POETRY AND PUBLIC AWARENESS IN DEMOCRATIC NIGERIA: THE CASE OF IGBO

Abstract

Poetry plays very vital role in influencing the life of people, both literate and non-literate. The study of Igbo poetry reveals that poetry contributes towards ensuring everlasting democracy in Nigeria by highlighting various issues that affect the general society. To do this effectively the Igbo poets usually choose satire most of the time as an instrument for creating awareness in the society. In this paper, effort is made at examining some poems with specific reference to Igbo poems with a view to establishing those poems as a veritable medium of propagating ideals in the society using satire as an instrument. To carry out this study effectively, the researcher embarked on library research and studies of books on the related area. Thus adequate information was collected which was used in the writing of the work. Selected Igbo poems used in the work were critically studied. It was observed that the Igbo poets and poetesses are obviously using their literary work to create the necessary awareness that play vital role in sustaining the desired democratic ideals. It is hoped that this study will be useful to everybody, especially to Nigerian leaders and politicians.