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Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Culture / The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. (67974 Views)
‘Tom And Jerry’ Relationship Between Igbo And Yoruba ~ Azuka Onwuka / Igbos And Yorubas: A Cultural Comparison. / The Marvelous Culture Of The Igbos And Igboland (2) (3) (4)
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The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by irvingia: 10:22am On Jul 13, 2014 |
BY AZUKA ONWUKA It is difficult to say if Igbo and Yoruba are friends or enemies or merely tolerating each other. On the surface, they seem to be friends, because you rarely hear of any clashes or killings between the two in over 100 years. People from the two ethnic groups work together, live together, laugh together, worship together, and play together. Everything seems all right. Nobody wants to be seen as publicly making any comment seen as tribalistic or intolerant. But if you look deeper, there seems to be something you cannot truly place a finger on. It’s like a volcano waiting for the least provocation to erupt. It only needs an excerpt from Chinua Achebe’s There Was a Country to be made public, or for Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos to “deport” some Igbo to Onitsha for hell to be let loose. Commentators immediately line up behind their ethnic groups, releasing venom against the other side. Luckily, such altercations usually end in words and not in violent acts. But on Nigerian online sites like the punchng.com and others, where commentators can use anonymous names, such fights are a daily affair, and they always get embarrassingly nasty. At such times, combatants throw caution to the wind and rake up gut-wrenching jibes dripping of hate and bordering on insanity. You wonder if the purveyors of such vitriol would feel at ease afterwards interacting with someone from the ethnic group they have maligned so viciously. Some see it as fun, but many don’t. They see it as a war that must be won at all costs. Regrettably, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, whose direct and indirect action and inaction sowed the seed of hate and distrust between the Igbo and the Yoruba, have died without uprooting that dangerous plant or even denying it water and nutrients. Therefore, till this day, the Igbo and Yoruba still enjoy shooting at each other with accusations of betrayal, expansionism, hate, ingratitude, greed, as well as trying to prove that each ethnic group is superior to the other. And it seems the contest for superiority is at the root of that frosty relationship. The Igbo and Yoruba are unarguably the most competitive in Nigeria. They are the ethnic groups that easily and forcefully ask for the removal of quota system in all national life. They believe that if things are done on merit, they will excel. The Igbo think that the Yoruba are the major competitors they have in Nigeria, while the Yoruba think that the Igbo are the key competitors they have in Nigeria. This shows in almost all spheres of life. The Yoruba had a head-start in western education because the British colonialists and missionaries arrived on their land first. The Igbo, who resisted and rejected the British initially, eventually accepted them and thereby began a sprint to catch up with the Yoruba. And they succeeded. Whatever the Igbo achieve, the Yoruba have an answer to it, and whatever the Yoruba achieve the Igbo have a response. So, if you have a Wole Soyinka from the South-West winning the first Nobel Prize for Literature in Africa, you have a Chinua Achebe from the South-East holding the record of the most popular and most-selling literary writer in Africa. If you have a Rangers International Football Club of Enugu shaking the Nigerian football scene in the 1970s and early 80s, you have the Shooting Stars Football Club of Ibadan shining brightly at the same period. If Rashidi Yekini is noted for scoring Nigeria’s first World Cup goal and being Nigeria’s all-time highest goal scorer, then Nwankwo Kanu boasts of being Nigeria’s most decorated footballer, while Austin Jay-Jay Okocha flaunts his status as Nigeria’s most glamorous and mesmerising footballer. If Genevieve Nnaji boasts of being named by Oprah Winfrey in 2009 among the most popular people in the world, Omotola Jalade- Ekeinde will show off her name in TIME magazine’s most influential people of 2013. If P-Square and Flavour think they rock the music scene, D’Banj and Davido smash the charts. So, in all areas of life, the Igbo and the Yoruba are competing, and in the process boosting the nation’s economy and bringing glory to the nation. Yet, some inferiority-complex-afflicted people who feel threatened within each of the ethnic groups look for every excuse to spread hate among the two peoples. My close study of the Igbo and the Yoruba makes me see them as the Germans and the French of Nigeria respectively. Even the Igbo language is like the German language in many respects. In German and Igbo, there are no silent words. Excluding a few words in Germans which are sounded differently from the way the English sound theirs (like “j” which is pronounced like “y,” “w” which is pronounced as “v,” etc), whatever you say in both languages is what you write. For example, the “g” is always pronounced /g/ in Igbo and German and never as “j.” “Danke” and “obante” are pronounced as written. But in French and Yoruba, what you say may be different from how you write it. Some letters are either silent or semi-silent. For example, the Yoruba and the French would pronounce “san” as if it were “saw,” or “son,” but the Igbo and Germans would pronounce it /san/: exactly the way it is spelt. Also, the “h” is