KWENU! Our culture, our future

Am I an Igbo man?

CHINEDU MADUABUM

Onitsha, Nigeria

Wednesday, May 5, 2004

Introduction

For those of you who have visited Cameroon, you will agree with me that it is very rare to enter a street without at least a beer parlour or drinking spot. Most Cameroonians spend their leisure times in these beer parlours, drinking and making loud noise in the process to the extent of disturbing the entire neighbourhood. The same is applicable to virtually all the streets in Igbo land and Onitsha in particular, where it is very rare not to find a church building or worship centre. So, while it is drinking spot in Cameroon on the one hand, it is worship centres in Igbo land on the other hand.

The manifest functionalism of Christianity is without doubt acknowledged, which is to uphold morality in the society. One expects that with the increase in churches, there should be a decrease in crime and criminal activities. But the opposite is the case. The question therefore is; has Christianity in Igbo achieved its purpose for which it was introduced? This article shall impartially answer that question and seek to investigate further if there is a latent function of the institution or structure. At the end of which you will have to ask yourself the question of whether you are an Igbo man.

THE EARLY DAYS

When Christianity was introduced in Igbo land in the middle of the 18^th century, it received very stiff opposition from our forefathers. They did not only see a people of different colour but a people who came with a social system that is different and contrary to the one they were practising. Lives were lost but as fate would have it, the white man prevailed. Christianity since then took the dominant role in socialisation thereby dislodging our people almost completely from Hebrewism.

This could be visibly seen in the role Christianity is playing as the church is doing every rite and rituals that used to be done from a family perspective. The church today performs burial, marriage and naming ceremonies. Even the inheritance of the promises of God has been interpreted to be a church affair. Going to “heaven” is now through identifying oneself with a church. In other words, inheritance, which used to be a family affair, is now the business of the church. The church has now become the family where all these rituals are performed even socialisation.

SOCIALISATION

Socialisation is the process of bringing up a child into understanding by example and also by teaching the norms and values that govern society within a given cultural milieu. In Igbo land, home training is regarded as very fundamental in societal building. It is from the home that one is expected to get his first training towards becoming anybody in the society. If one discharges some questionable virtues in the society, it is easily blamed at the parents for not giving the person a proper home training. So, the parents take it as a priority to give their children a very sound home training.

Modern civilisation has so made it possible that even the salary of the man is not sufficient to sustain his family. Thus, we have families of dual earners, which is very rampant in the American society. One of the problems of dual earning homes is that they spend very little time with their kids to administer parental home training. Schools became a good substitute for socialisation. And Lo! socialisation was taken away from the home to schools.

In Igbo land, most schools are missionary schools; that is to say that churches own most primary schools. It is through these schools and in their Sunday teachings that they ensure that these pupils or kids are given proper teachings or education on morality. This now brings us to our question of whether these churches have achieved this purpose.

A CRITICAL EXAMINATION

One major negative activity for which Igbo land is mentioned and Onitsha in particular is known for is criminal activities. These criminal activities can be broken to mean arm robbery, car theft, stealing, cheating or “419” to say the least. This is a very serious cause for concern, which ironically has been given very little attention by researchers on the subject. Some may have discovered the reason but for fear of not being ejected from their church; they prefer to keep in under the table.

Before ever one condemns an institution or structure, one should have an idea of what the previous one looked like so as to be in a position to suggest which of the institutions or structure is better. In this case, I did not physically witness the Igbo society some 200 years ago at least. But no man can say he saw Christ who is believed to have appeared some 2000 years ago but the bible, which is an accumulated account of his record gave us the clue to believe so.

So history is there for us to believe things that happened thousands of years before us. Most writers have confirmed that the Igbo and indeed the African society were peaceful prior to the arrival of the colonial masters. This is how Dr. J.H Clarke puts it:

“He [African man] came out of a society where nature was kind; nature furnished him enough food, enough land, enough of the basic things he needed to live a pretty good life. This old African societies were governed by honour and obligation. Land could neither be bought nor sold; there were no fight over the ownership of the land. The land belonged to everyone.”

Christopher Columbus & the Afrikan HOLOCAUST

Slavery and the Rise of European Capitalism p. 62

This is the account of a writer of African history and if one believes that of the Europeans, I see no reason why the one that concerns us should be disputed. Recall the terms honour and obligation.

