Browse Items (31 total)

This illustration of a couple is taken from The Way to Make Friends with Girls, (pg. 5).

'They Died in the Game of Love' exemplifies the quintessential form of Onitsha Market Literature. It includes advice and wise sayings, letter writing, warnings against women, a picture of a European couple, and a romance that ends (obviously) with…

This quirky yet refreshing play by Felix Stephen (a.k.a. Nathan Njoku) does not spell out a clear moral or seek to be prescriptive, unlike many of the Onitsha plays. In addition, the misogyny is downplayed. In many ways the play's title is not a…

Felix Stephen advertises this play as a comedy that depicts moral behavior for those in love. He says that it can also be read, and notes that it was written specifically for African readers and actors, (pg. 4). This might suggest a performance…

This pamphlet is another how-to guide described as a "New Grammar Book" in the preface. The author, Wilfred Onwuka, is also listed as a "compositor, poet,novelist and dramatist." He is referred to as "Master of Pen." Written mainly for "senior…

This cleverly-titled work from Sunday O. Olisah, also known as "the Strong Man of the Pen," is described as "a psychological pamphlet" that examines the connections surrounding poverty, unhappiness, success and progress, (pg. 3). The cover has an…

With this pamphlet, the prolific pamphleteer Sunday O. Olisah, known as the Strong Man of the Pen, attempts to fill a gap in information about Igbo customs. The author describes elements of Igbo society to provide the non-Igbo reader with "reasonably…

This play takes a different focus than the much of Onitsha Market Literature. It states that "The Struggle for Money" is "tired of love making and left it out entirely," (pg. 1). In the introduction, Okafo pokes fun at the other pamphlets' emphasis…