Focus On Nigeria’s Literary Arts Tradition

Nigeria’s Art and Literary traditions go back to thousands of years. And while some of it are tied to religious purposes, there are many objects that are used for every purposes. Different tribes in Nigeria excelled at different arts, although there are many traditions that span the entire region.
Archeologists have found evidence of pottery dating back to 100BC and Terracotta waves from about 800AD. Many of these pots have complicated carvings on them in many cultures, the potters were women, the terracotta was also used to make sculptures, but these statutes and figurines were also made from other materials such as bronze, brass, ceramic and copper.
Masks were also an important part of Nigerian culture, most of these masks were made from wood and printed in a variety of styles.
The Yoruba masks are probably the most well known( or at least the most well preserved).
Nigerians are also known for their brightly coloured cloths. The dyes are made from a number of natural plants in order to set the colour they are looking for. There are differences in the dying and weaving techniques among different tribes, of course there are other smaller carvings and handicrafts that are also created by Nigerian artists.
Word carvings and handicrafts that are also created by Nigerian artists such as wood carvings, Ivory carvings and woven baskets are also found commonly in the homes.
There are many Nigerian artistes who are quite known for their works in a variety of mediums, a few of the more prominent ones today include: Victoria Udondian (painter, fashion designer), Emeka Okereke (painter, photographer), Adamu Waziri (animator for Bino and Fino), Kari Ohiri (photographer), Wura Natasha Ogunji (performance artiste), Lucky Azubuike (photography, performing artiste), Maria Kure (painter), Adaka Ntah (performance artiste), OtobongNkanga (photographer, painter, performance artiste) and Nnanna Okorie (sculptor).
Literature in Nigeria is mainly written English, but there are many writers who write in number of other regional languages like Hausa, Urhoghbo, 1960 and Yoruba.
Scholars have divided Nigerian literature into four periods (from about 10th – 19th century) followed by the Sokoto period (19th – 20th century) colonial period (Early part of the 20th century) and post independence period (later part of 20th century date).
There were many writers who emerged from the earliest period, who laid the ground work for writers for centuries to come.
Some of the most important writers to emerge from the period include Ibn Furtu (late 1500s), Mohammed Ibm Masani (1600s) and SheukeJubric Ibn Umar (1700s).
Today, there have been many 20th and 21th centuries writers, who have had tremendous impact on not only Nigerian and Anglophone literature in and out of itself but on international levels as well.
Probably one the most well known authors from Nigeria is Chinua Achebe, probably one of the most well known writers from Nigeria. His famous novels include Things Fall Apart, No Longer At Ease, Arrow of God, Chike and the River, among others. Chinua Achebe also wrote several other stories and poem including: Anthills of the Savannah, the sacrificial Egg and other stories, A man of the People, Girls at War, Beware Soul Brothers, Morning Yet On Creation Day, The Trouble with Nigeria, The Flute, The Dream as well as the classical novel, There Was A Country, a personal history of Biafra amongst several other works of literature.
Achebe is sometimes referred to as the father of modern African literature. In 2007, he was awarded The Main Booker Prize for his lifetime achievements and influence to African literature.
Another Nigerian author worth mentioning is Prof Wole Soyinka. He has written many plays and several memoires, poetry collections, essays and a couple of novels. Wole Soyinka was recognised for his contribution to literature in 1986 as he accepted The Noble Prize for Literature. This made him the first African to be awarded the prize.

By: Jacob Obinna