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Conversation in Igbo between John and Nwile

Audio Daily Life
Conversation in Igbo between John, from Onitsha, and Nwile, from Nibo, recorded by Northcote Thomas in Umuchukwu in 1911.

An audio recording of a conversation in Igbo between two young men, John (from Onitsha) and Nwile (from Nibo). The recording was made by Northcote Thomas in 1911 in Umuchukwu, also known as Ndikelionwu, in the Awka District of the Protectorate of Southern Nigeria (present-day Anambra State). The exchange includes formal greetings and social dialogue, including mentions of a photograph taken of a chief's wife. The recording features rhythmic speech, affirming interjections, and synchronized handclapping, serving as a linguistic record of dialectal variations between Onitsha and Nibo.

Community Notes

Onyeka Nwokike

May 24, 2026

The settlement of Umuchukwu (Ndikelionwu) was founded by Ikelionwu in a portion of Omogho known as Umuoha or Umuchukwu, as noted in Igbo Cyber Shrine: Awka People.

Onyeka Nwokike

May 24, 2026

John and Nwile likely served as fieldwork assistants or guides for Thomas. While the dialogue identifies the host as Chief Kanu, research via the [Re:]Entanglements project suggests that a photograph (NWT 2507) originally labeled Chief Jacob Mbonu might actually be Chief Kanu, as the name Mbonu was found crossed out in archival records.

Onyeka Nwokike

May 24, 2026

Thomas published a transcription and translation of this exchange in his 1913 work, Anthropological Report on the Ibo-Speaking Peoples of Nigeria, Part III: Proverbs, Narratives, Vocabularies and Grammar. Recent transcription and translation efforts for the [Re:]Entanglements project were facilitated by Yvonne Mbanefo and Oba Kosi Nwoba.

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