macof:
Yet Johnson's book had a lot that cannot be tagged yoruba oral history because he got them from wrong sources

What do you think about Akintoye's book? Have you read it?

Starships4u:
Guy mind ur tribe.... Who has requested such of your tribe....

I'm from the African tribe made of various sub-tribes and ethnic groups.

Especially the chronological history of the kingdom(s) and various kings.

Is there any books in english or Igbo about the oral history of the Nri kingdom a bit like Johnson's book for the Yoruba? Other Igbo kingdoms/chiefdoms is ok too. If not, what is the closest to it (like Akintoye for the Yoruba).

What book(s) do you like most about the Igbo history?

TheDauraMallam:

If you had done a little background check about me on Nairaland, .

Background check on you? You're funny.

TheDauraMallam:


How do you mean?

I should leave them to become atheists? Is that what you are saying?

Yes, if they want to.

Most European and American people are now atheists.

Nowadays, they have a more natural/scientific worldview. With education and science, crazy and intolerant religious doctrines are on their way out.

Most people in the past, in Europe and Africa, were illiterate. So religion was more a tool of social control than anything else.

Since European and American people are now mostly atheist and non-believers due to science and education (becoming literate), same for Asians, there's no need to conform to the past religions of our colonial masters.

Most European and American people are now atheist. Nowadays, they have a more natural/scientific worldview. With education and science, crazy and intolerant religious doctrines are on their way out.

Most people in the past, in Europe and Africa, were illiterate. So religion was more a tool of social control than anything else.

Since European and American people are now mostly atheist and non-believers due to science and education (becoming literate), there's no need to conform to the past religions of our colonial masters.

Stop believing those abrahamic fairytales. They are not meant to be taken literally.

Most European and American people are now atheist. They have a more natural/scientific worldview. With education and science, crazy and intolerant religious doctrines are on their way out. Atheism and paganism are on their way up.

Most people in the past, in Europe and Africa, were illiterate. So religion was more a tool of social control than anything else.

Since European and American people are now mostly atheist and non-believers due to science and education (becoming literate), there's no need to conform to the past religions of our colonial masters.

Stop believing those white, jew and arab people with their crazy and intolerant religions. Nobody is the only true way to "heaven".

Abrahamic religions are not the only religions in the world you know. Most people in Europe and the USA are atheist nowadays, so there's no need to conform to the past religions of our colonial masters.

Abrahamic religions are evil, but I don't lose sleep over it. Education and science has almost eliminated them in Europe and the USA. They are also on their way out in the developing world. Just kill and/or imprison those criminals, terrorists and fundamentalists (boko haram, Islamic state, Al qaeda, etc) and education/science will do the rest.

Viva atheism and paganism!! Spirituality always win over intolerant religious doctrines.

TheDauraMallam:


I don't want any of my children to be punished by god

Don't be ridiculous

Those are middle eastern/hebrew creation myth. They are not supposed to be taken literally.

Let those christian and muslim brainwashed idiots fight among themselves (sunni killing shia killing catholics killing protestants killing jews). As any people, we have our own religions and spirituality and it doesn't involve taking over the world.

In the modern world. the diversity of religions, including atheism, opinions, political party, lifestyles are the core foundation to our freedom.

esere826:
@ physicsQED
so i am thinking,
did these guys who lived in clustered cities as shown in your pictures
have farmlands that were apportioned to them which were probably outside the city walls?
If this was the case, would it not have been realy easy for the enemy to cut off their food supply in times of war?

I imagine this is true for any populations, cities or kingdom in the past or even today.

You can always try to cut the food supply of the enemy as a kind of strategy (taking into account you're losing soldiers/equipments/resources for it). If the enemy is strong enough to cut your food supply, and you need it and can't take it back, it means you've lost or you're losing the war. When people are pushed to their city enclave, they must live off the food reserves which are sometimes pretty extensive, but you will still need to face the enemy at one point (or enter in diplomatic discussions).

