The Eastern States in Nigeria has always been for their industrious exploit in various interests of business and human hospitality to strangers. Trading is like an ancestral belief in the Igbo land, an average Igbo family is not complete without at least one person indulging in certain skills or trade. No wonder they can be seen migrated all over the world to expand their business ventures.
Culture and tradition in Igbo land are strictly adhered to by the indigenes of the community, this is applicable to every community and states in the eastern part of the country Nigeria which comprises of Anambra state, Imo state, Ebony state, Enugu state, and Abia State respectively.
These have drawn tourist attractions across other tribes in Nigeria and countries beyond our boundaries. Without exception, we look at some of the activities of Umuduru, Isu Community in Imo State.
Imo state is located in Southeast Nigeria and has a population of 3.9 million, projected to rise to 4.7 million by 2015 (NBS, 2006). As with all states, Imo’s Government is comprised of executive, judicial and legislative branches, with ministries headed by Commissioners. The State has 27 Local Government Areas (LGAs) with variations between population characteristics and distribution and autonomous groups headed by Ezes – traditional rulers – operating at the community level.
Isu is a local government area in the Imo State of Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Umundugba. Other communities are Amandugba, Ekwe, Uburu Ekwe, Isunjaba, Amurie Omanze, Ebenator Ekwe and, Oboro Amurie. The name comes from the Isu people, a subgroup of the Igbo people.
Amandugbe and neighboring Umundugba used to be one town. Both communities have suffered from reliable water supply from streams and brooks that often dry up, and that are breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitoes and sources of diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, guinea worm, tape tapeworm night blindness. A recent project by Africa We Care, a charity, has started to develop a supply based on a bore-hole.
Tourism and Hospitality
Ekwe tourist attractions include a number of natural springs located in Ekwe the community. Uburu Ekwe and Ebenator springs are some of the notable spring sites. These springs are noted for their natural flowing Spring (water). Abut 30 years ago, the people of Ekwe the community constructed a big slab at the Ishiyi with pipes to draw their drinking water. The evidence collected from here throws more lights on the past and ancient culture.
Religion
There is freedom of worship in the community and religion occupies a central place in the lives of the people. Before the advent of Christianity, the people practiced traditional religions. With the advent of Christianity, the people are now predominantly Christians of different denominations but mostly Catholics and Anglican. Catholics and Anglican churches are still being considered as the official church in most villages in the town. Recently other Christian denominations have been gaining ground in the town. Some people in the town still practice African Traditional religions.
Traditions
Traditions are long-established patterns of actions or behaviors, often handed down within a community over many generations. These customs are based on the beliefs and values held by members of the community. Traditions are often protected by taboos, which strong social prohibitions (or bans) are relating to human activity or social custom based on moral judgment and religious beliefs. This means that traditions are not easy to change, because people adhere to these patterns of behavior, believing that they are the right things to do.
What are the consequences of harmful traditional practices?
Some of the harmful effects include:
• Conflicts between families may lead to quarrels lasting for generations
• Psychological stress on the girl resulting in suicide etc.
• Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)/ Female Circumcision.
• Child Marriage.
• Female Spouse Sharing.
• Son Preference.
• Polygamy.
• Violence against Women.
• Scarification.
• Tribal Marks.
Reference:
https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/7377.pdf
http://www.eajournals.org/wp-content/uploads/The-Traditional-Mbaise-Society-Perspectives-on-Igbo-Scio-Cultural-History-1500-1900.pdf
https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=66&printable=1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekwe_Community
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/06/akatakpa-masquerades-banned-in-enugu-community
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isu, _Nigeria
All Reserved © Akan Udofia 2020
The writer of this expository piece has done so much in calling the attention of the world to the perpetration of evils in the name of tradition especially around the west Africa region.
ReplyDeleteI and my siblings have been victims of such evils on several counts. My name is Ebenezer Ugbadamun. The first of three boys, and second amongst seven children, four of whom are girls.
I could recall that growing up for me wasn't so relatively much fun because we had a very strict dad. But I remember the boys in my family had more privileges and access to stuffs than the girls. Later I discovered it was the traditional evil of Son Preference, a case mentioned by the author as being one of the effects of tradition in South Eastern, Nigeria.
Violence Against Women was quite common place. It was the pride of the youths in the community I grew up every time we converged for socials to see us surpass our fathers in the act of beating our wives (any one who would be stubborn amongst them). It wasn't such a big deal to see other families bringing into their homes for protection, some thoroughly beaten wives of some ego-stricken arrogant husbands who had threatened to kill in the course of beating theirs wives but for the (sometimes late) intervention of some passers-by.
I have seen my mum being beaten by my dad on countless occasions. Many times the anger would be transferred on us if ever we dared to intervene. So rather than allow our father to withdraw much of the scanty privileges each we tried to intervene, we just cry away and call on neighbors to hel out. This is not some experience I personally would love to remember, though.