Factoring <i>Agwu</i> Among Other (G)gods in Isidore Diala’s Inauguration of the Igbo Muse within African Literature

Uchenna David Uwakwe; Benedict Nkemdirim Igbokwe

doi:doi:10.11648/j.hss.20221001.14

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Factoring Agwu Among Other (G)gods in Isidore Diala’s Inauguration of the Igbo Muse within African Literature

Uchenna David Uwakwe, Benedict Nkemdirim Igbokwe

Published in Humanities and Social Sciences (Volume 10, Issue 1)

Received: 4 June 2021 Accepted: 30 June 2021 Published: 28 January 2022

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Abstract

The Inaugural lecture series at the Imo State University Owerri-Nigeria took a different turn in its 23rd version when Isidore Okeawolam Diala probed into a certain measure of the Igbo (meta) physical reality as it occurs in contemporary African Literature. With the title: ‘Dionysos, Christ, Agwu and the African Writer, Diala seemed more inclined to justifying the outcome of the writer’s acquaintance with the Igbo thoughts on Agwu, the god of creativity. Quite unfortunately, Agwu has never been known to have such positive view as to attract adherents. Therefore, Diala’s presentation, which associates the god with creativity brings a unique perspective to Agwu even among Christian adherents who associate its wors*hip or patronage with paganism. While it should have seemed that the title of this inaugural lecture would dissuade the audience, the personality of the presenter as a practicing Catholic had rather generated an exciting kind of inquisitiveness. This paper examines how Diala inaugurated and deified Agwu within the African literary world, drawing also a measurable symbolism with the messianic placement of Jesus Christ. It is also noteworthy that Diala draws the classical estimation of Dionysos in Greek religion in certifying how the religiosity of Agwu obtains such significance as have given impetus to the works by African writers.

Published in	Humanities and Social Sciences (Volume 10, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.hss.20221001.14
Page(s)	31-37
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Agwu, Christ, Dionysos, Metaphysics & Ritual

References

[1]	Abrams, M. H. and Geoffrey H. (2012) A Glossary of Literary Terms. (Tenth edition) Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
[2]	Achebe, C.. (1958) Things Fall Apart. London: Heinemann.
[3]	Diala, I. (2014) Esiaba Irobi’s Drama and the Postcolony: Theory and Practice of Postcolonial performance. Ibadan kraft Books Ltd.
[4]	Diala I. (2019) Dionysos, Christ, Agwu and the African Writer. presented at the Imo state University (23rd Inaugural Lecture) Owerri, Nigeria, May 23, 2019.
[5]	‘Factorization’. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factorization
[6]	Isichei, E. (1976) A History of the Igbo People. London: Macmillan.
[7]	Izevbaye, D. (1990) ‘Achebe’s First Two Novels: The Writing of A New Consciousness’ Eagle on the Iroko (Selected Papers from the Chinua Achebe International Symposium.
[8]	Merriam-Webster online Dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metaphysics
[9]	Ogbedeto, C. (2014) ‘In Igbo Culture God Made Them Male and Female from Creation’ Igbo Identities in the Contemporary World. Owerri: Whelan Research Academy.
[10]	Onukawa, M. (2013) Gini Bu Aha Gi? 24th Inaugural Lecture Series, Abia State University.
[11]	Saeed, J. (2013) Semantics. (2nd Edition) Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
[12]	Shakespeare, W. (2010) “Twelfth Night”, Complete Works of Shakespeare. Glasgow: Geddes and Grosset.
[13]	Soyinka, W. (2007) ‘The Fourth Stage: (Through the Mysteries of Ogun to the Origin of Yoruba Tragedy)’ African Literature: An Anthology of Criticism and Theory (Tejumola Olaniyan & Ato Quayson (eds.) Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. 364-374.
[14]	The Bible (King James Version) (Cor. 6: 14-15; Luke: 22: 42; John 12: 14; Philippians 1: 21.
[15]	Uwakwe, U. (2020) The Myth of Woman as Storyteller in Half of a Yellow Sun: A Legacy from Achebe to Adichie. International Journal of Africana Studies Vol. 21: 1-2. 65-83.

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Uchenna David Uwakwe, Benedict Nkemdirim Igbokwe. (2022). Factoring Agwu Among Other (G)gods in Isidore Diala’s Inauguration of the Igbo Muse within African Literature. Humanities and Social Sciences, 10(1), 31-37. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20221001.14

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Uchenna David Uwakwe; Benedict Nkemdirim Igbokwe. Factoring Agwu Among Other (G)gods in Isidore Diala’s Inauguration of the Igbo Muse within African Literature. Humanit. Soc. Sci. 2022, 10(1), 31-37. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20221001.14

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Uchenna David Uwakwe, Benedict Nkemdirim Igbokwe. Factoring Agwu Among Other (G)gods in Isidore Diala’s Inauguration of the Igbo Muse within African Literature. Humanit Soc Sci. 2022;10(1):31-37. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20221001.14

