Sam Uzochukwu is a Nigerian academic and expert on

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a t ...

oral poetry.

Ernest Emenyonu Chief Sir Ernest Emenyonu is a Nigerian academic, who is an African literature critic and professor. He was formerly head of the department of English and Literary Studies, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Universi ...

, "Ugochukwu '' ic', Sam", in

Simon Gikandi Simon E. Gikandi (born 30 September 1960) is a Kenyan Literature Professor and Postcolonial scholar. He is the Class of 1943 University Professor of English and Chair, Department of English at Princeton University. He is perhaps best known for h ...

, ed., ''Encyclopedia of African Literature'', Routledge; 2002.
Online version
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Life

Uzochukwu was born in 1940 at Ebenato,

Nnewi South Nnewi South is a Local Government Area in Anambra South Senatorial Zone of Anambra State, Nigeria. Its population is approximately 1 million. Ukpor is the headquarters of Nnewi South. The Local Government Chairman is Hon. Van George Chinedu Ez ...

Local Government Area,

Anambra State Anambra () is a States of Nigeria, state in Nigeria. It is located in the South East (Nigeria), South-eastern region of the country. The state was created on 27 August 1991. Anambra state is bounded by Delta State to the west, Imo State and Ri ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. After his B.A. Degree in English Language from

Obafemi Awolowo University Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is a federal university in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1961 and classes commenced in October 1962 as the University of Ife by the regional government of Western Nigeria, which w ...

, Ile- Ife (1966), he branched off to Igbo Studies. Uzochukwu received his PhD from the

University of Lagos The University of Lagos (UNILAG) is a Public university, public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria, which was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the education in Nigeria#First generation universities, first generation universities in ...

in 1981 for a thesis on Igbo

oral literature Oral literature, orature, or folk literature is a genre of literature that is spoken or sung in contrast to that which is written, though much oral literature has been transcribed. There is no standard definition, as anthropologists have used v ...

. He stayed at the University of Lagos, rising to become a Professor and Head of the Department of African and Asian Studies. He has worked to collect and document Igbo

oral poetry Oral poetry is a form of poetry that is composed and transmitted without the aid of writing. The complex relationships between written and spoken literature in some societies can make this definition hard to maintain. Background Oral poetry is ...

, particularly

funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

dirges A dirge () is a somber song or lament expressing mourning or grief, such as may be appropriate for performance at a funeral. Often taking the form of a brief hymn, dirges are typically shorter and less meditative than elegies. Dirges are often slo ...

, and published both creative and critical work in

. A ''

Festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

'' for him was published in 2008. Uzochukwu was the first Professor in the entire Mbanese —which is a general name for a conglomerate of five (out of ten) communities that make up

Local Government Area of

. These communities are Ebenato, Ezinifite, Akwaihedi, Osumenyi and Utuh. In 2019, Prof. Sam launched a Tertiary Education Foundation, and also unveiled his autobiography entitled ''A Single Palmnut'' Izunna Okafo
"Mabnese 1st Professor Launches Edu. Foundation, Unveils Autobio"The Nigerian Voice
17 October 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.

Works

*''Mbem Akwamozu'' uneral Dirges 1985. *''Akanka, Na Nnyocha Agumagu Igbo'' riticism of Igbo Poetry 1990 *''Abu Akwamozu'' ongs of Mourning 1992 *''Traditional funeral poetry of the Igbo'', 2001 *''Traditional birth poetry of the Igbo'', 2006 *''A Single Palmnut, The Autobiography of Prof. Samuel Udezuligbo Uzochukwu, 2019.

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Igbo culture Academic staff of the University of Lagos Igbo literary critics Nigerian literary critics University of Lagos alumni 21st-century Nigerian writers {{Nigeria-writer-stub