Evolution of Nigerian poetry: From the pre-colonial to post-colonial era

Abstract

This paper entitled “Evolution of Nigerian Poetry: From the Pre-colonial to Post-colonial Era” interrogates the multifaceted nature and ideological stance of Nigerian poetry from the post bellum years to the contemporary period. African poetry as an important genre of literature is rooted in the culture and oral renditions of African writers, how they convey their messages to the people and how these people react after consuming such messages. This paper adopts new historicism as the basic theoretical framework. This is because it accentuates the intellectual history of the poets and poems of the various generation The growth and development of African/nay Nigerian poetry will create a sense of consciousness among Nigerians and abreast us with the progression of Nigerian poetry from nowhere to somewhere. The findings show that the poetry of a particular period shapes the consciousness of the poet of that era by unmasking their ideological stance. It has also been observed that the African/Nigerian poems range from oral rendition, the esoteric jeers of scholars to a more vibrant and virile poems. The poetry of these poets from the pre-colonial to the contemporary period dwell on the elevation of human dignity and it contains some spikes of anti oppression.