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Embellishing Language in Oral Tradition through the Use of 
Proverbs in Akachi Adimora- Ezeigbo's The Last of the Strong 
Ones

Nwafor, John Onyema
Department Of English

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam 
Campus

nwaforjohnable@gmail.com
07037828182, 07087870380

&
Emma-Agbiri Nneka Augustina

Anambra State Civil Service Commission, Awka.
emmaagbirinneka@gmail.com

07037766554

Abstract
This paper explores the use of proverbs as an aspect of oral 
tradition. The study draws its inspiration from the observations of 
people's attitudes in society and attendant consequences. The 
novelencapsulates the vast pool of human deeds in their notorious 
and sublime forms—a story of all the tragic, moving, comic, 
boring, challenging, perturbing, and even ennobling actions and 
inactions of human beings. It is the narrative of four women 
namely Ejimnaka, Onyekozuru, Chime, and Chibuka. The study 
discovered that the novelist used her artistic power through 
proverbs to give an insight in what the culture of the Umuga 
people was before the coming of the white men. The novelist 
made use of the Igbo setting. There are names, proverbs, idioms 
and practices that epitomize the Igbo culture and Igbo world view. 
Her works are linked between her  and her lived experience. fic�on

The major source of her stories in the novel is her own direct 
experience through fiction.  Oral Aesthetics is highly portrayed in 
Ezeigbo's works in her constant use of songs, proverbs, lullabies 

Squier, Sussan. “Literature and Medicine, Future Tense: Making it 
Graphic.”Literature and      Medicine,vol 27, no2, 2008, pp. 
124-152.

Tadjo, Veronique..En compagnie des hommes. 2017.
Vamara, Kone. Life-writing and the precept of talking cure in 

African-American autobiography: A study of Richard 
Wright's Black boy and Rebecca Walker's Black white and 
Jewish, Le Caïlcedrat.  pp. 259, . 2018.

Nwafor, John Onyema & Emma-Agbiri Nneka Augustina: Embellishing Language in Oral 

Tradition through the Use of  Proverbs in Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s The Last of the Strong one
COOU JOFOCUS: COOU Journal of Folklore and Cultural Studies, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2022

mailto:emmaagbirinneka@gmail.com
https://newprojecttopics.com.ng/internal-auditing-efficiency-2/


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that”, “our elders said that”, or “our father said that" or "our elders 
said that". This has been a bond between the people and their 
culture before the influence of western culture. Proverb as a 
concise statement and an oral tradition loses its originality prior to 
the influence of western culture.

Literary works reflect to all angles of life in the society such as 
political system,   economic   system,   cultural   system,   
sociological   system,   ideological struggles and many others. 
Through the work of literature, one can understand events 
happening within and outside one's society. Through literature, a 
literary artist highlights, satirizes and criticizes the evils in the 
society. The criticism may be political, social, economic to the 
cultural, but the most prominent among them is the social system 
because it is the social system that talks about sociological and 
psychological life of the society and how the events happening in 
the society affect every member of the society. The social system 
talks about the relationship that exists among the members of the 
society and how they contribute towards solving their problems in 
the 

Though some writers write to entertain people,realistic 
writers, especially realistic novelists, write to convince and 
educate the people within and outside the society in which the 
work is extracted in order to be aware of what happened or what is 
happening in the world and why such happened, as well as 
criticising the evils and ills of the leaders and the people they were 
leading. Realistic novelists arouse the consciousness of the people 
in the society with the aim of changing the behaviour of the 
society. 

Literature is a tool, a means of self-expression, an avenue 
through which writers express their experiences, outlook, sense of 
sympathy and patriotism to their various societies. Writers have 

and the Igbo cultural setting. The paper did a textual analysis of 
the novel using primary and secondary sources of data. The 
theoretical framework for the study is based on the theories of 
semiotics which means the study of signs and symbols especially 
as means of language or communication. This study concludes on 
the various aspect of oral traditions in order to portray the unique 
quality of being African in the use of proverbs and create an 
indepth meaning and exploration of the situation at hand. 
Keywords: Proverbs, Culture, Tradition, Riddles, Lullaby, 
Orature 

Introduction

In Africa, especially in Nigeria, expressions are only 
considered rich and intelligent when they are duly laced with 
proverbs, which are many in our diversified cultures. This 
explains why a traditional African man would constantly 
punctuate his speech with appropriate proverbs and aphorisms to 
drive his points home. One who can make good conversation with 
the use of proverbs is being regarded as a good orator that is 
blessed with the wisdom of the gods as well. .

