TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE . . . . . . . i
CERTIFICATION . . . . . ii
DEDICATION . . . . . . iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT . . . . . iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS . . . . . vii
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 General Introduction . . .
1
1.1
Background to the Study . . . . 1
1.2
Statement of the Problem . . . 3
1.3
Purpose of The Study . . . . 4
1.4
Significance of the Study . . . . 6
1.5
Division of Work . . . . .
6
1.6
Scope of The Study. . . . . 8
1.7
Methodology . . . . . 9
CHAPTER TWO
2.0
Literature Review . . . . 11
2.1
Religious Contacts . . . . . 13
2.2
Economic Contacts . . . . 16
2.3
Social Contacts . . . . . 18
2.4
Political Contacts . . . . . 22
CHAPTER THREE
3.0
Major Schemes For Igbo-European Contact. 26
3.1
Slavery and Slave Trade. . . . 27
3.2
Colonialism . . . . . 32
3.3
Neo-colonialism . . . . . 37
CHAPTER FOUR
4.0 The Positive and Negative Influences Of the Contacts . 40
4.1 Fundamental Orientation through the School . 41
4.2
Inexorable Orientation to the West . 44
4.3 Triumph of Western Science and Technology . 49
CHAPTER FIVE
5.0
Evaluation and Conclusion . . . 53
5.1
Critical Evaluation . . . 54
5.2
Conclusion . . . . . 58
Bibliography . . . . . 62
Journals, Editorials and
Magazines . .
64
Internet . . . . . 65
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 GENERAL
INTRODUCTION
It is
undeniably clear that coming across any written work with this kind of topic
stirs up numerous varied notions in people’s minds. The views of an Igbo man
who comes across this topic is bound to be different from that of a European.
So will it also be, with any member of the external world not directly affected
by this topic.
One might see
it as a liberation philosophy, another might see it as an attack on what is
European, and another still, might see it as a defensive means applied to
transfer the responsibility of the ills found in Igbo land to the European
world. None of them can be said to be wrong in his particular opinion unless an
explanation of the authors import has been relayed to him and he persists in
his stand. For this, it becomes very necessary that at this early moment, a
brief explanation of what this topic is aimed at be presented to the reader so
that he does not jump to hasty conclusions even before reading this.
1.1 BACKGROUND
OF THE STUDY
The Igbo tribe
of Nigeria today experiences
so much political, economic, and social crisis both within itself as a tribe
and with the other tribes with whom it makes up this one nation called Nigeria. Most
of these crises so much affect the Igbos to the extent that they often see
themselves as a marginalized tribe in this nation. This has led to their
consistent clamor for a Sovereign state of their own (Biafra), not minding the
fact of the failure of its first realization attempt during the early days of Nigeria’s
independence.
Looking at the
present socio-political situation of the Igbos in this multi-tribal nation, one
will discover that a greater percentage of the hardships they are facing in
their own God-given land cannot be ascertained to have its place rooted in
nature. They seem to be man-made, willingly or unwillingly caused, knowingly or
unknowingly arrived at. Most of these problems can be said to be aftermaths of
some past experiences of the Igbo man both within the confines of his
fatherland and outside. It must be acknowledged that the Igbo man has been more
at peace with the world around him in the absence of a Nigerian nation than
today when he has been forced into a national union with some other tribes.
This goes a very long way to prove that some causes of the Igbo mans socio-political
predicament can be vividly traced to the period of his being a part of this
'Lugardian' amalgamated nation called Nigeria. If this can be said to be so,
then her days prior to this amalgamation, especially within the colonial era,
when she was being pushed into acting in a way she does not really accept must
have played a major role in the many problems she so suffers today.
1.2 STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
The Igbo man
of today finds himself faced with so much socio-political difficulties in his
co-existence with the other tribes that make up this one Nigeria. For this, he so much longs
for secession; he longs to have a sovereign state of his own, which will have
all its affairs self-piloted and which will have him as its sole controller. He
longs for the sovereign state of Biafra where he will be free from the present
days’ ‘regrettable Igbo predicament in Nigeria characterized by
humiliation, manipulation, and marginalization’.
A look at the
socio-political problems of the Igbo man of today, which has produced in him
such longings as these, reveals the fact that the colonial amalgamation of the
Nigerian nation has a bigger part to play in it. This implies that the Igbo
man’s contact with the European world has a hand in such situations and that it
is not just a problem caused by the other tribes with whom he shares this one
nation. We the Nigerians also have a hand in it, no doubt. It is based on this fact
that this work sets out to expose the present socio-political conditions of the
Igbo man, tracing it back to his early life without this colonial amalgam
called Nigeria, to see how
the Europeans in their contact with the Igbo tribe could be said to have caused
a problem for the Igbos of today.
1.3 PURPOSE
OF THE STUDY
In the words
of Rev Fr. Collins Ojene, “No continent suffered from the scourge of slavery
for centuries as Africa. No continent was so
brutalized by colonialism, imperialism, and now neo-colonialism as Africa.”
The Igbo nation, we have to note, is part of the African continent and as such
the afore-mentioned statement, if it is true, also applies to them. This study
serves to ascertain the extent of the damage these (colonialism, imperialism
and neo-colonialism) had caused the Igbo race specifically. In this study, we
are interested in seeing if really we can be very right to say that the
colonial masters have been our ‘messiahs’, sent from God above to bring us
salvation and light (like Christ was believed by the Christians, to have been
sent) as shown by some writers of history. To see if they can be seen as, in
the words of F. K. Ekechi, expressing the view of the people of the lower Niger
on the early Western Catholic Missionaries, “a kind (white man) who came for
the welfare of the people.” It
is a study aimed at examining the intricacies of these diverse contacts that
has existed in history among the Europeans and the African-Igbo world to see
what actually has held the Igbo nation spell bound from advancing to the
developmental stage the European world of today is in. It is a work born out of
an interest in contributing to the growth and development of the Igbo race.
