Book
The world of the Ogbanje
Fourth Dimension Publishers • Enugu, Nigeria • Published In 1986 • Pages:
By: Achebe, Chinwe.
Abstract
Ogbanje is a 'personality disorder' that describes someone who is not true to their god-given nature and talents, in spite of an excess of good attributes. Ogbanje can be extraordinarily handsome or beautiful, achieve meteoric success, but die prematurely without making any lasting mark. They are believed to be part human and part spirit; their fate entwined with one of two spirits who intercepted them at birth and renegotiated their fate to include serving them in the world. In exchange they are given fame, wealth, or beauty, but always a short life. Achebe reviews the Igbo cosmology, creation myths, and the concept of CHI, which is the divine, creative spark imbued in persons by the supreme deity CHI UKWA. NNE MMIRI and ONABULUWA are the spirits whose pacts contradict a person's CHI and create the alienated personality of the ogbanje.
- HRAF PubDate
- 2003
- Region
- Africa
- Sub Region
- Western Africa
- Document Type
- Book
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Psychologist
- Document Rating
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- Ian Skoggard ; 2001
- Field Date
- 1982
- Coverage Date
- 1982
- Coverage Place
- Anambra State, Nigeria
- Notes
- by Chinwe Achebe
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 67-68)
- LCSH
- Igbo (African people)