There is a belief in Igbo land that if an individual is given a 
proverb and he cannot decipher the semantics of the said proverb, 
then the bride price or dowry paid on the mother's head is useless. 
This is to prove that proverb is dynamic and the horn of the cow 
that helps in the development of the people's culture and tradition. 
Proverbs are common features of conversational eloquence in 
African cultures especially Nigeria and are diverse according to 
the ethnic language involved. In the olden days, proverb was the 
means by which the people of the society base their arguments and 
affairs of life. These proverbs were rendered orally in the society 
especially by the elders. The culture of the people is embedded in 
proverbs and it is normally, rendered orally like: "our people say 

Nwafor, John Onyema & Emma-Agbiri Nneka Augustina: Embellishing Language in Oral 

Tradition through the Use of  Proverbs in Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s The Last of the Strong one
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emanate from careful observation of attributes, actions, 
situation, circumstance and indeed roles and activities of 
persons, animals and objects in the environment (39).

Thus, proverbs are used by elders in order to educate the young 
ones, but unlike folktales, proverbs do not have predictable 
patterns. They are amusement for intelligence and excellence, 
especially to the children. It exercises the mind and causes the 
children to think intuitively. Proverbs are also very closely related 
to riddles. They are expressed briefly and concisely. They involve 
analogy, whether of meaning, sound, rhythm or tone.

It is these important constituents and others that make oral 
tradition unique and distinct as it has been used by most artists in 
writing most of their works. It is what has given the research the 
impetus and interest in -the dexterous manner in which Akachi 
Adimora-Ezeigbo has employed some of the constituents of 
orature, in creating captivating stories about characters and events 
that recreate the significant themes explored in the novel The Last 
of the Strong Ones to advance the collection of contemporary 
African experiences, beliefs, culture, norms and heritage.

Proverb made its first appearance in literature in an oral 
form. But today, the place of proverb in the literary world can be 
seen on its influence on language and literature. Proverbs have 
grammatical structures. It can be rhetorical in nature, example of 
such proverbs are; “So you want to be more Catholic than the 
Pope”. It can be imperative negative, “Don't beat a dead horse”. 
Imperative positive, “you shall reap whatever you sow”. It also 
overlaps idiomatic expressions example: “Birds of the same 
feathers flock together” is also an idiomatic expression.

Proverb is appealing because it is succinct and uses simple 
rhyme. Proverb can be ironical.  It can take the place of a 
metaphor. It can compare or contrast. Reprimand or compliment. 

expressed in many works, their cultural values, norms, attitudes, 
traditions, belief and dignity.Proverb is an important and valuable 
ingredient in orature. It is a short popular saying that although 
occur as part of everyday discourse as well as within other longer 
genres (both verse and prose), belongs among verse form 
principally by virtue of its symmetric structure. F.B.O Akporobaro 
says:

Proverb is a short popular saying of unknown authorship 
expressing some general truth or superstition; "A finger 
cannot pick out lice from the head", "A dove cannot beget 
a snake" Proverbs are found in most world countries, 
especially Africa (55).

They are more of observation of life, couched in refreshing 
imagery and language. In folk transaction, they might function as 
authority to bolster point of view or as a justification for a 
recommended course of action or as a discreet correction to errant 
behaviour. Jasper Onuekwusi also says:

A proverb is about a man as he interacts with fellow men, 
with objects. animals, and plants in his environment. It is a 
truth derived between man and all phenomena in his 
environment and indeed between the various elements in 
the environment and themselves. Some examples of 
proverbs will be useful in our understanding of 
characteristics of proverbs (17).

