Igbo Imperialism

It may seem unintuitive that a large number of Africans willingly broke off from their native religion to follow Christianity. Why would someone willingly leave their own culture, something that was familiar to them, to join a completely new religion? As the growth of industrialized nations began to plateau, Western powers looked to other corners of the world for raw materials and to expand their markets. When these powers expanded across the globe, they brought with them their traditions and religion which they planned to spread to the native people. Chinua Achebe, an author who was a converted Christian as well as an African native, has experienced both Christian and Igbo traditions, putting him in an ideal position to describe both sides

One example of the impact of Christianity on traditional religions is the state of Nigeria. In the state of Nigeria, its native religion is Yoruba. Islam is also the second largest religion that came to Nigeria from the middle east by trading between merchants. With the emergence of Christianity, Yoruba and Islam felt threatened by the number of people who were either forces or convinced in converting to Christianity. Leaders of these two religions did not stand still toward the issue.They put in a lot of efforts in order to stop Christianity from spreading across the country. However, These efforts seemed to be futile against the cooperation between colonial governments and missionaries, who used their superiority in military power to keep the rebellious African chiefs in their place. Christianity seemed to be used as a tool for the colonial government to show off their superiority of their own religious point of view compared to the traditional religion of native people. Christianity was not used for the sake of spreading religion like its earlier purpose before the colonial

Look at what it has come to, a ruined society. All of the Igbo stand before me, yet diminishing by the hundreds. With the introduction of christianity our society is falling quickly. I shelter all but those who tread beyond me shall be cursed along with all damned souls who have dared. My mantle is in jeopardy now and without the faithful we are sure to be replaced with an extremest faith. Perhaps it is a blessing that i have not my village, for they have proven to myself that they are not worthy to stand below

Many people have been killed because of their religious beliefs. Religion is regarded with great seriousness in Igbo society. In Igbo society there is one God called Chukwu; he can be worshipped and prayed to through lower deities such as the earth god and sky god. The role of the oracle is to interpret the decisions of the gods. These lower gods can punish social offences and those who unwittingly infringe their privileges. The egwugwu are the ancestral gods who serve within the village. They are highly respected and act as judges within the community and enforce the religious traditions.

The missionaries that come into their country play a big role upon the Ibo culture. As Achebe mentioned, “Umuofia had indeed changed during the seven years Okonkwo had been in exile. The church had come and led many astray. Not only the low-born and the outcast but sometimes a worthy man joined it. Such a man as Ogbuefi Ugonna, who had taken two titles, and like a madman cut the anklet of his titles way to join the Christians,”(174).

The Igbo are one of Nigeria’s largest ethnic groups. They are mainly found in the area of southeastern Nigeria and have a population of around 20 to 50 million people. It was created when. The Igbo’s religion “Odinani” is a vehicle, used by all of the people who practice it, to help better understand their world called “Uwa” (princeton.edu). Chukwu is the Almighty God of the Igbo religion. The Igbo people think that all things come from Chukwu. They think he controls everything on earth and the wind. He is the supreme deity and most powerful deity, as he encompasses everything in space. He is also the source of all of the other deities since he assigns them all their different tasks. These other spirits and forces exist in other parts of Igbo peoples’ beliefs and folklore (princeton.edu). Added to all of the other Igbo religious spirits and forces, the Igbo also have certain religious ceremonies and traditions, have certain sacred places, and they faced problems just like any other religion

When the Christian missionaries came, they shook the foundation of the Igbo culture. The Igbo religion is rooted in their culture, it becomes part of who the Igbo people are (Okeke, et al). Through Chinua Achebe’s book, “he even seems to show that a culture or religion which cannot change itself with time would obviously fall apart” (Mahanta). Some people were able to adapt their culture with the new ideas, but others, such as Achebe’s character Okonkwo, was unable to accept the changes. “Furthermore, within the traditional life, the individual is immersed in a religious participation, which starts before birth and continues after death, for the life of an Igbo man is like a religious drama, which vitally links the living with the ancestors and those yet to be born in a mystic continuum” (Okeke, et al). The Igbo people were so closely intertwined with their religion that it was difficult for them to deal with the wave of a different

