Philosophical perspectives on communalism and morality in African traditions

Although it can easily be contended that there is no dearth of ethnographic reports and writings on the Igbo people of Nigeria, yet it can equally be argued that most of such reports, particularly those arising from the works of Christian missionaries and British colonial ethnographers had largely been concerned with giving a general picture of the mores, customs and traditions of the Igbo. The core of such writings often present the Igbo as primitive people given to some unchanging cultural traits/habits, rather than as agentic people, known for their well articulated cultural and religious worldview. In particular, most of the previous anthropological reports on the Igbo arose at those regrettable days of colonial denigrations in which the perspectives of indigenous African peoples were treated with much disdain, with the people themselves being approached as mere informants to be spoken-for rather than to be listened to regarding their views on the nature of life in the human world. Using the technique of documentary analysis and in-depth library research methodology, the present paper intends to correct some of the shortfalls embedding most of the previous anthropological reports on the Igbo. In particular, the paper plans to educate the reader on some ideals and ethos of the Igbo of Nigeria. In making this contribution it is not assumed that the reader knows much about the culture of the Igbo. Hence it is expected that at the end of the presentation, a lot should have become clearer regarding Igbo culture and religious worldview as well as the rituals and procedures of the key transitional ceremonies of Igbo religion.

	 

	Key words: Igbo, Nigeria, socio-cultural, worldview, transitional ceremonies.

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Igbo cultural and religious worldview: An insiders perspective

The Ibo and Ibibio-speaking Peoples of South-Eastern Nigeria

This study was initiated against the background of a challenge posed by Horton (1995), in which he concluded that despite the enormous output in terms of research and writings in the area of African Indigenous Religion, previous scholars have not been able to respond adequately to three chief questions focusing on the basic tenets of the religion whose answers are important for a proper understanding of the substance of African Indigenous Religion. These questions, according to him, are: What are the focal objects or the key spiritual agencies of African religious thought? What are the attitudes of the African worshippers to the spiritual agencies indigenous to their religion? What constitute the fundamental aims of African indigenous religious life? Inspired by this challenge, the researcher undertook the study of four definitional ceremonies in Igbo Indigenous Religion to gather data for responding to these questions. In this regard, two communities, Nri and Ihiala, among the Igbo culture area of Anambra State, Nigeria, were chosen for the study. The Culture Area Methodology (CAM) as well as the Participant Observation Method (POM) were the principal design of the study. A select group of elders from the two communities were interviewed for the study. The major findings show that: “Igbo Indigenous Religion is a religion of many faiths or the type of religion in which the Supreme Being is recognized and worshipped alongside other gods, spirits and ancestors”; “the attitude of the Igbo worshippers to the spiritual agencies of their religion is egalitarian, and multi-partial, or rotational in its sensitivity to the respect and worship accorded to the various agencies; each agency is assumed to count in the economy of the welfare of the people”; “Igbo Indigenous Religion is grounded on the Igbo worldview and assumption that attendance to the gods and ancestors of the religion bring good results, while neglect leads to chastisement, bad harvest, physical illness, and various other sanctions on the offenders”; and “there are multiple goals to Igbo Indigenous Religion, almost all of them this-worldly and other (ancestral) worldly centered.” The study equally discovered that orientation to meliorism is a major aspect of Igbo Indigenous Religion. These findings corroborate Horton’s theory of African Indigenous Religion as entailing a quest for achieving control of events in the current world, and for making an investment for eventual citizenship in the world of the ancestors; and therefore, essentially a pragmatic religion. Implications of the study were closely examined and a number of recommendations for further studies were made.

	 

	Key words: Igbo, Nigeria, African/Igbo indigenous religion, definitional ceremony, rituals, ceremonies.

https://www.academicjournals.org/journal/IJSA/article-full-text-pdf/1F8C40B3809

Definitional ceremonies in Igbo Religion: A test of Robin Horton's Theory

Youth and Substance Abuse The youth are the link between the present and the future of any culture Only a visionless society will ignore the plight of its youth and their vulnerability to social vices and life crises  The environment and other external factors influence the youth,  their vibrancy and innovativeness, not withstanding  Buowari, (2013) asserts that their curiosity and tendency to explore and experiment with new activities predispose them to substances abuse and other high-risk behaviour Ukpokolo, (2010) posits that the Nigerian traditional and socio-cultural system provides for some unwritten codes of moral conduct and social sanctions that regulate human behaviour For instance, a drunk was tagged an irresponsible person  Such a person becomes the theme of ridicule at social gatherings through music and other cultural forms and may not be involved in very important village or community gatherings This stigma discourages community members from alcohol abuse The lines of distinction between religion and culture are usually blurry, thus  religion and culture supplements each other Religion stipulates practises, rites, and conducts on one hand while the culture of the land directly or indirectly reinforces the values on the other Nmehielle , (2004) confirms that in Northern Nigeria the culture promotes the Islamic way of life (Sharia) The Yoruba of Western Nigeria also practice a way of life is a blend of cultural and religious practices heavily laden with  social taboos and prohibitions The gradual eroding of some aspects of these cultural norms due to Western standards and ideals calls for a reexamination of the role of religious sanctions in checkmating substance abuse among the youth The youth are faced with various issues such as HIV/AIDS, STDs, suicide, abortion, violence, abuse, accidents, robbery, prostitution, examination malpractices and other countless societal vices The indiscriminate use of narcotics and alcohol makes them susceptible to  these problems Most auto accidents cases are associated to substance abuse due to low mental coordination and impaired senses Young people who engage in narcotics  are more likely have unprotected sex which results to STDs, unwanted pregnancy, abortion and other reproductive health problems The insatiable appetite for more of these vices at all cost consequently result in armed robbery and prostitution to raise the needed money Some of the predisposing factors to substance abuse in Nigeria are peer group influence, lack of knowledge of health, mental and social  implications, the media, low self esteem and parental negligence The addictive nature of these drugs make it hard for an individual abusing them to quit The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA; 2011) in its review of 2010 activity in Nigeria pointed out that 6788 suspects were arrested at the international airports and other exits ports of the country The majority of perpetrators were youth What if any are some socio-cultural deterents that  may serve to discourage behaviours associated with substance abuse? The focus of this article is to identify and substantiate the role of religion and spirituality in providing a deterence for youth in their relentless pursuit of the thrills of substance abuse

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Youth, Religiosity and Substance Abuse: A Nigerian Private University Experience

This paper examines the concept of ‘ezigbo mmadu’ (good person) in Igbo worldview. The paper argues that ‘ezigbo mmadu’ is constructed in human relationships. It argues that the Igbo people’s understanding of ‘mmadu’ as the climax of the Supreme Being’s creativity and beauty situates the human person as a moral agent. Deviating from that ideal is an aberration that reduces the human person from the pinnacle that humankind has been placed. And so, for the Igbo ‘ezigbo mmadu’ captures and reflects those ideals necessary for group and inter-group relations.

Ezigbo Mmadu: An Anthropological Investigation into the Concept of a Good Person in Igbo Worldview

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Chinyere Ukpokolo

Papers

Ezigbo Mmadu: An Anthropological Investigation into the Concept of a Good Person in Igbo Worldview

Ezigbo MMADU: An Anthropological Investigation into the Concept of a Good Person in Igbo Worldview