Christabel Osasogie IGBOKWE

Poetics refers to the artistic principles and creative techniques that govern the composition of poetry, including the use of form, rhythm, imagery, tone, and language to convey meaning and emotion. The poetics of African humanhood, therefore, describes the artistic and philosophical expression through which African poets celebrate the dignity, identity, and spiritual wholeness of African people, while resisting cultural erasure and colonial domination.This study examines The Poetics of Celebrating African Humanhood using Maya Angelou and Ifi Amadiume’s Poetry, arguing that both poets employ poetic form, imagery, and rhythm to affirm the dignity and identity of African and Black people against colonial and patriarchal
opression. The study is limited to the analysis of selected poems — Angelou’s Phenomenal Woman, Still I Rise, Weekend Glory, and Our Grandmothers; and Amadiume’s Nok Lady in Terracotta, Mistress of My Own Being, We Have Even Lost Our Tongues, Be Brothers, "Bloody masculinity" and Creation. Using a qualitative research method, the poems are analyzed through close textual and thematic reading to uncover how poetic language expresses African-centered values. The study adopts Afrocentric Theory and the Ubuntu philosophy as its the retical framework to foreground African perspectives and communal identity.Findings reveal that the technical elements of voice, rhythm, and repetition serve as vehicles for psychological and emotional restoration. In Angelou’s Still I Rise, the repetitive refrain “I rise” transforms trauma into an act of healing and self-assertion. Similarly, Amadiume’s Creation employs cyclical imagery such as “seed took root again” to symbolize renewal and resilience. Both poets use affirmative, rhythmic voices to democratize dignity and restore faith in African self-worth. The study concludes that the poetics of celebrating African humanhood in their works is defined by a shared aesthetic of resistance, empowerment, and spiritual wholeness—transforming poetry into a lasting testmony of African strength and identity.

Poetics refers to the artistic principles and creative techniques that govern the composition of poetry, including the use of form, rhythm, imagery, tone, and language to convey meaning and emotion. The poetics of African humanhood, therefore, describes the artistic and philosophical expression through which African poets celebrate the dignity, identity, and spiritual wholeness of African people, while resisting cultural erasure and colonial domination.This study exa ines The Poetics of Celebrating African Humanhood using Maya Angelou and Ifi Amadiume’s Poetry, arguing that both poets employ poetic form, imagery, and rhythm to affirm the dignity and identity of African and Black people against colonial and patriarchal oppression. The study is limited to the analysis of selected poems — Angelou’s Phenomenal Woman, Still I Rise, Weekend Glory, and Our Grandmothers; and Amadiume’s Nok Lady in Terracotta, Mistress of My Own Being, We Have Even Lost Our Tongues, Be Brothers, "Bloody masculinity" and Creation. Using a qualitative research method, the poems are analyzed through close textual and thematic reading to uncover how poetic language expresses African-centered values. The study adopts Afrocentric Theory and the Ubuntu philosophy as its theoretical framework to foreground African perspectives and communal identity.Findings reveal that the technical elements of voice, rhythm, and repetition serve as vehicles for psychological and emotional restoration. In Angelou’s Still I Rise, the repetitive refrain “I rise” transforms trauma into an act of healing and self-assertion. Similarly, Amadiume’s Creation employs cyclical imagery such as “seed took root again” to symbolize renewal and resilience. Both poets use affirmative, rhythmic voices to democratize dignity and restore faith in African self-worth. The study concludes that the poetics of celebrating African humanhood in their works is defined by a shared aesthetic of resistance, empowerment, and spiritual wholeness—transforming poetry into a lasting testimony of African strength and identity