We can imagine as a king you don't want to place yourself in a siege situation. You prefer to engage the enemy well beyond the living quarters, or beyond the capital, where the king lives. Even beyond agricultural fields. If you're a king you engage them at the latest when the enemy starts moving in large numbers and attacking towns under your protection beyond the capital. When you hear about it, you send troops to meet them. I imagine in most cases, Kings knew well in advance when the enemy planned to attack. They probably attacked other towns before. Or refuse to pay tributes if it's a kingdom under your control. Etc.

I'm only speculating here.

The Nigerian soldiers are now better armed, better equipped and better motivated.

Nigeria has bought helicopters, drones, armored personnel carriers, tanks, rocket launchers and other armaments. This includes helicopter gunships that are being used in the Sambisa Forest to scatter the militants and drive them away from their captives.

“What we never had, we now have,” Mike Omeri, government spokesman on the insurgency, said.

“We have drones, we have aircraft, we have APCs, and so on, and we are getting to where we should be to rebuild the armed forces, returning it to its glory, “he said.

http://thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2015/05/06/insight-secrets-of-nigerias-military-success-against-boko-haram/

^^^Abrahamic crap. There's more than 3 religions in the world you know.

Jewish people received reparations. Libyan people received reparations from Italy. Only people of African descents didn't receive reparations for slavery and the colonial occupation of Africa. Destruction of our towns and social structure, assassination of our leaders, millions of people death, theft of arts and minerals, etc. Africa is still under the aftershock of the colonial occupation and under the effect of neo-colonialism (a lot of our leaders are mere puppets).

The issue of reparations for African people may not be top agenda, like the creation of locally owned enterprises in all main field of science and business, creation of jobs and increasing the quality of life for all, but it is still something important.

I won't say it's symbolic, but almost. It's about respect and acknowledgment. Bad things were done to us and reparations is an acknowledgment of it by something more than just words.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Greece puts figure of €279bn on claim for German reparations

Greece’s deputy finance minister has said that Germany owes it nearly €279bn (£205bn) in reparations for the Nazi occupation of the country.

Greek governments and private citizens have pushed for war damages from Germany for decades but the Greek government has never officially quantified its reparation claims.

A parliamentary panel set up by Alexis Tsipras’s government started work last week, seeking to claim German debts, including war reparations, the repayment of a so-called occupation loan that Nazi Germany forced the Bank of Greece to make and the return of stolen archaeological treasures.

Speaking at a parliamentary committee on Monday, the deputy finance minister, Dimitris Mardas, said Berlin owed Athens €278.7bn, according to calculations by the country’s general accounting office. The occupation loan amounts to €10.3bn.

The campaign for compensation has gained momentum in the past few years as the Greeks have suffered hardship under austerity measures imposed by the European Union and International Monetary Fund in exchange for bailouts totalling €240bn to save Greece from bankruptcy.

Tsipras has frequently blamed Germany for the hardship stemming from the imposition of austerity. The Greek prime minister has angered Berlin by threatening to push for reparations in the middle of talks to unlock aid for Greece.

Germany has repeatedly rejected the country’s claims and says it has honoured its obligations, including a 115m deutschmark payment to Greece in 1960.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/06/greece-puts-figure-of-279bn-on-claim-for-german-reparations

Propaganda from opposition/western/White South African press. Who are those Zimbabweans this article speak about? Opposition party members? Democracy is also about respecting people's votes. Zimbabweans overwhelmingly voted for Mugabe in the last election. Even a survey poll done before the elections by an American firm, Freedom House, known to be anti-Mugabe, gave the victory to Mugabe by about the same margin (of voting people) of the real elections. Democracy is about respecting the people's choices.

I hope the next main opposition candidate is not an ex-dictator...