usually silent or glossed over in French and Yoruba: Hospital or Kehinde. The Igbo and the German are bullish and technology-minded. They have fought and lost wars but staged successful comebacks in a short time. Conversely, the Yoruba and the French are subtle and supercilious, with good administrative skills, regaling in their years of history and culture. A country that has such two success-driven ethnic groups should be at a great advantage. The Yoruba have been great hosts to the Igbo; and the Igbo have reciprocated by contributing immensely to the building of Yoruba land, especially Lagos State, including buying swamps at a high price and turning such places to residential or commercial estates. The sleepiness of Lagos during the Christmas-New Year period, when the Igbo usually travel home en masse, bears testimony to their contribution to making Lagos lively. Just like the French always wish they could cut the Germans to size, so do the Yoruba to the Igbo, but it will never work. And just as the Germans always try to flaunt their success at the French, so do the Igbo do to the Yoruba, but it is completely pointless. The Yoruba can never be like the Igbo, and the Igbo can never be like the Yoruba. There is nothing the Yoruba can do to suppress the Igbo neither is there anything the Igbo can do to suppress the Yoruba. Both of them can actually succeed without the other, but working closely together will be very beneficial to each of them as well as the nation. The younger generations are forging greater ties, despite the baggage of enmity the older generations handed over to them. Working together, attending church together and living together seem to have increased the rate of marriage between the two people. Most Sundays when I look at the church bulletin, I see increasing higher number of banns of marriage between Yoruba and Igbo people. These days, it is common to see women whose names are Temilade Amadi or Ngozi Adesanya because of marriage. The ethnic barriers are being broken, even though ethnic jingoists continue to spread hate. Such hate speech and thoughts need to be stopped, for ethnic bloodshed or xenophobia does not burst out in one day. Since the older generations are passing away without bringing these two great ethnic groups together, the onus is on those born after the Civil War to consciously take steps to bring the two ethnic groups together for their own good and for the good of the nation. It is high time this Tom and Jerry relationship between the two ethnic groups ended, for the good of both and the nation at large. http://www.punchng.com/opinion/tom-and-jerry-relationship-between-igbo-and-yoruba/ 387 Likes 3 Shares |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by ggrin(f): 10:42am On Jul 13, 2014 |
I jus dy shine ma eyes \(o_o)/ hie like shine shine bobo 1 Like |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by EfemenaXY: 12:59pm On Jul 13, 2014 |
Beautiful, insightful and definitely educative article. Thanks for sharing, @op. 48 Likes |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by bigfrancis21: 12:56am On Jul 14, 2014 |
Beautiful write-up. 17 Likes |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by 9jahubcom(m): 7:51am On Jul 14, 2014 |
ahaha |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by ichidodo: 7:51am On Jul 14, 2014 |
Where's my matchete?". 8 Likes |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by 9jahubcom(m): 7:51am On Jul 14, 2014 |
bigfrancis21: Beautiful write-up.ur writw |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by DONMAYOR19(m): 7:52am On Jul 14, 2014 |
And who will win? 1 Like |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by olaezebala: 7:52am On Jul 14, 2014 |
Make I carry chair sidon for front row fast. The bigots go soon show to make this a good royal rumble. 7 Likes |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by Nobody: 7:53am On Jul 14, 2014 |
. 25 Likes |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by Nobody: 7:53am On Jul 14, 2014 |
This is a very good article with no bias. I hope it enlightens the minds of many. @op; thanks for sharing this! 66 Likes |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by dridowu: 7:54am On Jul 14, 2014 |
BadBoy25: who has the time to read through all these Long Gibberish ? seeing the Long write up already made me lose interest . you guys need to learn to summarize your post, no one has time to waste .like a popular saying, if you wish to hide something from a black man then put it in a book, i guess this small saying sweet you. Anyway always be a good boy , dont be a bad boy. @topic, nice write but human race will compete against each other, not just issue of Yorubas or Igbos. 117 Likes |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by superior1: 7:54am On Jul 14, 2014 |
Outside Nigeria, I even regard Ghanaians as my brothers 6 Likes 1 Share |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by Standard007(m): 7:54am On Jul 14, 2014 |
Igbo kwenu!!!!! 106 Likes |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by Nobody: 7:55am On Jul 14, 2014 |
Make I book space before I read. Mod Abeg no delete ooo. ***post read. Now to topic. Since the older generations are passing away without bringing these two great ethnic groups together, the onus is on those born after the Civil War to consciously take steps to bring the two ethnic groups together for their own good and for the good of the nation. This is the summary. 5 Likes |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by justi4jesu(f): 7:55am On Jul 14, 2014 |
Dunno but will ask my igbo and yoruba friendz 1 Like |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by Nobody: 7:55am On Jul 14, 2014 |