Proverbs persist, endure and embellish language in people's 
communications and knowledge of history and culture. As a major 
aspect of language and component of orature that is used to test 
people's capacity for using language. Jasper Onuekwusi says:

One's ability to use proverbs in traditional African society 
is indicative of ones level of intelligence. That proverbs 

Nwafor, John Onyema & Emma-Agbiri Nneka Augustina: Embellishing Language in Oral 

Tradition through the Use of  Proverbs in Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s The Last of the Strong one
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According to Ferdinand De Saussure, in a symbol or in a less 
ambiguous phrase-sign proper- the relation between the 
signifying item and what it signifies is not a natural one, but 
entirely a matter of social convention. For example, in Igbo land, 
the presentation of kolanut is conventionally treated with respect 
and honour because it signifies warm reception, unity or 
togetherness while in the Hausa and Yoruba cultures, the kolanut 
may not possess such high social significance as in Igbo land.

Echezona Ifejirika also states that semioticians know very 
well that verbal communication or expression is just one of the 
ways through which man makes his feelings, thoughts, ideas, 
beliefs, cultures and social events known to others. That apart 
from verbal communication, for example, when a group of people 
put on black clothes and walk in groups or procession, they are 
speaking a loud language as far as Igbo cultural and conventional 
practice is concerned. Their language is that of grief, sorrow or 
sadness resulting from bereavement. If some young palm frond is 
placed on a piece of land, the language is simple: “Do not trespass 
because the land is in dispute and when placed in front and back of 
a car or vehicle, it simply means that the vehicle is carrying a dead 
body” (154).

The advantage of semiotics as a literary critical theory is 
that it reveals to the readers that, apart from verbal communication 
in form of explicitly written words, there are other alternative 
means through which literary writers express themselves in their 
novels, plays or poetry. Through the work of semioticians, writers 
are encouraged to use sign language as a means of expressing their 
societal conventions, history, beliefs, myths, legends and 
folklores.

Since semiotics is all about communication both verbal 
and non-verbal, this researcher feel that it is related to the topic of 
this paper "The Use of proverbs" as it discusses the use of 

It can be allegorical and symbolic and the statement is embodied 
with strong imagery that is appealing to the innermost self of one.

Many proverbs, have found their ways into the norms of 
the society over the decades. Many authors like Chinua Achebe, 
Ola Rotimi, Odili Ujubuonu, Akachi Adimora, Uchenna 
Nwosu,Amos Tutuola and others borrowed heavily from the rich 
culture of proverbs in their languages. It is evident that proverbs 
play significant roles in clarifying, exemplifying, underscoring, 
influencing and communicating in the society. Themajor concern 
here is to explicitly discuss the use of proverbs and its nature, and 
to highlight its relevance to the study of literature, to appraise the 
rich tradition of proverbs which is embedded in culture with the 
novel under study. 

The literary theory used for this study is “semiotics” which 
means the study of signs and symbols especially as means of 
language or communication. The term "semiotics" was first used 
by an American philosopher named Charles Sanders Pierce but 
Ferdinand de Saussure, a Swiss Linguist in his book entitled: 
Course in General Linguistics proposed a science which he called 
"Semiology" According to him, semioticians arguethat there are 
other means of communicating meaning apart from words. That 
is;

Communication can be verbal and non-verbal. This means 
that in a particular society or language group, people can 
speak with their mouth, using words, their face, looks, 
hands, eyes, movement, objects such as flowers, kolanuts, 
symbols such as light, fire, birds in flight, cross, sword, gun, 
young palm fronds, colours such as white, green, black and 
red, animals such as tortoise, snake, dog, pigeon, lion, 
elephant among other living creatures (quoted in Ifejirika, 
152).

Nwafor, John Onyema & Emma-Agbiri Nneka Augustina: Embellishing Language in Oral 

Tradition through the Use of  Proverbs in Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s The Last of the Strong one
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iii. A traveller's eyes constantly peer at the sky to ascertain the 
weather condition (p.21).

iv. Our people say that it is the traveler who must make the 
return journey and not the owner of the land (p.7).

v. According to the people, a matter that had been discussed 
at length and agreed upon only required a nod for its 
excursion to begin (p.27).

vi. The bow that shoots the bird, eleke, deserve the prize of a 
thousand arrows meaning, “the man who succeeds in 
winning your affection deserves no less honour” (p 27).

vii. When the tapper enters the palm grove

His heart is filled with joy

When he climbs up the palm tree

And then reclines against his etc

He strikes the palm with his chisel

Gbe nchiki, gbe nchikichiki,

Gbe nchiki, and his heart is filled with joy. (p.32).

viii.   The happy child swings

From branch to branch,

Agile like a monkey,

Nimble like squirrel

language, ideas, expression, beliefs and values of a people and it is 
also an indispensable source of history and religious values. 
Through oral means of course, these proverbs give local colour to 
the novel under study. 

