History of Igbo

 The history of the Igbo people stretches back thousands of years, long before written records were kept. The origins of the Igbo people are shrouded in mystery, but it is believed that they may have migrated from the Sudan region of Africa, possibly as early as 5000 BC.


The Igbo people eventually settled in what is now known as Nigeria, where they formed a unique and complex society. The Igbo were a decentralized people, with no central government or political structure. Instead, they organized themselves into small, autonomous villages, each with its own ruler or council of elders.


Despite their lack of a centralized government, the Igbo developed a sophisticated system of trade and commerce. They traded with other communities in the region, as well as with Arab and European traders along the coast.


The Igbo were also known for their rich and diverse culture, which was expressed through their art, music, dance, and storytelling. They were particularly renowned for their masquerade traditions, which involved the use of elaborate masks and costumes in religious and social ceremonies.


The first recorded contact between the Igbo and Europeans occurred in the late 15th century, when Portuguese explorers arrived on the coast of West Africa. Over the next several centuries, European powers such as Britain, France, and Portugal established trade relationships with the Igbo, exchanging goods such as textiles, guns, and alcohol for slaves, ivory, and other valuable resources.


In the late 19th century, Britain established a protectorate over the area now known as Nigeria, which included the Igbo people. The British sought to modernize Nigeria and bring it into the global economy, but they did so at the expense of traditional Igbo culture and autonomy.


The British imposed a system of indirect rule on Nigeria, which involved the use of local rulers and councils to govern on behalf of the British colonial authorities. This system was particularly unpopular among the Igbo, who resented the loss of their traditional systems of governance and the imposition of British laws and customs.


In response to British rule, the Igbo began to organize politically and advocate for greater autonomy and self-determination. They formed a number of political organizations, including the Igbo Union and the Nigerian Youth Movement, which sought to represent Igbo interests and push for political reform.


The struggle for Nigerian independence in the mid-20th century was led in large part by Igbo leaders such as Nnamdi Azikiwe and Obafemi Awolowo. The Igbo played a significant role in the struggle for self-determination, advocating for greater political representation and cultural recognition.


However, the road to independence was not an easy one. The Nigerian government was dominated by the northern Hausa-Fulani ethnic group, who were suspicious of Igbo political ambitions. In 1966, a group of young military officers staged a coup, which was widely seen as a response to Igbo political power.


The coup was followed by a series of ethnic and religious riots across Nigeria, which further inflamed tensions between different groups. In 1967, the Igbo declared their independence from Nigeria, forming the breakaway state of Biafra.


The Nigerian government responded with force, launching a brutal civil war that lasted for three years. The war was marked by atrocities on both sides, with the Igbo suffering the most. An estimated one million people, mostly Igbo, died as a result of the conflict, which ended in 1970 with the reintegration of Biafra into Nigeria.


The aftermath of the war was a period of great upheaval and uncertainty for the Igbo people. Many Igbo had fled their homes during the conflict and were unable to return. The Nigerian government imposed a policy of "reconciliation, rehabilitation, and reconstruction," which was intended to rebuild the areas devastated by the war and reintegrate former Biafrans into Nigerian society. However, many Igbo felt that they were being discriminated against and excluded from political and economic opportunities.


In the years following the war, the Igbo continued to struggle for political and cultural recognition. They formed a number of political organizations, such as the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), which sought greater autonomy and self-determination for the Igbo people.


The Igbo also continued to develop their unique cultural traditions, including their music, art, and literature. Igbo writers such as Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Buchi Emecheta gained international recognition for their works, which explored the complexities of Igbo society and the challenges of post-colonial Nigeria.


Today, the Igbo remain one of the largest and most influential ethnic groups in Nigeria. They have contributed significantly to Nigerian culture and politics, and continue to advocate for greater autonomy and self-determination.


Despite the challenges they have faced throughout their history, the Igbo have maintained a strong sense of identity and pride in their cultural heritage. Their unique customs and traditions continue to be celebrated and preserved, ensuring that the rich history of the Igbo people will be passed down to future generations.