all i no is that igbos survive anywere in this planet even on alien planet 76 Likes |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by bigfrancis21: 7:55am On Jul 14, 2014 |
Please, there should be no tribalism on this thread. 55 Likes |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by MillionDollars: 7:55am On Jul 14, 2014 |
I'd rather say its ppinky and the brain relationship!! 3 Likes |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by MidaxPhoenix(m): 7:55am On Jul 14, 2014 |
The hidden truth is that the igbos felt betrayed by the yorubas, the igbos have always seen the yorubas as the brothers across the niger but the civil war changed the course of thinking. An average Igbo respects a yoruba for his intellectual prowess while the yorubas respect the igbos for entrepreneurial skills... a case of mutual respect and admiration and the igbos felt betrayed by the tribe they respect so much during the civil war.. The yorubas owe the Igbo an apology, and the igbos should learn to move on but our leaders profit from the discord, hence cannot facilitate a true reconciliation.. The two tribes complement each others, What the igbos lack, the yorubas have in abundance and vice versa so we find it easy to co-habit. We, yorubas are lazy, rely solely on intellectual skills as ingrained in our culture but the igbos believes in the sweat of hardwork.. The yorubas will say- I no fit do that work o! And the igbos will say - make we try am now. Yoruba schools to become bureaucrat but the igbos schools to become refined businessmen.. During my nysc in enugu, I was privilege to teach tutorials in advanced calculus, real and numerical analysis in ESUT and IMT, the shout of ''Chike obi'' and awolowo rents the air as I give them the short cuts to solving questions. Gba be theorem I call it... All I can do is feel good when we finish lectures and my students give me business cards and telling me to come to their shops in ogbeite.. And igbos marvel at the yorubas mathematical skills.... Enters a store, Nna nyem this, 120, that 235, those 340. Give him 1000 naira, Nna grabs calculator.. But the market woman in lagos selling wares, she will retort....305 ni change yin. The igbos don't have time to calculate money, they make it in abundance and leave the yorubas to calculate. The igbos control the economy, the yorubas regulate it.. Nigeria is truly blessed. 349 Likes 3 Shares |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by Onlinebizexpert(m): 7:55am On Jul 14, 2014 |
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ the guy above me too much......nice writeup especially the change part yoruba and igbo competing since the end of civil war naija would have been better with these two tribes YORUBA providing the spirituality,adminstration IGBOS providing economy and strenght what a country that would have been funny enough there are moslems in yoruba and igboland but that yet does not affect the unity of these great entities despite the betrayal the IGBOS feel about the YORUBAS, there is still alot to achieve as a united front #LONG LIVE IGBO LAND #LONG LIVE YORUBALAND #LONG LIVE OHANEZE & ODUDUWA UNITED FRONT #LONGLIVE NIGERIA minus OUR DESTRUCTIVE BRETHREN NIGERIA OF MY DREAM vvvvvvvvvvvv 163 Likes
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Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by ShirelleBaby: 7:55am On Jul 14, 2014 |
DONMAYOR19: And who is/will win?WHO IS WIN?brother,I give up!! 39 Likes |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by checkdate(m): 7:55am On Jul 14, 2014 |
irvingia: It is difficult to say if Igbo and Yoruba are friendsI Dont Understand. |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by Blockus: 7:55am On Jul 14, 2014 |
OP, I find this thread offensive to ndi Igbos. We dont have any relationship whatsoever with the Yorubas. They have proven to be untrust worthy since the beginning of time. They are two faced, back-stabbing and maliciously wicked and have demonstrated it time and time again. Lets not forget that the genocidal aspect of the civil war where food and medical supply were cut off from the East was not suggested by the Northerners but by a Yoruba man. Lets not even forget that there would not have been a war per se if the Yorubas had stuck to their end of the bargain from the Aburi accord held in Ghana. The Yorubas are not trust worthy at all and thats the root of our problems in Nigeria. Atleast the Hausas have shown us where they stand from the very beginning. I do however agree with the OPS comparison of the Igbos to the Germans and the Yorubas to the French, seeing as the Germans are innovative and brave at war and the French are cowardly and docile in general. 51 Likes |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by ojuafact: 7:57am On Jul 14, 2014 |
. |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by Nobody: 7:57am On Jul 14, 2014 |
.We must learn to live together as brother or perish together as Fools............. One Love............ My yoruba Pals are the best 17 Likes |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by fingard02k(m): 7:58am On Jul 14, 2014 |
what is the meaning of all these? ultrazone: Hi publicenemy: [/quote] kekakuz: yes o justi4jesu: ok 9jahubcom: ahaha superior1: ok Chimax15: . ojuafact: . Blockus: 32 Likes |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by publicenemy(m): 8:00am On Jul 14, 2014 |
The hausas are the only problem we have n ths country.... But if Nigeria divides the ibos will be worse. So,one Nigeria for life...if we sink we sink together. 5 Likes 1 Share |
Re: The Tom And Jerry Relationship Between The Igbos And Yorubas. by ultrazone(m): 8:01am On Jul 14, 2014 |
Hh 138 Likes |
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