Christopher Okigbo

Chris Okigbo
Christopher Okigbo

Aha	Christopher Ifekandu Okigbo

16 Ọgụstụ 1932

Ojoto, Anambra Steeti, Onye British na Naịjirịa

Ọnwụ	1967 (afọ 34–35)

Nsụka, Biafra

Aka Ọrụ	Odee akwụkwọ, Odee Abụ

Nkenụụdị	Ejije, Abụ

Isiokwu	Agụmagụ Cọmparetivụ

Christopher Ifekandu Okigbo (16 Ọgụstụ 1932-1967) bụ onye Naịjirịa na-ede Abụ, Onye nkuzi,  na Onye ọgba akwụkwọ, onye nwụrụ maka nnwereonwe Biafra. A maara ya ebe niile dịka onye pụtara ihe ka ndị ọcha chịsịrị anyị dịka onye Afrịka na-ede Abụ na bekee na kwa onye ọgbara ọhụrụ na-ede akwụkwọ na 20 Senturi

 Ndụ mbido 
A mụrụ Okigbo na 16 Ọgụstụ 1932, na obodo Ojoto, ihe dịka 10 maịlu (16 km) site na obodo Onịcha na Anambra Steeti .  Nna ya bụ onye nkuzi n'ụlọ akwụkwọ ndịozi ala ọzọ nke Katọlik n'oge ọchịchị Briten na Naịjirịa. Okigbo ji afọ ndụ ya niile na-agagharị na ọdụ. N'agbanyeghị na nna ya bụ ezigbo onye okpukperechi Kraịst, Okigbo nwere mmekọ, were kwere n'ikpeazụ ndụ ya, na nna nna nne ya lọrọ ya ụwa,   dibịa arụsị Idoto bụ chi ndị Igbo. Idoto bụ aha mmiri a na-akpo mmiri ndị na obodo okigbo na kwa mmụọ mmiri nke mmiri ahụ nke pụtara nke ọma  na Abụ ya "Heavengate" (1962) nke malitere etu a: 

 N'ihu gi, nne Idoto,
 agba m ọtọ  

mgbe ọ nọ na "Ebe dị aña" (1964), ọ mere- mmeme maka ịlaghachi okpukpe ọdịnala ya:

 Abụ m naanị onye akaebe m na nlọta m. 

Onye ọzọ bara uru na mbido ndụ Okigbo bụ nwanne ya nwoke nke okenye Pius Okigbo, onye mechara bụrụ onye ama ama n’ihe gbasara akụnaụba na onye nnọchite anya obodo Naịjirịa na European Economic Commission (EU). 

 Ndụ ya na Umuahia na Ibadan 
Okigbo gụsịrị akwụkwọ na Government Koleji Umuahia (nke dị ugbu a na Abia Staeeti, Naịjirịa) afọ abụọ mgbe Chinua Achebe gụchara, onye edemede Naijiria ọzọ ama ama, nwetara onwe ya aha dịka onye na-agụ akwụkwọ na onye na-egwu egwuregwu. N’afọ sochirinụ, a nabatara ya na Mahadum Ibadan . Na mbụ ọ bu n'uche ịmụ ọgwụ, ọ gbanwere na Klasiks na afọ nke abụọ ya.  Na kọleji, o nwetakwara mmata dịka ọpị pịyano nwere nkà, o soro Wole Soyinka na ngosipụta ọhaneze ya nke mbụ dịka onye ọbụ abụ. Ekwenyere na Okigbo dekwara egwu mbụ n'oge ahụ, agbanyeghị na ọ nweghị nkea dịgide nụ. 

 Ọrụ na nka 
Mgbe ọ gụsịrị akwụkwọ na 1956, ọ malitere ọtụtụ ọrụ n'ọtụtụ ebe na mba ahụ niile, ebe ọ na-eme ihe nkiri mbụ ya na abụ. Ọ rụrụ ọrụ na ụlọ ọrụ ndị Ụtaba na Naịjirịa nke "United Africa Company", na "Fiditi Grammar School" (ebe ọ kụziiri Latin), na n'ikpeazụ dịka onye nnyemaaka ọba akwụkwọ na Mahadum Naịjirịa na Nsụka, ebe o nyere aka mepee ọgbakọ ndị odee akwukwọ na Afrịka Association . 