YOU CANNOT SIMPLY BURY THEM LIKE THAT


By Cornelius Chiedozie Ozeh



From the Beginning
That is how Aguleri does it. They are buried together in a given period of the year, and their burial is solemn and ceremonial in recognition of their status. They are men of valour, wheels of progress, bastions of justice, models of dignity, and figures of prosperity. They are not buried like the ordinary man, those Unoka-calibre. No, you cannot simply bury them like that!
These group of men in Aguleri are the princes of the kingdom, full-fledged sons of the kingly ancestor, Eri. They have the complete bona-fides of a typical Eri son - heroic, truthful, spiritual, assiduous, prosperous, grateful, unstinting, assertive, reliable, incorruptible, compassionate, and team player. They are soldierly in content and character. Just like the burial of a valiant soldier involves twenty-one gun salute, guards of honour, draping of the flag on the casket, the burial of these initiated group of men in Aguleri have similar pomp, similar pageantry. They are not given ordinary burial. You cannot simply bury them like that.
Ndi Ogbuevi, and Ndi Ogbuanyinya are not buried like every other person. They are holders of the Aguleri version of Ozo title. Ndi Ogbuevi are higher than the high while Ndi Ogbuanyinya are the highest in their ranks. The burial of the titled men of Aguleri that passed on to the great beyond is done annually within a period set apart for it by the ancient kingdom of Aguleri, the period of “Akwamozu Oba”.

Akwamozu Oba in Aguleri
This is usually done between January and February every year within a period of sixteen market days. The communities in the ancient kingdom of Aguleri: Ugwu na Adegbe, Ivite, Igboezunu, and Amaeze take their respective turns on the Oye market days within the sixteen days period to bury their own titled men. The urban Amaeze Aguleri is conventionally the last to take their turn after the traditional Aguleri tripod-communities.
Ndi Ojiana Aguleri is the body that organises and regulates Akwamozu Oba in Aguleri. They sit at a village square of the community that is burying their titled men, especially at the village square of the eldest among the titled men being buried, and that is actually the venue where all other families that are burying their titled relation would take the items required of them for the burial.
Each of the concerned families are required to bring twenty-four big tubers of yam, and twenty-four presentable kola nuts. The significance of yam in the ceremony is that it is a time-honoured symbol of prosperity. The titled men are hardworking, and as such, they are wealthy. The heap of yams presented to the Ndi Ojiana is thus a sheer show of wealth which the departed titled man left behind. At the end of the funeral, the yams are shared according to communities in Aguleri, and in each of the community, according to age, from the eldest to the extent the yams could serve.
While Ndi Ojiana sat at the village square receiving the requirements from the concerned families, they are treated to archetypical Uvio music. The percussion emanating from the twin giant wooden gongs, and a pair of rattles sing praises to the titled men, both the living and the dead. The family of the departed, especially the sons of the titled man also dance to the Uvio music as part of the rituals for the burial of their titled father.

The Backstop
There are exceptional cases in which a departed titled man could be buried outside the period of Akwamozu Oba. The cases include circumstances or choice of the family concerned. In such cases, the defaulting family is required to pay a charge big enough to serve as deterrence but lenient enough for flexibility; a charge for the inconvenience the extra-ordinary Akwamozu Oba might have caused Ndi Ichie and Ndi Ojiana Aguleri that would sit at the village square to perform the customary rites.  In the whole, the culture of Akwamozu Oba in Aguleri ensures standard in the burial ceremony of the titled men of the ancient kingdom. It ensures that they are not buried like an “oveke.” You cannot just bury them like that.

Spotlight on Ajana Ukwu Deity of Aguleri

ByOzeh, Cornelius Chiedozie

A friend of mine once asked me whether I have seen where it was written in the bible that God started work again after He rested on the seventh day, and I said no. He said that the simple interpretation was that God is still resting; that what we see today as the acts of God are just the acts of nature. I sought the education from him. He told me that God created the world and put it in auto-pilot called nature while He continued resting. He told me that nature from then became the regulator, the sustainer, and the arbiter of the whole universe.
I reminded that friend about the book of John 5:17 where Jesus Christ declared: “my father goes on working, and so do I.” However, I appreciated his reasonable argument. Many people worship nature as a god. It is called the Mother Nature or Mother Earth. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Mother Earth is a cosmogonic figure, the eternally fruitful source of everything. By this description, Mother Earth could be said to be the source of human life. Somehow, Genesis 2:7 equally corroborated this when it said that, “…the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” At the end of every human life, Mother Earth receives back the body into her womb, the tomb. Perhaps, this is why dead bodies are said to be committed to the Mother Earth.
In ancient and modern nonliterate religions, Mother Earth is seen as something that has neither a beginning nor an end. A regard befitting God Almighty alone. One should not blame the erroneous knowledge since until scientific discoveries availed humanity the knowledge of the structure of the earth, it was believed to be without boundaries. The high regard in which the ancient and modern nonliterate religions all over the world hold the Mother Earth made them to deify and worship her.
Just like their contemporaries all over the world, the ancient and modern nonliterate religions in Igbo land, as well as the majority of Igbo societies in Nigeria have special regard for the Mother Earth and they worship her. They call it Ala, Ani, or Ana in their variegated Igbo dialects. The grand altar for worshipping the Mother Earth is located in Aguleri, Anambra State, Nigeria (the cradle of Igbo race); and the altar is known as Ajana Ukwu, loosely translated, The Great Soil of the Earth. 