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@article{10.11648/j.hss.20221001.14,
  author = {Uchenna David Uwakwe and Benedict Nkemdirim Igbokwe},
  title = {Factoring Agwu Among Other (G)gods in Isidore Diala’s Inauguration of the Igbo Muse within African Literature},
  journal = {Humanities and Social Sciences},
  volume = {10},
  number = {1},
  pages = {31-37},
  doi = {10.11648/j.hss.20221001.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20221001.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.hss.20221001.14},
  abstract = {The Inaugural lecture series at the Imo State University Owerri-Nigeria took a different turn in its 23rd version when Isidore Okeawolam Diala probed into a certain measure of the Igbo (meta) physical reality as it occurs in contemporary African Literature. With the title: ‘Dionysos, Christ, Agwu and the African Writer, Diala seemed more inclined to justifying the outcome of the writer’s acquaintance with the Igbo thoughts on Agwu, the god of creativity. Quite unfortunately, Agwu has never been known to have such positive view as to attract adherents. Therefore, Diala’s presentation, which associates the god with creativity brings a unique perspective to Agwu even among Christian adherents who associate its wors*hip or patronage with paganism. While it should have seemed that the title of this inaugural lecture would dissuade the audience, the personality of the presenter as a practicing Catholic had rather generated an exciting kind of inquisitiveness. This paper examines how Diala inaugurated and deified Agwu within the African literary world, drawing also a measurable symbolism with the messianic placement of Jesus Christ. It is also noteworthy that Diala draws the classical estimation of Dionysos in Greek religion in certifying how the religiosity of Agwu obtains such significance as have given impetus to the works by African writers.},
 year = {2022}
}

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AU  - Benedict Nkemdirim Igbokwe
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Author Information

Uchenna David Uwakwe

Directorate of General Studies, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria
Benedict Nkemdirim Igbokwe

Directorate of General Studies, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria

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Uchenna David Uwakwe, Benedict Nkemdirim Igbokwe. (2022). Factoring Agwu Among Other (G)gods in Isidore Diala’s Inauguration of the Igbo Muse within African Literature. Humanities and Social Sciences, 10(1), 31-37. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20221001.14

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ACS Style

Uchenna David Uwakwe; Benedict Nkemdirim Igbokwe. Factoring Agwu Among Other (G)gods in Isidore Diala’s Inauguration of the Igbo Muse within African Literature. Humanit. Soc. Sci. 2022, 10(1), 31-37. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20221001.14

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AMA Style

Uchenna David Uwakwe, Benedict Nkemdirim Igbokwe. Factoring Agwu Among Other (G)gods in Isidore Diala’s Inauguration of the Igbo Muse within African Literature. Humanit Soc Sci. 2022;10(1):31-37. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20221001.14

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@article{10.11648/j.hss.20221001.14,
  author = {Uchenna David Uwakwe and Benedict Nkemdirim Igbokwe},
  title = {Factoring Agwu Among Other (G)gods in Isidore Diala’s Inauguration of the Igbo Muse within African Literature},
  journal = {Humanities and Social Sciences},
  volume = {10},
  number = {1},
  pages = {31-37},
  doi = {10.11648/j.hss.20221001.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20221001.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.hss.20221001.14},
  abstract = {The Inaugural lecture series at the Imo State University Owerri-Nigeria took a different turn in its 23rd version when Isidore Okeawolam Diala probed into a certain measure of the Igbo (meta) physical reality as it occurs in contemporary African Literature. With the title: ‘Dionysos, Christ, Agwu and the African Writer, Diala seemed more inclined to justifying the outcome of the writer’s acquaintance with the Igbo thoughts on Agwu, the god of creativity. Quite unfortunately, Agwu has never been known to have such positive view as to attract adherents. Therefore, Diala’s presentation, which associates the god with creativity brings a unique perspective to Agwu even among Christian adherents who associate its wors*hip or patronage with paganism. While it should have seemed that the title of this inaugural lecture would dissuade the audience, the personality of the presenter as a practicing Catholic had rather generated an exciting kind of inquisitiveness. This paper examines how Diala inaugurated and deified Agwu within the African literary world, drawing also a measurable symbolism with the messianic placement of Jesus Christ. It is also noteworthy that Diala draws the classical estimation of Dionysos in Greek religion in certifying how the religiosity of Agwu obtains such significance as have given impetus to the works by African writers.},
 year = {2022}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Factoring Agwu Among Other (G)gods in Isidore Diala’s Inauguration of the Igbo Muse within African Literature
AU  - Uchenna David Uwakwe
AU  - Benedict Nkemdirim Igbokwe
Y1  - 2022/01/28
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20221001.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.hss.20221001.14
T2  - Humanities and Social Sciences
JF  - Humanities and Social Sciences
JO  - Humanities and Social Sciences
SP  - 31
EP  - 37
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8184
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20221001.14
AB  - The Inaugural lecture series at the Imo State University Owerri-Nigeria took a different turn in its 23rd version when Isidore Okeawolam Diala probed into a certain measure of the Igbo (meta) physical reality as it occurs in contemporary African Literature. With the title: ‘Dionysos, Christ, Agwu and the African Writer, Diala seemed more inclined to justifying the outcome of the writer’s acquaintance with the Igbo thoughts on Agwu, the god of creativity. Quite unfortunately, Agwu has never been known to have such positive view as to attract adherents. Therefore, Diala’s presentation, which associates the god with creativity brings a unique perspective to Agwu even among Christian adherents who associate its wors*hip or patronage with paganism. While it should have seemed that the title of this inaugural lecture would dissuade the audience, the personality of the presenter as a practicing Catholic had rather generated an exciting kind of inquisitiveness. This paper examines how Diala inaugurated and deified Agwu within the African literary world, drawing also a measurable symbolism with the messianic placement of Jesus Christ. It is also noteworthy that Diala draws the classical estimation of Dionysos in Greek religion in certifying how the religiosity of Agwu obtains such significance as have given impetus to the works by African writers.
VL  - 10
IS  - 1
ER  -

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