JOURNALS

ABSTRACT

The Igbo cosmology of the people of Nigeria has categories of spirits that define man and his motivation that influences an individual's disposition and behavior. This worldview is anchored on traditional Igbo religious belief on earth gods and goddesses, and numerous deities and spirits, including agwu, which among its other attributes, is a spirit force of manipulation and motivation. Individuals possessed by agwu usually manifest both normal and abnormal behaviourial tendencies, thereby making them have dual or multiple dispositions. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s texts: Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun present individuals that are perceived to be possessed by the spirit: agwu. The actions of these selected characters: Eugene, Beatrice, Ugwu and Kambili, present violent and pervasive tendencies which manifestations mark them as out of the ordinary. Previous studies on the texts have dealt with history and historical consciousness; sex and sexuality; gender issues, language use; comparative; sociopolitical and ideological themes. Using the framework of agwu, an ambivalent spirit of positive and negative inspiration in the Igbo philosophy, the paper explores the hidden impetus for the disordered behaviourial syndromes in the selected individuals. Specifically, this paper examines the effect of the abnormal behaviours on other characters who become victims of the manipulations of agwu. The paper propagates proper education on the Igbo mythology as the prismatic crystals through which conclusions can be reached regarding these weird behaviours which ordinarily leave others bewildered.