This interest to help move the Igbos forward was born in the course of our
study of the African philosophy and the many problems facing it. It grew after
a realization of the fact that the ancient Egypt of Africa was amongst the
first civilized nations but today is nowhere, development wise. On the other
hand, it is aimed at producing what can be accounted by us, as the gains and
problems created for us by the westerners and by so doing help our people to
know what they need in their present rush for the white-mans land (greener
pastures) and culture. It is a way of trying to expose us to the reality that
not all that glitters is gold and that the European in all he does is never
perfect and should never be regarded so.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
Fr. Collins
Ojene opines, “The African continent (Igbo world) is daily degenerating into
possible state of anarchy or even extinction should something not be done
concretely and very urgently.”
Our socio-political conditions here is getting worse by the day and so
resulting to a mad rush for the European (western) world. It serves to give an
Igbo mans understanding and approach to the African (Igbo) socio-political
predicaments of this world and as well as help save the Igbo race from
extinction. It also serves to expose the Igbos to the likely causes of their
present condition. At this time when the Igbo youths so much long for the
western world and its culture, viewing it as the paradigm, it becomes very
necessary that a work of this nature should exist to point to them the possible
problems and benefits that may accrue from such escapade. To the world at
large, it serves as an eye-opener, pointing, like a signpost, to the road we
(Igbos) have to follow in order to arrive at a brighter future destined for the
Igbo race by the creator.
1.5 DIVISION
OF WORK
This work is
broadly divided into five chapters with some sub-sections each.
Chapter One serves
as an introduction of what we have set out to do in this work. It presents a
clear exposé of what the problems we have set out to handle in this topic is
all about. In addition, it gives an outline of our reasons and purpose of
writing this work and explains the actual methodology we used in the bid to
achieve the desired result.
Chapter Two dwells
on a review of some literatures and authors who have said something in relation
to this our topic. It discusses them based on the different aspects or points
of view from which they had aired their opinions, giving us an insight into the
fact that many have observed and said something concerning these contacts we
wish to discuss.
Chapter Three discusses
in details the three major schemes of Igbo European contact with some issues
surrounding them while Chapter four dwells on the positive and negative influences
of these contacts. They can be seen as the heart of this work for in them the
contacts and their effects are brought to fore. The Igbo socio-political
situations, as it concerns our reasons for this write-up was also discussed
here. We must note here that the historical contacts of the Igbos and the
European world is still on, as such, its effects is bound to continually
increase, positively or negatively as the case may be.
Finally,
chapter five dwells on a critical examination and an evaluation of the many
facts that have been presented in chapter four. It also suggests ways for the
Igbos to forge ahead.
1.6 SCOPE
OF THE STUDY
A project like
this needs so much of pure historical foundations so that it may be more
effectively handled. This not withstanding, there seems to be only a few of
such works available to us. Most of the works to be seen on the historical
contact of the Europeans with Nigeria
and with the Igbos in particular seem to be written by the west or with their
influence. Such works, as we know, can scarcely present the distinct problems,
constituted to the Igbos by the European colonial masters. More often, it presents
the European man as being explicitly caring for the good and growth of the
African. In the face of all these, this work has to depend on the available
texts dealing on the European/Igbo contact. Other secondary texts seeking to
make a justification or an appraisal of those colonial contacts with the
Africans in general were also taken into great consideration. The works
concerning African/European contacts were accepted because the Igbos as a group
also fall within the confines of the African continents.
There were
some individual face-to-face inquiries from some individual aged men who have
been lucky to have been part of the Igbo experience of the colonial era. From
the inquiries we gained some insights of the facts of how these perceived the
Europeans and how they still feel about those days even in the light of today’s
situation when almost every Igbo man longs for an encounter (contact) with the
European world. This very enquiry seems to have been of paramount necessity, and
it exposed us to how they felt with their experiences in those days and how
they feel about them now. It gave us a specific picture of what that encounter
really looked like. In addition, some literate men of integrity were interviewed.
Although most of them were not a part of those encounters, our belief that they
must have come to build up some specific impressions regarding those contacts,
following their quest for more wisdom, which flowed from the fact of their academic
literacy, necessitated it.
1.7 METHODOLOGY
The method of
this study was synthetic, hermeneutical, and analytical. Hermeneutics simply
implies interpretation and this work had to be hermeneutical. Most of its
aspects had to do with interpretative attempts at understanding activities and
actions. It was analytical because such works as this require that one set up
concrete evidences from which he can drive his points home. Some arguments here
were deductive and others inductive. Equally, there was so much combination of
elements in this work and these accounts for the totality of what became our
conclusion. This makes our work synthetic. In all, our study did follow a very
critical and rational process.
All these not
withstanding, the work is presented in a very coherent order such that anyone encountering
it finds no difficulty in understanding and appreciating its stand. Rarely
would one going through it find a reason to deny its facts because it is truly
rational and realistic, unless he seeks for prolonged arguments.
Finally, this
research work does not spring from any form of adulterated or biased judgment.
Instead, its point of emergence rests solely on the interest in helping the
Igbo people move forward to meet up in development and technological
advancement with other worlds. For this, the conclusion had to be
philosophically constructed carrying along with it, some words of admonition as
well as encouragements and suggestions that will aid the African-Igbo in
eschewing the psychological trauma precipitated by European imperialism, hence
moving his nation (Igbo) forward.
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