Use of Proverbs in Adimora Ezeigbo's The Last of the Strong 
Ones

The story of The Last of the Strong Ones revolves around 
four formidable women - Ejimnaka, Onyekozuru, Chieme and 
Chibuka.  Adimora Ezeigbo's The Last of the Strong Ones 
addressed herself to the way people tend to see fictional works. 
People see fictional works as being fictitious, but there must be 
fact. Ezeigbo made use of the Igbo setting. There are names, 
proverbs, idioms and practices that epitomize the Igbo culture and 
Igbo world view. Her works are linked between her fiction and her 
lived experience. The major source of her stories is her own direct 
experience through fiction. Oral Aesthetics is highly portrayed in 
Ezeigbo's works in her constant use of songs, proverbs, lullabies 
and the Igbo cultural setting. Examples are:

i. My little one,

Please do not cry;

If you stop crying,

I will give you

The things a child gives

To her younger one (p.129)

ii. It is the vistor that levaes the homestead, not the land 
owner. (p.21)

Nwafor, John Onyema & Emma-Agbiri Nneka Augustina: Embellishing Language in Oral 

Tradition through the Use of  Proverbs in Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s The Last of the Strong one
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embarks on a journey of role re- evaluation and redefinition of 
womanhood within the context of the Igbo culture. Following the 
footsteps of Nigeria's first female novelist, Flora Nwapa, who 
protested the relegation of the Igbo whom in a patriarchal society 
in her works Efuru (1966) and Idu (1968), Ezeigbo's work is a 
reaction to the unacceptable socioeconomic situation of Igbo 
women in particular and Nigerian women in general, under 
colonial rule.

Like other novelists in the womanist genre, Ezeigbo is 
preoccupied with the struggle for change, consciously expressed 
in the different forms of protest. In the case of The Last of the 
StrongOnes (1996) however, the author chooses to' reconstruct the 
social realities of the Umuga community by entrenching women 
in active leadership roles alongside their male counterparts. This 
can be seen as a deliberate insistence on positive Igbo heroines as a 
means of drawing attention to the importance and relevance of the 
woman's voice, despite tradition.

Thus, by tracing the history of the Umuga community 
through the voices of women and reconstructing the transition 
process via women's experiences, pains and emotions, the author 
protests the one sided presentation of gender roles in the writings 
of men which overlooked the militant role of women in the 
struggle against Colonialism (C.F. Nina Mba 1997).

Adimora Ezeigbo, through her fictional or novel 
enlightens her readers on issues concerning her society. Social 
realities are entailed in her works, these issues are facts. Her 
novels are stories of vast subjects and settings revealing dramatic 
situations in the life of ordinary as well as not so ordinary people, 
with the minutest details never escaping the prying and sensitive 
gaze of the author. Indeed, the attachment of Adimora Ezeigbo to 
the short story form and her reluctance to abandon its 
narratological schema is evident in her incidents, characters, and 

On a withbed branch;

The world is  a pleasant place

Let the enemy beat a retreat

There is no room for him here. (p.36).

ix. Egbebere bia nje were o-o-o-o!

       Egbebere bia nje were o-o-o-o!  lullaby (p.67)

x. Those who desire to carry snake must first look for 
holdalls. (p.206)

xi. When a viper creeps into a house, the household is thrown 
into a panic. (p.210).

xii. On the day of the hunt, we will stalk the grasscutter in its 
backyard! (p.212)

 This study shows her own personal experiences in her 
novels and short stories since literature generally evolves from a 
people's historical and cultural experiences. The novelist endows 
women with the power of speech as subjects in their use of 
linguistic features. This is because the novel is a diversity of social 
speech types, language use also predisposes both sexes along 
linguistic differences.The novel is an imaginative reconstruction 
of the history of Uga, a town in South Eastern Nigeria. Woven 
around the lives of four influential women who flourish alongside 
their male counterparts in the leadership of their town, the story 
relates the struggle of a people to free their community from the 
clutches of meddlesome British colonialists, chronicling their 
experience as they resist a disruptive order that threatens their 
tradition and their humanity. Amidst the dramatic build up to an 
inevitable collision between tradition and change, the author 