In the village of Umuofia, the Igbo people worship a religion of many deities. Their polytheistic religion consists of gods related to nature such as rain, sun, etc. The most important deity is the goddess of the Earth; Igbo people frain from committing sins against the goddess of the Earth in fear of complete genocide. The European missionaries introduce Umuofia to a monotheistic religion, Christianity. The Igbo people fear what they can’t understand, such as medicine. Igbo people feared the “white man”, however, missionaries successfully convert some Igbo people into Christian, causing them to be shamed by the hierarchy of men in the village. The conversion caused changes in Igbo culture and influenced the Igbo people to behave in a way that was unheard of before the European missionaries arrived. Enoch, a recently converted Christian, committed one of the worst crimes in

Religion is what holds together the souls of the Igbo people. Even though there are various religions in the world, the Igbo clan chose to represent their religion of worshipping the Gods. This is an ancient religion which they have continued throughout the centuries. Achebe explains their belief system through an Igbo’s eye. He shows the variety of gods they have, as well as the special rituals celebrated for their spirits and ancestors, and he shows how religion can bring communities and families together to worship. Religion isn’t just about the books, it’s also a way to connect people with others and to pass the word because united, everyone is

In the beginning of time there were many gods and goddesses who ruled everything from the land to the heavens. Everything was fine until the gods became full of greed and wanted one another’s powers. The god Chineke divided the heavens and land into equal parts and gave the land and the sky to the god Igwe and the goddess Ala. The god and goddess then created four males and four females; which they nurtured and taught how to praise and everything else they needed to survive on the day to day. The creation myth of the Igbo people is one of the many customs they have to be able to maintain their harmonious part in nature to this day.

The Colonial period is essentially the period between World War I and World War II while the precolonial material presented here covers the 19th century up to World War I.The sixty years of Britain's authoritative, colonial rule in Nigeria was thought as reclassifying of different regions for administrative purposes. Britain had imperialism for food and other things . Britain mainly want the tropical things nigeria had in the forests to having goods . Lugard, the British administer, kep northern ensured that the each territory ,the throne is won and kept hold of by a chief willing to go along with it. He allows client rulers fair power known as indirect rule.

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of British colonial system on the indigenous socio-political system of the Igbo people. In the course of this study, academic journals, books and other related materials were used. In addition, two persons versed in the areas of Igbo ethnography and history of the Igbo area -Mbaise- were interviewed, Chief S. U. Njoku & Prof. Dr. T. U. Nwala.

The Igbo people follow certain practices to worship their god. Igbo religion distinguishes between three types of supernatural beings:

The novel notes that “The Church had come and led many astray” (Achebe p.174). The many stemmed from all levels of hierarchy within the Igbo society. For example one of the converts included “Ogbuefi… who had taken two titles…” (Achebe p.176) which was very significant because of the level of importance that titles were regarded with within the Igbo society. One of the largest pieces of evidence from the novel comes from Obierika who describes the manner in which the cultural shift occurred. He says, “He came… with his religion… allowed him to stay” detailing the manner in which the missionaries came. The acculturation becomes apparent when Obrierika says “…he won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one” (Achebe p.176). This demonstrates the instability of the Igbo society as a result of the introduction and further influence of the Christian faith and its teachings. The Church’s followers being members of the Igbo people as well made it difficult for the Igbo people to fight back, thus debilitating the clan’s ability to function as a unit. The end result being the complete acculturation of the Christian faith leading to postcolonial times in which the Igbo culture like many of the other cultures existing at the time have been phased out due to the cultural shift.

Igbo culture includes the various customs, practices and traditions of the people. It comprises archaic practices as well as new concepts added into the Igbo culture either through evolution or outside influences. These customs and traditions include the Igbo people's visual art, use of language, music and dance forms, as well as their attire, cuisine and language dialects. Because of their various subgroups, the variety of their culture is heightened further.