Basic Introduction To Igbo Culture

Welcome to Basic introduction to Igbo culture, a class to bring you closer to the Igbo people of Nigeria. By the end of this basic introduction, you will be ready to dig deeper into various aspects of Igbo culture.

More Into The Class

To take us through this journey is a knowledge son of the soil, Mr. Ugo Elezi, originally from Anambra State, Nigeria. Through his narration, we shall know a lot about Igbo people, their culture and their community life. Mr. Elezi has been in Italy since 1989 and he is now one of those Nigerian/Africans in the diaspora who are now passing their knowledge of Africa to the younger generation overseas, both for the purpose of preserving it and for celebrating it. In fact, the very first lesson of this class is about this: why do we need to teach Igbo culture to the younger ones, today, particularly to those in the diaspora?

Historical Background

The Igbo people are an ethnic group native to the present-day south-central and south-eastern Nigeria. Geographically, the homeland of Igbo is divided into two unequal sections by the Niger River. Igbo are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa.

In rural Nigeria, Igbo people work mostly as artisans, farmers and traders. The most important crops for the people are yam, cassava and taro. Some of the largest cities of Igbo are Onitsha, Enugu, Aba, Owerri, Orlu among others.

Igbo are also famous for the Nigerian Civil War of between 1967–1970 when the Igbo territories seceded as a brief Republic of Biafra. MASSOB – Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MEND – Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta and other social movements are all unsprings of the Nigerian political impasse.

Igbo is also home to some of the most celebrated intellectuals among Africans. They are among Nigerian high archivers in businesses and many more.

What You Can Learn In This Class

This class is designed to help you grasp the basic understanding of the Igbo culture. So, get ready as we dive in with Mr. Elezi. He will teach us some of the most important values of Igbo culture as:

· Village settings

· Language

· Festivals

· Role of the elders and many more.

Other important things to learn in this class are:

· Childhood among Igbo people

· Community life among others

The lesson on childhood among Igbo is particularly important, especially for the children of Igbo descend who were not born in Nigeria. Throughout the class are rich values that can be of help to you. So pay attention.

Consider for example, the importance of community values, for such a time like this in Africa. If you have nothing to take away from this class, take away the values of community life. Nigerians today, are suffering in the midst of abundance, not for any other reason. It’s largely because the people, thanks to a variety of circumstances surrounding their historic experience have refused to acknowledge themselves as one Nigerians, one community with a common objective in the world.

Community life is not just a question of social construct; rather it is more of a biological reality. Like among other animals, our very survival depends on this and it will serve us well to understand it, as was laid down by our ancestors for thousand and millions of years.

Enjoy this class and let us know your thoughts.