N'ime afọ ndị ahụ, ọ malitere ibipụta ọrụ ya na akwụkwọ akụkọ dị iche iche, ọkachasị Black Orpheus, akwụkwọ akụkọ edemede bu n'obi iji kpokọta ọrụ kacha mma nke ndị edemede na Afrịka na ndị Afrịka bụ Amerịka. Ọ bụ ezie na a pụrụ ịgụ abụ ya ụfọdụ dịka ngosipụta nkwado mba ka ndị ọcha chịsịrị mba Afrịka, o ji obi ike busoo Negritudu, bụ nke ọ katọrọ dị ka ịchụso ịhụnanya nke " mistiki nke ojii " maka ọdịmma ya; N'otu aka ahụ, ọ jụrụ echiche nke ahụmịhe nke otu ihe dị n'etiti ndị Afrịka na ndị isi ojii Amerịka, ezigbo echiche nkà ihe ọmụma dị iche na usoro nchịkọta akụkọ nke Black Orpheus .  Ọ bụ maka ihi nke a ka ọ jụrụ ihe nrite mbụ nke abụ Afrịka enyere ya na 1966 "World Festival of Negro Arts" na Dakar, ọ na-ekwupụta na ọ dịghị ihe dịka "Negro" maọbụ  odee abụ ojii.

Na 1963, ọ hapụrụ Nsụka ka ọ were ọnọdụ nke onye nnochi anya nke mkpaghara ọdịda anyanwụ Afrịka na ",Cambridge University Press" na Ibadan, ọnọdụ ga-enye ya oghere ị na-aga "United Kingdom", ebe a matara ya nke ọma. Na Ibadan, ọ bụ onye otu nke Mbari, litirarị klọb. O dere ma bipụta ọrụ ya mgbe o tolitere nke gụnyere " Limits "(1964), " Silences "(1962-1965), " Laments of the Masks "(nke na-echeta ọmụmụ afọ otu narị nke W.B Yeats nke agụrụ na Abụ Yoruba na 1964), Dance of the painted maiden (na-eto ọmụmụ nwa ya nwanyiị bụ Ọbịageli maọbụ Ibrahimat, onye echere dịka onye nne ya lọrọ ụwa) na Abụ ikpeazụ ya bụ " Path of Thunder"(1965-1967) nke ebipụtara mgbe ọ Nwụrụ na 1971, ya na ọrụ ya kachasị mma bụ "Labyrinths" nke chịkọtara abụ ndị ọzọ.

 Agha na ihe ncheta 
Na 1966, nsogbu Naịjirịa bịa kaa njọ. Okigbo bi na Ibadan oge ahụ lotara na ndịda ọwụwa anyanwụ Naịjirịa ka o chere ihe ga-eme nke mụtara na nkewa ndị ndịda ọwụwa anyanwụ Naịjirịa ka ha nwere onwe ha bụrụ Bịafra na 30 Mee 1967. O bi na Enugu. Ya na Achebe lụkọrọ ọrụ mmepe ụlọ ọrụ mbipụta bụ Citadel Press.

Site na nkewa nke Biafra, Okigbo batara ozugbo soro na ndị agha steeti ọhụrụ, onye isi oru ebe a. Egburu ya na agha, aghagburu ya n'oge agha nke ndị agha mgbe lụrụ ọgụ na Nsukka, na obodo mahadum dị ebe ọ hụrụ olu ya dịka onye na-ede abụ, nke ọ ñụrụ iyi na iji ndụ ya chebe. Na mbụ, na ọnwa Julaị, ụlọ ya nke dị na Enugu, ebe ọtụtụ ederede ya (gụnyere mbido akwụkwọ ya) ka emebiri na nwakpo nke ndị agha Naịjirịa .Ọzọ ebibiri bụ "Pointed Arches", akụkọ onwe ya  nke ọ kọwara n'akwụkwọ ozi o degaara enyi ya na onye na-ede akụkọ ndụ ya bụ Sunday Anozie, dịka akụkọ banyere ahụmịhe nke ndụ na akwụkwọ ozi nke nyere aka iji mee ka echiche okike ya dị nkọ. 

