The Nobel Prize in Literature 2016 was awarded to Bob Dylan by Nobel Committee “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition” The prize was announced by the Swedish Academy on 13 October 2016. He is the 12th Nobel laureate from the United States.
“Bob Dylan’s songs are rooted in the rich tradition of American folk music and are influenced by the poets of modernism and the beatnik movement. Early on, Dylan’s lyrics incorporated social struggles and political protest. Love and religion are other important themes in his songs. His writing is often characterized by refined rhymes and it paints surprising, sometimes surreal imagery. Since his debut in 1962, he has repeatedly reinvented his songs and music. He has also written prose, including his memoirs Chronicles.”
Mike Ejeagha is quintessential and consuming Igbo Nigerian traditional singer. His music is poetic in nature, songs equipped with stories detailing the life stories and cosmology of Igbo African traditional community. Just like Dylan, his songs are rooted in the rich tradition of Igbo culture mesmerized with idioms and proverbs.
Ejeagha “used the guitar so effectively to deliver his messages. As you were enjoying the strings, the lyrics sank in so easily. He took Igbo folklore to a higher altitude… Ejeagha was a good teacher. There was so much to learn from his performance which he called akuko n’egwu.”. (Emeka Obasi, Vanguard).
Therefore for his overwhelming and superior contribution with spoken poetic songs, it is time for Nobel committee to honor this gentleman of superior talent.
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