Nwafor, John Onyema & Emma-Agbiri Nneka Augustina: Embellishing Language in Oral 

Tradition through the Use of  Proverbs in Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s The Last of the Strong one
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Adimora-Ezeigbo manipulates language to show 
detestation and disapproval to Nigerian patriarchal structure. 
Hence, she uses “actors” to refer to her women instead of 
“actresses”. This choice is purposeful to avoid a sense of 
attenuation for her women. Therefore, she drop's the suffix 
“–esses”, which marks diminution. She uses it from the point of 
aesthetics to affirm her” womanist” stance, which depicts the 
whole intent and drive of her works to foreground the 
unconquerable spirit of her women, which are the type of women 
she intends to implant in Igbo land , Nigeria and Africa in general.

The Igbo had heavily disjointed and politically 
independent communities before the invasion of the British 
colonial government. Due to the incongruity of the Igbo 
decentralized system required by the indirect rule, British colonial 
rule was marked with open disagreements and much 
apprehension. This is the case with Umuga community. The 
Umuga in no small terms stood against the colonial rule (Kosiri) 
and all it portends.

Therefore, the Umuga state their unacceptability and 
abhorrence for 'Kosiri' (colonial masters) or their rule vehemently 
in the following negative terms: 'the intruders', 'the meddlers', 'the 
enemy', 'the voracious creatures', 'the offending creatures' and 'an 
obstacle.' Adimora invents the term, “Kosiri”, for stylistic effects. 
It is neither Igbo nor English, but a metaphor for the colonial 
government and the colonial masters.The word” Kosiri” and all 
the terms of negation, which are used to describe it, signify a total 
rejection of the colonial master and her government.

Adimora-Ezeigbo also uses some affirmative adjectives in 
the description or qualification of the preferable change and the 
quality of the Amazonian characters in The Last of the Strong 
Ones. She uses such attributive adjectives to indicate that she does 

episodes of her first novel, The Last of the Strong Ones where the 
handling of materials produced what would seem at first to be an 
incohesive story.  African writers in general and the Nigerian 
novelists in particular have taken advantage of poetic license, 
”creativity”, “originality”, “innovation” and “uniqueness” to 
manipulate the English language to suit the African milieu, 
purpose and experience. So, Chinua Achebe brags “I have been 
given the language (English) and I intend to stretch it to 
accommodate my African thoughts.” Achebe appreciates this 
gallantry and makes the following proposal:

“The African writer should aim to use English the way that 
brings out his message best without altering the language 
to the extent that its values as a medium of international 
exchange will be lost. He shall aim at fashioning out a kind 
of English, which is at once universal and able to carry his 
peculiar experiences” (61).

This singular authority has given rise to the manipulation of the 
English language by African writers especially the African 
novelists to suit their communication needs. This has given us the 
impetus to use linguistic benchmarks to assess Adimora-Ezeigbo's 
The Last of the Strong Ones to see how she has manipulated the 
English language to communicate her views to the world.The 
presence of “cloud” “thunder”, “chaos”, “violation” and 
“destruction” which are words usually associated with “jeopardy” 
in the prologue is an indication of the expected confusion, which 
colonialism will bring to the one time peaceful Umuga 
community, their tradition and religion. This is what the Umuada, 
Oluada and Obuofo intend to nip in the bud but they fail. Akachi 
Adimora-Ezeigbo uses these natural phenomena stylistically to 
depict the beauty, harmony, love and peace, which existed among 
the people before the invasion of Umuga by Kosiri, (colonial 
masters) who brought in chaos and violation, which signify 
disharmony, tension, unrest and bitterness.

Nwafor, John Onyema & Emma-Agbiri Nneka Augustina: Embellishing Language in Oral 

Tradition through the Use of  Proverbs in Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s The Last of the Strong one
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Arndt, this cooperation enriches her work, making possible a 
literature 'critical and entertaining, reflective and aesthetically 
appealing'.