A society that has such qualities should be free from criminal activities at least to an appreciable extent. In today’s society, you will discover that one of the things that bring about crime is the struggle over the above-mentioned basic needs for survival. Personal researches by observation at those who are at the forefront of dispute in any of the above-mentioned basic needs today are Christians of the western brand. How do I know? At least they answer Christian names from Europe, which is evidence that they were baptised in one Christian church or the other. I earlier stated that they perform naming ceremonies. So why is Christianity not able to maintain social morality, which is the basis of their doctrine as a means of going to “heaven?”

THE LATENT FUNCTION

In any country, there is bound to be a time when people revolt against a particular institution or structure. This revolution in most cases starts with a person or a small group of persons. They are usually referred to as radicals. But it is these radicals or radical groups that fish out the latent or hidden function of a structure or an institution and make the masses to see. They bring light into a society and mind that is dark and manipulated.

Christianity no doubt as I earlier stated is good going by the manifest function but the initiators of the institution had a contrary and hidden agenda and it is that hidden agenda that they wish to achieve that is why Christianity irrespective of the multiple churches is yet and may never achieve its manifest function.

According to Dr. Amaechi Chizota,

“Christianity intends to destroy the Jewish foundation of salvation and creates condition for multiple sanctuaries.”

He clearly saw the latent function of Christianity and we can see how Christianity has multiplied itself into multiple sanctuaries or churches all over Igbo land and the world. The Jewish foundation of salvation, which is only through the family of Abraham, has also been destroyed and transferred to the church. How I wish the Igbo people could decipher the meaning behind the above quotation. The multiplication of churches so as to destroy salvation through families is the latent function of Christianity that is why it is not achieving its manifest function and may never.

The purpose of Christianity has been achieved and any other thing, according to M.O. Ené, is “embellishment.” The Europeans invaded Igboland with a full knowledge of the promise of Abraham that the Igbo people possess, which was given to Ephraim for the last days. Christianity was forceful introduced so as to completely dislodge us from the Abrahamic brand of salvation. They manipulated us into believing that it is only through the church that one can be saved or inherit the kingdom of God. This, they have achieve and if not of the remnant seed that God has raised to re-enlighten his people, we would have been like Sodom and Gomorrah.

Presently, Igbo people have been drunken by the same wine of the beast and are being dominated even in their own land; which is the last strategy of the Lucifatarian-inspired Gentiles. What else shall we say if not that the very elect whom God wants to use to show this light would have been deceived had it not be of the remnant seed, which the Lord promised to raised among us. Moses confirmed this in his days when in Deut. 18: 18, he stated that a prophet like unto him shall be raised.

Conclusion

We have gone a long way to continue to live as western ignorance dictates. It is time we return and “Rebuild the Tabernacle of David that is fallen.” I am not of the opinion that we are better than the Europeans. The Bible even accounted that we are stiff naked people and not better than those Canaanites (Europeans) who are occupying the land but because God has sworn to Abraham that he will give us the land. And also the fact that we are Igbo people and have a social system to promote and not copy others to our own detriment. Ask yourself if we should continue this way whether our kids yet unborn will even remember the name Igbo more or less promoting our culture.

The white man does not want us to identify or rediscover who we are, that is why they have made us to pay more attention to materialism. The Igbo man depends on material comfort to divine comfort, which is one of the major promises of EL unto his people. He said we shall depend on him for our material need. The devil through the seven Canaanite nations has so manipulated the Igbo people – the chosen people and race to the extent that the Igbo man does not even know who he is. I think it is time you truly ask yourself this question, “AM I AN IGBO MAN?

We have travailed a long way to this point and the duty or business now is solely of Elohim. He shall deliver our enemies into our hands without much of our effort. This is therefore the day of re-awakening and for this purpose of enlightenment, I have been chosen by the power and the anointing that is bestowed on the remnant seed, which even Moses spoke of to bring you from the darkness of European psych-manipulating ignorance into the light of EL.

This is a word of wisdom, meant to enlighten you of the activities of the devil through the Europeans against you – the Igbo man.

I stand to be challenged.