An Analysis of Igbo Praise Poetry (Iwa Akwa) Among the Nri People of Anambra State

This study analyses Igbo praise poetry known as Iwa Akwa in the context of the Nri people of Anambra State, South East Nigeria. The Nri kingdom holds a unique historical position in Igbo cosmology as a spiritual and cultural centre, and its praise poetry traditions carry layered historical, genealogical, and sacred dimensions not always present in praise poetry from other Igbo sub-groups. Praise poetry in African oral literature scholarship has received renewed attention as a performative genre that encodes historical memory, political legitimacy, and social stratification within poetic form. This study collects oral recordings of thirty-two Iwa Akwa performances from twelve specialist praise poets, transcribes and translates the texts, and subjects them to a poetic analysis examining structure, imagery, lexical register, and rhetorical strategy. Findings reveal a highly formalised poetic architecture characterised by genealogical recursion, sacred name invocation, heroic attribute accumulation, and coded references to Nri founding myths. The study identifies a distinct Nri praise lexicon comprising archaic terms, spiritual titles, and historical epithets not found in Standard Central Igbo. The analysis also traces continuity and innovation in contemporary Iwa Akwa performances adapted for modern political figures and business elites. Keywords: Iwa Akwa, praise poetry, Nri people, Anambra, oral literature.