The beauty in Ezeigbo's The Last of the Strong Ones 
(1996) is her use of historical facts so as to 'make the past present, 
to bring the distant near'. According to Ofure Alto;

Adimora - Ezeigbo in her The Last of the Strong Ones 
presents a line of female ancestors to equal the male 
ancestral lineage in Things fall Apart (1958), and No 
Longer at Ease (1960) where Obi is presented as the 
grandson of Okonkwo, begotten by Nwoye, the 
disclaimed son of Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart 
Historically and biologically, Ezinma'sdescendents 
should have been more convincing in this genealogy. But 
Ezinma is a woman (166).

The Last of the Strong Ones documents events as they unfold in 
Igbo history, particularly, the involvement of women in resistance 
struggles. The task is recording and reconstructing the lives of 
heroic women in their complementary relationship with men, but 
certain boundaries do limit the extent of female involvement in 
spite of their achieving status. The central preoccupation of this 
text is to highlight women's heroic stature, which the men-
orientation of Igbo culture submerges, to locate the presence of 
female ancestors in the tradition by showing their achievements. 
Reincarnation as a positive and unifying channel is established 
through myths, history, and folklore to create awareness of hopes.

Ezeigbo employs narratives in both texts. The characters 
narrate their stories in reincarnation of The Last of the Strong Ones 
(1996) which featured Ejimnaka, Onyekozuru, Chieme and 
Chibuka.  Ezeigbo's fiction is both critical and entertaining, 
reflective and aesthetically appealing, warning and illuminating. 

not want just any kind of change but a “positive” one. Again, she 
uses such adjectival phrases like “heavy clouds” and “dark cloud” 
to point towards the state of skepticism, dilemma, bewilderment 
and uncertainty that pervade Umuga at the moment. In delineating 
the Oluada, adjectives of quality are used thus: Daughter of 
Umuga 'wise' in the ways of our land. Ejimnaka, the most 
respectable Oluada is also described with a most attributive 
adjective, thus:…a “professional” who knows how to fondle 
words, restrain feelings and disclose facts. One “gifted” with 
clarity of thoughts and power of vision, understanding, 
interpretation and appreciation.Adimora uses these positive 
adjectives for signification and style. They foreground the 
uniqueness and significance of the lives of her illustrious women 
for their self-confidence, self-determined and unconquerable 
spirits.

According to Susan Arndt, Ezeigbo uses Igbo orature in 
her works. This fortifies the society's patriarchy, on the fiction of 
AdimoraEzeigbo. The resources of orature or 'ifo' constitute the 
raw material and driving force of the fiction, offering the writer a 
range of stylistic options to create a new understanding of Igbo 
society and its literature. The understanding in turn, opens up a 
number of aesthetic, historical and social issues central to viewing 
the relation between the traditional society which the 'Ifo' seeks to 
perpetuate and the modern one portrayed in the fiction. The tales 
thus inspire a strategy of writing which decolonizes and 
authenticates the fiction of Adimora -Ezeigbo, and at the same 
time, enables the author to highlight her 'African Feminist 
commitment' that has zero tolerances for conformist wisdom. 
What emerges effortlessly and convincingly here is the position 
that, to challenge Igbo patriarchy and transcend stifling authority 
successfully or even to express herself well a initiate the crucial 
dialogue of change in Igbo society, Adimora — Ezeigbo had to 
understand the need to cooperate with patriarchy. In the view of 

Nwafor, John Onyema & Emma-Agbiri Nneka Augustina: Embellishing Language in Oral 

Tradition through the Use of  Proverbs in Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s The Last of the Strong one
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121 122

Indeed, the attachment of Adimora Ezeigbo to the short story form 
and her reluctance to abandon its narratological schema is evident 
in her incidents, characters, and episodes of her first novel, The 
Last of the Strong Ones where the handling of materials produced 
what would seem at first to be an incohesive story.

The novelist submits the language use as reflected in the 
feminist world-view, deals with women's development and 
identity and not 'otherness' as patriarchy perceives it. Therefore, 
through the careful selection of the linguistic items, Ezeigbo 
extends the limits of the English language to accommodate her 
perceptions of African cultural world view from the female 
perspective.The contemporary writers of African literature in a 
bid to reinstate the rich cultural heritage of African traditions; 
traditions which were critically transferred orally from our fore 
fathers down to us and revolutionized through printing with the 
inception of western civilization incorporated them in their 
writing. This oral tradition defines our identity as Africans. The 
major aim of the researcher is to join forces with the 
aforementioned authors to enjoin readers in the discipline and 
outside, to ground them in the knowledge and practice of the 
African oral tradition using relevant texts. Essentially too, African 
writers of all genres of literature should employ features of oral 
tradition in their works to include morals and traditions in the 
present and future generations.

