KWENU: Our Culture, Our Future

The concept of Kwenu

 

~ M. O. ENE ~

 egbedaa@aol.com

 

Kwenu is one word in the rich historical heritage and lush linguistic legacy of  the Igbo of Africa that is packed with more meaning than any person can conveniently convey in words and or deeds. Some use it as a cautionary command or a call to order; others plead for unity with Kwenu. The list is long. One thing is certain: Kwenu! is a sacred call of a kinsman to his umunna [the agnate], an appeal for audience and a call for compromise. With the automatic response "Iya," the audience agrees ["kwe" ] to listen. "Nu" is a plural marker, an appendage common in Igbo language, as in ndeewo nu, daalu nu, biko nu, bia nu, etc.  Kwenu has since fossilized; the "nu" is no longer separated. 

 

KWENU!    

IYA!

 

Stone silence. You clear your throat. You are psyched. The audience is alert. They listen. You speak. But don’t bet on anyone agreeing with everything you have to say and with the way you say it; it rarely happens. You better keep it short and simple and sweet, unless you have a good command of the idiomatic tools of  oral communication to captivate a very critical and ruggedly republican audience.

 

In theories of Igbo political philosophy, Kwenu is simply the principle of compromise. You agree to listen, consider whatever request is put forward, and act according to the facts presented based on your knowledge of the issue at stake, the sincerity of the speaker, and as your conscience dictates.

 

Dr. Akuma-Kalu Njoku states:

 

To the best of my knowledge, ‘IGBO KWENU’ is an antecedent call in Igbo oral performative tradition. Its consequent response is ‘Iya!’ or ‘Yah!’ It could be a cautionary command or call to order. It may also be used by someone who wants to speak to call attention to himself or herself. In this context, ‘KWENU’ could mean ‘LEND ME YOUR EARS.’

 

T. Obinkaram Echewa in I Saw the Sky Catch Fire (a novel) submitted through a fictional character, Mrs. Ashby-Jones:

Taciturnity is preferred to speech. Speech is slow and deliberate, and the greatest consonance between the mind of the speaker and that of the audience is achieved through the smallest number of verbal cues. Hence their habit of constantly repeating the hortatory ejaculative Kwenu.

In The Igbo Question,  Dr. Uju Afulezi devoted a chapter to the phenomenology of Igbo Kwenu:

‘Kwe’ (agree) is the ultimate engine of confidence and aspiration in Igbo cosmology. .... The word ‘kwe’ has a chain of interchangeable words like agree, believe, approve, submit, surrender, be willing, have self confidence. The Igbo have always been concerned about their unity. ‘Igbo kwenu’ is short for ‘Igbo kwe nu n'otu.’ (Igbo, believe in unity).

Kwe is an important lexical item in Odinani, the traditional Igbo religion. Odinani demands an unalloyed belief (nkwenye) in the unity of family, assertive but intelligent debates (kwenkem) in  the agnate sociopolitical setup (umunna),  unflinching fidelity (ezinkwenye) in preserving the sacredness of Ani, the Earth deity; faith (okwukwe) in the supremacy of Chi Ukwu, the Almighty God. A complex cosmological phenomenon with many deities, being-forces, and ancestral spirits, Odinani is at the spiritual substructure of Igbo ideational individualism, social sophistication, rugged republicanism, and distinguished dynamism. The Igbo are individualistic in their pursuit of happiness, but their sociopolitical setup curbs run-away individualism. In fact, individualism is as un-Igbo as an uncircumcised male.

 

The concept of Chi defines Igbo socioeconomic  success story in that every human being has a godly guardian, a spirit-world PR person, or personal providence. This special relationship between the human and the spirit is defined by the maxim, Onye kwe, chi ya ekwe (If you believe, your chi will concur, for he one believeth, achieveth). This places the Igbo at the forefront of interlinked cosmic activities involving complex forces that no mere mortal  can control. Thus the Igbo person is a unique being who is not afraid of fellow human beings, as enshrined in Mmadu abu(ghi) m, maka na akalaka si na Chi ["Everyone is unique because destiny is divine."]

 

Kwenu is a magic word from out of this world, a mantra that energizes and galvanizes both the audience and the speaker.

 

On Friday, 5 September 1997, Nnaemeka M. Onumonu wrote:

Igbo Kwenu! Ndeewo nu.

 

I have always been fascinated by the words "Igbo kwenu!" Two ordinary words, yet for me carries such power and such punch. It for some reason has become a mantra.

 

In good times, in bad times, this has always been a major component of the speech of the Igbo nation. Whether at home or abroad, the same it is and the same it will be -- "Igbo kwenu!"

 

How many nations, around the world possess such a two word combination and use it as often as we do. What beauty! What power! When said right, it vibrates thru your whole being. It is a prayer, a song, a wish, a call for unity, a call for celebration or mourning, a call for rebirth or renewal, and a call for re-evaluation. It is part of the essence of the Igbo people.

 

It affirms the belief of the Igbo people, that together the mountain becomes a molehill. It reaffirms the believe of  Ndiigbo that nothing is impossible. It stresses the fact that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It magnifies the fact that united we survive, grow, and continue to multiply as a nation, but divided we fall.

 

Our forefathers said that if one affirms strongly, so does the Chi. So is it surprising that they left us with the greatest affirmation of them all -- "IGBO KWENU!"

 

Yes, a blessed people we are. What a rich heritage! As long as hold unto our values in all we do, all will definitely be okay.

 

IGBO KWENU ....

 

Udo diri unu niile.

(Peace be unto you all)

 First published in 1997;  last edited on February 1, 2004

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