Ọtụtụ n'ime akwụkwọ ndị o dere nke na-emebighi na agha nke nwa ya nwanyị bụ Obịageli ketara, onye guzobere "Christopher Okigbo Foundation" na 2005 iji mee ka ihe ncheta ya dịgide. Chukwuma Azuonye, Prọfesọ nke Agụmagụ Akwụkwọ ndị Afrịka na Mahadum Massachusetts Amherst na Boston, bụ onye nyere ndị ntọala ahụ aka hopụta ha na Jenụwarị 2006. ha maka Nationstù Mmụta, Sayensị na Ọdịbendị nke Mba Ndị Dị n'Otu (UNESCO).  Nchọpụta mbụ nke akwụkwọ Azụonye  gosiri na-agbagheghị Abụ ọhụrụ ya na bekee nke gụnyere ukwe ala Bịafra, akwụkwọ Okigbo gụnyere nke e dere n'asụsụ Igbo. Abụ ndị Igbo na-atọ ụtọ nke na ha na-emepe ụzọ ọhụrụ na ọmụmụ abụ Okigbo, na-egbochi echiche ụfọdụ ndị nkatọ, ọkachasị troika ( Chinweizu, Onwuchekwa Jemie na Ihechukwu Madubuike) na 1980 "Towards the Decolonization of African Literature", na o ji ụbụrụ Afrịka ya were chụọ aja ka ọ were nweta mgbagoju nke "Euro-modernism . 

"Elegy for Alto", abụ ikpeazụ nke Path of Thunder, ka a na-agụ taa dịka akwụkwọ ọgbụgba ndụ ikpeazụ "nke na-egosipụta amụma nke ọnwụ nke ya, dịka atụrụ ejiri chuo aja maka nnwere onwe mmadụ:

 Ụwa, tọpụ m; ka m bụrụ onye mmefu; ka nke a bụrụ
 Ekpere ebulu dị mkpa n'ebe ụdọ eji kechi ya . . .

 Ochie kpakpando na-apụ, hapụ anyị ebe a n'ikpere mmiri
 Na-ele anya n’eluigwe maka kpakpando ọhụụ ga-abịa;
 Kpakpando ọhụrụ ahụ pụtara, na-ese onyinyo ọpụpụ ya
 Tupu ịpụ na ọbịbịa nke na-aga n'ihu ruo mgbe ebighị ebi. . . .  p. 71.

 Hụ kwa 
Nwanne nwoke Okigbo, Pius, bụ onye ọka mmụta akụnụba .

 Nsidee 

 Nsipụta 

 Sunday Anozie, Christopher Okigbo: Creative Rhetoric. London: Evan Brothers Ltd., and New York: Holmes and Meier, Inc., 1972.
 Uzoma Esonwanne, ed. 2000. Critical Essays on Christopher Okigbo. New York: G. K. Hall & Co.
 Ali Mazrui, The Trial of Christopher Okigbo. A Novel. London: Heinemann, 1971.
 Donatus Ibe Nwoga, Critical Perspectives on Christopher Okigbo, An Original by Three Continents Press, 1984 ( ).
 Christopher Okigbo, Labyrinths with "Path of Thunder", Africana Publishing Corporation, New York, 1971 ( ).
 Dubem Okafor, Dance of Death: Nigerian History and Christopher Okigbo’s Poetry. Trenton, NJ, and Asmara, Eritrea: Africa World Press, 1998.
 Udoeyop, Nyong J., Three Nigerian Poets: A Critical Study of the Poetry of Soyinka, Clark, and Okigbo. Ibadan: Ibadan University Press, 1973.
 James Wieland, The Ensphering Mind: History, Myth and Fictions in the Poetry of Allen Curnow, Nissim Ezekiel. A. D. Hope, A. M. Klein, Christopher Okigbo and Derek Walcott. Washington, DC: Three Continents Press, 1988.
 Don't Let Him Die, an anthology of memorial poems in honour of Christopher Okigbo on the 10 anniversary of his death, edited by Chinua Achebe and Dubem Okafor. Enugu, Nigeria: Fourth Dimension Publishers, 1978.
 See also for more details on Okigbo, Crossroads: an anthology of poems in honour of Christopher Okigbo on the 40th anniversary of his death, edited by Patrick Oguejiofor and Uduma Kalu (Lagos, Nigeria: Apex Books Limited, 2008).
 See also the most recent publication on Okigbo (published June 2017) written by Bolaji S. Ramos is "The Battlefield Poet: Elegy for Christopher Okigbo", termed as the first full-length performance poetry on Okigbo since his death in 1967. (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Battlefield-Poet-Christopher-Okigbo.../B0737HFSXD);(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0737HFSXD); The Sun Paper: www.sunnewsonline.com/lagos-lawyer-summons-the-ghost-of-chris-okigbo/
 The most authoritative published source on Okigbo to date is Obi Nwakanma's Christopher Okigbo, 1930–67: Thirsting for Sunlight (Woodbridge: James Currey, 2010).
 "Brecht’s and Okigbo’s work represent two different political approaches to modernism" - essay with approaches to Okigbo's work via intercessions into the work. Brecht, Derrida and Foucault