F. Nnabuenyi Ugonna
Encyclopedia
Frederick Nnabuenyi Ugonna, often abbreviated to F. Nnabuenyi Ugonna (October 12, 1936, in Amaokpara/Ihitenansa, Imo State
, Nigeria
- June 5, 1990, in London
) was a Nigeria
n ethnologist, linguist, and writer. He is best known for his work on the Igbo language
and other African languages
as well as African literature
.
Ugonna was the first who initiated the thesis of J. E. Casely Hayford
s Ethiopia Unbound (1911) being the first truly African novel; therefore he has written an introduction for the book's second edition in 1966.
Ugonna died of prostate cancer
in 1990 in London.
Imo State
Imo State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria and lies to the south of Nigeria with Owerri as its capital and largest city.-History:Imo State came into existence in 1976 along with other new states created under the leadership of the late military ruler of Nigeria, Murtala Muhammad, having been...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
- June 5, 1990, in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) was a Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n ethnologist, linguist, and writer. He is best known for his work on the Igbo language
Igbo language
Igbo , or Igbo proper, is a native language of the Igbo people, an ethnic group primarily located in southeastern Nigeria. There are approximately 20 million speakers that are mostly in Nigeria and are primarily of Igbo descent. Igbo is a national language of Nigeria. It is written in the Latin...
and other African languages
African languages
There are over 2100 and by some counts over 3000 languages spoken natively in Africa in several major language families:*Afro-Asiatic spread throughout the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and parts of the Sahel...
as well as African literature
African literature
African literature refers to literature of and from Africa. As George Joseph notes on the first page of his chapter on African literature in Understanding Contemporary Africa, while the European perception of literature generally refers to written letters, the African concept includes oral...
.
Ugonna was the first who initiated the thesis of J. E. Casely Hayford
J. E. Casely Hayford
Joseph Ephraim Casely-Hayford or Ekra-Agiman was a Fante journalist, author, lawyer, educator, and politician who supported pan-African nationalism...
s Ethiopia Unbound (1911) being the first truly African novel; therefore he has written an introduction for the book's second edition in 1966.
Ugonna died of prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
in 1990 in London.