For my undergraduate thesis, I travelled through five communities in Ọgbịa, Bayelsa for three weeks, visiting griots, dance troupes and oral historians. Between December of 2024 and the second week of January 2025, I retrieved and recorded 54 songs and chants (wrestling songs, religious songs, folkloric songs and mask chants) which served as data for my research into the functions of Ọgbịa oral poetry.

My interest in the topic began with personal research into the ethnopoetics of Ọgbịa elegiac poetry. It has now culminated in the production of a 13,000+ plus word thesis (which earned an A+ in my final semester.)

In the first quarter of 2026, I am adapting my undergraduate thesis into a paper on oral African poetry and public history methods; this paper will be presented at the Lagos Studies Conference 2026.

Thesis Project Title: Functionalism in Ọgbịa Oral Poetry

Research Aim: Establish the utility value of Ọgbịa oral poetry in the current socio-cultural milieu.

Research Questions:

1. What are the forms and sub-genres of oral poetry available in the Ọgbịa oral tradition?
2. How are these forms of oral poetry performed? Who are the Oral Artists or performers of Ọgbịa oral poetry, and how is their role perceived?
3. What are the functions of oral poetry in the cultural and social milieu of the Ọgbịa?

Research Methodology: Qualitative research (participant and non-participant observation, ethnographic research, semi-structured interviews.)

Theoretical Framework: Functionalism

Grants: I raised N500,000 naira in grants to cover the cost of my my road trip and recording equipment for the project.

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Please see a video recap of my field research below:

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https://www.instagram.com/p/DPRiBlviJt5/?hl=en

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