Works Cited
Achebe, Chinua. Morning Yet on Creation Day. Heinemann, 

1975.

Adimora-Ezeigbo, Akachi.The Last of the Strong Ones.Lantern  
Books,2006

1t contains the power of social change; if only Akachi Adimora - 
Ezeigbo were a prophet — then we would be on the eve of a 
humanist future.

Adimora - Ezeigbo was able to explore the various genres 
of the Igbo oral tradition in his novel "the pregnancy of the gods" 
the strategic use of proverbs, the incorporation of traditional 
folktale, folksongs and norms guiding the societies in his novel all 
worked to produce a very scintillating and tradition oriented work. 
The study concentrated on her use of proverbs and tales 
respectively and their obvious significance and importance in the 
works under study.

Conclusion

It is clear that the various aspects of oral tradition of 
Africans are important for enriching the society and moral lives of 
the people and ensuring continuity of their culture. These are 
highly effective means of expressing the ideas and values of the 
communities and teaching young generations the history of their 
ancestors and helping them improve their self-awareness. This is 
because they are made for the need to understand their identity. 
African writers seek to incorporate in their works the African oral 
tradition in all its diversity. The essence is to resuscitate the culture 
awareness, which was brutally trampled on by Westernization. 
These writers used oral traditions as a basis for their works, in 
order to portray the fact that no matter how enlightened they may 
be, they are still Africans.      

Adimora Ezeigbo, through her fictional novels enlightens 
her readers on issues concerning her society. Social realities are 
entailed in her works, these issues are facts. Her novels are stories 
of vast subjects and settings revealing dramatic situations in the 
life of ordinary as well as not so ordinary people, with the minutest 
details never escaping the prying and sensitive gaze of the author. 

Nwafor, John Onyema & Emma-Agbiri Nneka Augustina: Embellishing Language in Oral 

Tradition through the Use of  Proverbs in Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s The Last of the Strong one
COOU JOFOCUS: COOU Journal of Folklore and Cultural Studies, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2022



123 124

Okoye, Hilary and Okoye, Peter.Introduction to Oral Literature, 
the Igbo Example.Amaka Dreams Ltd, 2009.

Onuekwusi, Jasper: Fundamentals of African Oral Literature. 
Alphabet Nigeria Publishers, 2001.

Osundare, Niyi. “Cautious paths through the Bramble: A Critical 
Classification of Style Theories and Concepts” An 
Unpublished paper, Department of English, University of 
Ibadan, 2002.

Websters Encyclopedia of Literature Webster Incorporated 
Publishers, 1995.

Wa Thiong'o, Ngugi Homecoming. Heinemann, 1982.

Akande Lola. Fiction and National Consciousness.Longman, 
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Akporobaro ,  F.B .O.  In t roduc t ion  to  A f r i can  Ora l 
Literature.Princeton Publishing, 2012.

Anasiudu, Ben.N et al (eds). Language and Literature in a 
Developing Country.Africana First Publishers, 2007.

Arndt Susan, The Use of Orature in Akachi Adimora Ezeigbo's 
Fiction.Cassava, 2014.

Anyokwu, Chris. “Igbo Rhetoric and the New Nigerian Novel: 
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's PurpleHibiscus.” The 
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Killam, Douglas   and  Ruth  Rowe  (eds).   TheCompanion  to  
African  Literature. Indiana University Press 2000.

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of Morality.Breitinfer Bayreuth African Studies Series, 
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Okoh, Nkem. Preface to Oral Literature, Africana First 
Publishers, 2008.

Nwafor, John Onyema & Emma-Agbiri Nneka Augustina: Embellishing Language in Oral 

Tradition through the Use of  Proverbs in Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s The Last of the Strong one
COOU JOFOCUS: COOU Journal of Folklore and Cultural Studies, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2022


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