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In Igbo communities of old and even today, there are transgressions (such as murder, and incest) that are considered to be against the natural laws (nso ana). Whenever such sins are committed, the LAND must be appeased through the means prescribed by the gods, or else there would be poor yields from farms, or something more severe against the offender or the entire community. The appeasement is done at Ajana Ukwu, a great altar for the worship of the Mother Nature in Igboezunu Aguleri.
Out of intellectual curiosity, I visited Ajana Ukwu on December 16, 2017 to get firsthand information about the deity. When I got to Igboezunu community of Aguleri, I needed directions to the location of the deity. I stumbled into a man in his mid-30s who introduced himself to me as Chidi Nwokedi. He volunteered to take me to Ajana Ukwu which he said was just a stone throw from where we stood. He asked me my mission to the deity, and I told him that it was purely academic. He grinned in appreciation and told me that I won’t really understand Ajana Ukwu without the knowledge about Okpanime deity (The Mother of Eri Kindred) to which he was a chief priest. He volunteered to give me the introductory nuggets of information into my subject of study, and I jumped at the offer.
He showed me two giant figures carved in wood which were covered with grease, grime, chalk and what appeared to be dried blood of animals killed for sacrifices.  He told me that Ajana Ukwu represented heaven and earth while Okpanime was the goddess of fertility, riches, and the Mama of Africa. When he said that, I looked around. I found the precincts of the deity garlanded with strands of white clothes tied to a line, and the dark, young chief priest wearing anklets on his legs. As if he read that I wondered how on earth a young man like him became the chief priest of the deity, he told me that it was Okpanime that brought him back to Aguleri in 2015 to serve her. He granted a snapshot wearing his priestly regalia before we left the place and proceeded to Ajana Ukwu deity.



We took a narrow footpath from Eziama Igboezunu village square and went where Ajana Ukwu stood. He pointed to a cluster of trees and shrubs that surrounded an elevated land. Before he could tell me where we were, a little signpost had given me the wisdom with its pink letters that read: AJANA UKWU AGULERI; with a perpendicular arrow pointing to the ground in an unwavering direction. I peered into the thicket of greenery, searching the elevated point for things of interest. I found only dried blood of animals obviously killed for sacrifices, which ran the slope of the elevation. The entire sanctum of the deity was strewn with feathers, while white clothes of several yards hung here and there within and along the perimeter of the place set apart for the deity.
We walked down still, to where the chief priest lived. I found the chief priest an octogenarian once he emerged from his house. We greeted him. He hailed the young chief priest who turned my guide three consecutive times, “Igwe Okpanime!” I affirmed the camaraderie between both of them. The young chief priest of Okpanime played my spokesperson concerning my mission, and the aged chief priest of Ajana Ukwu promptly accepted to give the information I sought. I got down to the business for which I came.
Responding to my probes, the chief priest introduced himself as Adee Agbogu (Okwdo Ana).
“Ajana Ukwu is what unites Aguleri Otu na Igbo, and the entire Igbo land. Ajana Ukwu is not a charm or Juju, it is the land. Every traditional king of Igbo land (not the certificate kings of nowadays) comes here as part of the requirements for their coronation.
“Aguleri assigned Umumba village of Igboezunu Aguleri the role of being priests to Ajana Ukwu,” he said.
I allowed myself a moment, thinking about Umumba village of Igboezunu Aguleri and their priestly role to Ajana Ukwu, which is more like the Levi tribe of Israel which was assigned the priestly role in the temple of the Most High. This is another pointer to the fact that Aguleri, nay the entire Igbo nation has Jewish descent.
I asked the chief priest what actually was the role of Ajana Aguleri. He laughed out loud, and I wondered if my question was stupid.
“It arrests and punishes offenders that committed nso ana, (taboos), and never leaves them until they come here to confess their sins, and then undergo cleansing rituals.”
The chief priest began to cite examples of nso ana which ranged from murder to sexual perversions. They were more or less the Levitical laws in the bible. After listening to the catalogue of nso ana, as given by the chief priest, I concluded that I could not have expected less from those who have Jewish blood flowing in their veins. 
“Ajana Ukwu also helps Aguleri in times of crisis,” the chief priest continued. “It goes to wars as well as other rivalries with all the spirit beings in Aguleri and brings back victories for Aguleri. It is a great deity that Aguleri celebrates in Onwa Isaa of every year.”
When the chief priest talked about the role of Ajana Ukwu for Aguleri and the entire Igbo land, I remembered an account by a Lagos-based cousin who recounted that there was a day in Lagos when Odua People’s Congress (OPC) was killing and maiming the Igbo people trading in Lagos. He said that the group was led by a well-built strong man who being fortified with charms and amulets defied the machetes and guns employed by the Igbo people in self-defence. According to him, the persecuted traders began to make tactical retreats save for one Aguleri man who stood his ground with his gun.  He called upon Ajana Ukwu Aguleri, picked sand from the ground, put it into the barrel of his gun and shot the OPC Goliath down. He said that the feat ended the OPC attacks against the Igbo traders in Lagos till today.
I thanked the chief priest for his kindness responding to my questions. I had planned to ask him if he believed in the existence of God Almighty but I skipped the question because when he prayed with kola nut, he called upon the God that Lives in Heaven Whose Garment Touches the Ground.
Finally, I requested for permission to take pictures of the deity but the chief priest granted only a picture of himself saying that though there was no law by Ajana Ukwu against pictures but it was wise to leave Ajana alone with our camera technology.

