Bondage , produced by Kenneth Nnebue, and it didn’t just…

ByChinemerem Okwuchukwu4 days ago0Comments

Biography

Vincent Chukwuemeka Ike: Preserving Igbo Wisdom Through Storytelling

In the rich tapestry of African storytelling, one name stands like a steadfast tree by the banks of memory: Vincent Chukwuemeka Ike. A novelist, scholar, and monarch, Ike bridged the world of tradition and modernity through stories that spoke in the familiar rhythm of Igbo proverbs, laughter, and humanity. Born in Ndikelionwu, Anambra State,…

ByChinemerem Okwuchukwu4 days ago0Comments

Folklores

Asele: The Legendary Igbo Designer

Uche Okeke (1933 – 2016) Head of a Girl, 1962, pen and ink on paper. Photo: Ukpuru In Igbo mythology, Asele is a famous designer from Nimo, a town in the north-central Igbo region. She was the most skilled uli artist. Uli is a traditional Igbo graphic art used to decorate objects for social and religious…

ByIdenze EzemeMarch 1, 20250Comments

Folklores

How Tortoise Got His Bumpy Shell

How Tortoise Got His Bumpy Shell A long time ago, all the birds were invited to a big feast in the sky. They were very happy and got ready for the special day. They painted their feathers in bright colors and made themselves look beautiful. Tortoise saw the birds preparing and soon understood what…

ByOzi IkoroFebruary 14, 20250Comments