Folklore in the Writings of Chinua Achebe: An Overview

The field of folklore is much older than 1846 when William J. Thoms coined the word to replace “popular antiquities. ” It dates back to actual human existence and experiences and the formation of material culture and customary behaviour. The traditional beliefs, myths, legends, folktales, riddles proverbs, jokes, dance and drama, festivals, traditional medicine, traditional food and methods of preservation, costumes, folk art and material culture are some of the categories of folklore that are unifying thread to capturing the total composition of a group and attesting to the humble oral background of humanity in administering its body of knowledge to later generations for transitional harmonies in contexts of life and living. The paper explores Achebe’s deployment of folklore of the Igbo to express the contemporary challenges of colonial and post colonial subjugation and existence. The paper states the contributions of Igbo folklore to the oral and written cultures and to situational dynamics. The paper finally situates the contributions of Achebe to his alusi complex and to the rich Igbo cultural repertoire. The paper recommends that the Igbo folklore, which is gradually fading away, be used to reposition real Igbo thought, ideologies, feelings and values.