Written By R M Odegbo
It is fairly evident that Igbo customs
and values are on the highway to extinction. Their fleeting existence, already
stark, shows very slim chance of surviving the ferocious erosion of modernity. Sadly,
very little effort is being made by the people to forestall the progressive decline.
Everybody, it would seem, acquiesces to the decay.
From the hallowed to the mundane -
nothing is spared the buffet of the cruel fate. Coronation, title-taking,
burial ceremony, marriage ceremony, breaking of kola nut to the least of these customs
and values has lost the touch of tradition. All are now in acute struggle
against eroding influences that appear decided to lay them waste. Nobody is sure
where the development is headed, but it certainly does not lead to any cultural
flourish.
Each time I think about this development
and the possible solution, I flinch from the thought, not so much for the
decline as it is for the fate that awaits non-preservation of these customs and
values for the coming generation. When did ndi
Igbo get to this sorry pass? What, if any, are the redeeming possibilities? Any
relics for the coming generation and what is the assurance the bequest will be
appreciated?
Very little hope is inspired in this
direction for two reasons. One, ndi
Igbo have shown very little respect, if not outright disdain, for their customs
and values to the extent that very many persons are no longer comfortable identifying
with them. Many have found themselves discriminated against on account of their
interest in propagating some of these traditions, wrongly dismissed by some culture-shy
individuals as fetish. As it stands, few of the custodians of the culture are
available today. Even those around are not particularly willing to vouchsafe
information on some aspects of the culture when approached. And if ever they
do, stint on the nuances, perhaps to humour their authority hitherto disdained.
Two, younger elements of the Igbo stock take great joy in being overly
cosmopolitan and are unimpressed with the idea of going through “the mill” to sustain
a dying culture. Maybe, it will take more than the passive and uncoordinated
effort currently being made by few individuals to stem the drift. It is only among
the Igbo that you find a people very eager to assimilate the culture of other
people and show it off with a lot of swagger. No other ethnic grouping does it.
Unfortunately, competing influences have seized upon the lapse to make unfair inroad
into the Igbo society.
Today it is difficult to draw the
line. Time-honored traditions of the people are treated with levity just as values
that define their spiritual essence are reasonably scorned. Though some of these
traditions have become abhorrent with the passage of time, it still does not justify
the brazenness with which others not as detestable - the innocuous - are treated.
An extreme example of such obnoxious tradition that attracted public outrage but
which has undergone reasonable modification is the practice of widowhood in some
places in Igbo land. Even as there is nothing to be said in defense of such
unwholesome practice, but the same cannot be said of title-taking, coronation, burial,
breaking of kola nut, marriage, language etc some of which have suffered
serious abuse if not outright disdain. For example of the three widely spoken
Nigerian languages (Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba) only Igbo language fails to
command interest, even among its owners. Hardly is the language spoken even in official
gathering of ndi Igbo and when spoken,
is inflected with modals of these other languages. During hallowed events where
Igbo should be the language of discourse, the creeping influences of these
languages still manifest.
I almost went off the deep end during
an occasion that had the trappings of a traditional event, but which was nearly
queered by the culture-cringing emcee at the occasion. Apart from the
introduction of guests which he deliberately anglicized, he almost conducted,
if allowed, a purely traditional Igbo event in English. Not a few persons were embarrassed
by that and were about slipping out when he was forced to recant the approach. He
did not handle the breaking of kola nut any better. To underscore the shabbiness
with which he handled the breaking of the kola nut, age and title, two essential
aspects in the sharing of the all-important-item, was disregarded. Even when
his attention was called to the fact that the audience was strictly Igbo he
rebuffed it and continued on his decided slant. It took almost a walk-out from some
of the guests for him to reverse himself.
The end to this type of abuse may not
be in sight yet. I have on occasion interrupted an order of event just to
correct either wrong presentation of kola nuts or a deliberate abuse of Igbo
language. Nothing is revered any more in Igbo land. Worst still is the
violation of Eze title. Apart from
turning official traditional event into an éclat of language competiveness, the
violation of Igweship has caused ndi Igbo to appear less serious in the
eyes of their neighbors. The sudden craze for titles and, in particular, the
coveting of Eze Igbo title by arrivistes in various states outside Igbo land has
further dwindled the authority of an otherwise elevated kingship institution. It
is hoped the current effort at reviving the dying culture would yield the
desired change. Perhaps, this will be possible when, in the words of Plutarch
the Greek philosopher, we become more sensible of what is done against culture
than against nature.
Igwe RM Odegbo
Aborgu 11 Na Nteje
