A Literary/Linguistic Analysis of Funeral Songs and the Ogba Cosmology

Abstract

Death is a natural phenomenon, and Ogba people revere their dead relatives and beloved ones with elaborate funeral rites, which include the performance of funeral songs. It is believed that if the necessary rites of passage are not performed for the deceased, the soul will continue to haunt the living. This paper focuses on the content, style and cosmology in twelve (12) Ogba funeral songs analysed. It establishes that Ogba funeral songs articulate the Ogba people’s worldview on death. The contents, styles and Ogba cosmology are enhanced in the songs through the elaborate employment of styles by the performer in the rendition of the songs which enhance beauty and raised emotions. The paper concludes that occasion and performance are the hallmark of Ogba funeral songs through which their renditions serve for the purgation of pent up emotions. The paper recommends that since the songs serve other purposes aside from being dirges, government agencies and cultural organizations should strive to collect and preserve the songs for posterity.