Comments are appreciated via meetozehlive@gmail.com

Shay Mitchell's Miscarriage is Trending in UK



Shay Mitchell is taking this New Year's Day to reflect on what was a difficult year for the actress. Mitchell revealed on Instagram today that she faced a great deal of hardship this past year—most significantly, a miscarriage that resulted in the loss of "the child of [her] hopes and dreams."
The 31-year-old Pretty Little Liars alum made the candid announcement on her Instagram Story.

'I miscarried and lost the child of my hopes and dreams,' wrote Shay on Tuesday.

Shay Mitchell has revealed she suffered a miscarriage in a heartbreaking social media post. Seen here in September

Posting a picture of a sonogram with a broken heart emoji, Shay copiously explained that her "amazing year didn't come without some hardships." She went on, posting a message to followers that read: "We all have to deal with various struggles and challenges in life. And sometimes it's easier to only showcase the good times on social media, which is what leads many people to criticize it for its lack of authenticity. Having so many people follow me on Instagram and read my posts is both incredibly humbling and hugely uplifting. The support and affection that so many of you show me lifts me up during even my darkest days, one of which happened last year after I miscarried and lost the child of my hopes and dreams."

Cardiff Versus Tottenham 0 – 3 Win is Trending







Harry Kane tries to get the better of Cardiff’s Harry Arter.

Cardiff were in all blue and kicking from left to right. Spurs were wearing white jerseys, dark blue knickerbockers and white stockings. At the third munite into the game, Harry Kane found the opponent’s net. The third-minute goal set Tottenham on its way to a 3-0 win at Cardiff on Tuesday, ensuring the prolific England striker has scored against all 28 teams he has faced in the Premier League. Kane had not been able to breach the Welsh team’s defence but stroke of luck, he did this time.


It was Kane's 14th league goal, moving him alongside Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang atop the scoring list and one above current Golden Boot holder Mohamed Salah, the Liverpool forward.


Christian Eriksen and Son Heung-min also netted first-half goals as Tottenham moved back into second place, a point above Manchester City and six behind Liverpool. City and Liverpool play each other on Thursday.


"I am very pleased with the performance," the manager said. "I think we started the game so well. We were so clinical from the beginning.... We dominated the game."


He said he would watch the Manchester City take on Liverpool tomorrow as a "neutral". "I don't care how the result," he said. "I am going to try to enjoy."

Dua Lipa is Trending


Sizzling: Dua Lipa looked sensational as she enjoyed another idyllic day at the beach in the Floridian city on New Year's Day on Tuesday

The lovebirds, Dua Lipa and Isaac Carew that started dating in early 2018 caught the attention of the Internet users.
The 23-year-old “New Rules” singer rocked a yellow bikini as she and her shirtless boyfriend spent the day soaking up the sun by the hotel at their hotel on Tuesday afternoon (January 1) in Miami, Florida.
And Dua Lipa looked sensational as she enjoyed the idyllic day at the beach in the Floridian city on New Year's Day on Tuesday.

Smitten: The couple looked refreshed as they strolled by the pool 
 
The tiny top showed off her ample cleavage and taut midriff while a pair of low-slung bottoms rested low on her hips, showcasing her peachy posterior.
The vibrant bikini also drew the eye to her tanned and toned legs as she strode up the golden sands.