Matthew 15:24

Do you remember how much time (hours, days) before getting the election results for the national election? How much time did it take for the last election?

koice:
(This topic wasn't intended to offend, so please try not to take offence)
[s]
1. Why did God create the world in 6 days? Why not just instantly do it all in one day if he was all powerful?

2. If God has a plan for us then why pray at all?

3. Why did God punish Adam and Eve for doing wrong if they did not know the difference between right and wrong?

4. Where did God come from?

5. How does a virgin get pregnant?

6. Did God create sin?

7. Why are there so many religion with each one claiming to be the only true one?

8. Between Isaac and Ismael, which one was the legitimate son of Abraham?

9. Why are there no chairs in mosques?

10. What status does Jesus hold in Islam. And what status does Mohammed hold in Christianity?

You don't need to answer all, just attempt one that you know.[/s]

Those questions for Abrahamists not theists in general.

koice you know judaism, islam and christianity are not the only "theists" and religions in the world, right? There's many other religions in the world.

Omarbah:

NATO includes the US and some other states. This is specific to the EU. They want it to be European. The idea is to strenghen the European identity over the national one.

I think both the (pan)European identity and the national ones can and will coexist with each other for along time. Probably thousands of years if not for eternity.

Omarbah:
@kingston277 @ Fulaman @ AmunRaOlodumare @ macof
Here we go man. The EU commission has proposed forming an EU army. The idea is out there now.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/08/us-eu-defence-juncker-idUSKBN0M40KL20150308

I thought they already had that and it was called Nato...

omaolowo:


2. Nuclear War
Not only is the tension high between many of the countries around the world, but a record number of them are armed with nuclear bombs: 9 to be exact. And only 5 of them have a Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, leaving 4 countries doing whatever they want with them, including North Korea. Studies have shown that if worldwide nuclear war broke out and 100 bombs were launched it would create a nuclear winter with record low temperatures and severe impacts on the surviving population. If 1,000 bombs were launched, it is estimated that most if not all of the world’s population would be killed in the war.

http://www.gidipost.ng/2015/03/scientists-reveal-15-likely-ways-the-world-will-probably-end/

I don't know if people can see it with me. But this Nuclear non-profileration treaty is a ruse used by the USA government and other countries who already have nuclear bombs to keep theirs (of course nuclear energy is excluded as many countries, most of Europe, etc, have nuclear energy) while preventing others from acquiring it.

Don't you ever wonder why they don't talk about Nuclear Elimination Treaty?

Nuclear disarmament is what we should be talking about.

The world needs to eliminate all the nuclear bombs they have and insure that no country build more, but no, the USA and other nations want to keep the nuclear bomb they already have....

I'm not a gullible peace and love person. It's important the USA and other countries keep their strong army to protect their country and people. Building planes, drones, tanks, guns, bombs of all kinds to keep their people safe. But I think they could get rid of nuclear bomb, because they cause danger to humanity, but instead they want to blind us with non-proliferation when we should be talking about elimination. Nuclear disarmament.

I didn't need the list I already saw all those movies!!

Horus:


I am not religious at all. I am not Christian and I am not Muslim, but I simply deal with facts. Now when you claim that he wasn't black you forget to provide evidences for your claim and until you provide those evidences your claim remain just that, a claim

As everything in science we based on our opinion with the data currently available. I already lay it down in another post in this thread. Jesus spoke a language not spoken by African people (as the new testament is not originally written in an African language). He lived in a region where most people were not African. His followers and those who wrote his mythical history in written form were not African people. The bible is not written in an African language or by African people. Ancient Egyptians themselves depicted people from Palestine and West Asia as pale white Semitic people. Anthropological continuity also demonstrate they were not African people even before Jesus was born (artifacts, human remains, etc).

Culturally, the christian religion is unlike anything found in Africa (or in the rest of the world for that matter). But is mostly related to Judaism. A Jewish/Semitic religious system. Jesus himself was a Jew and professed only to the Jews (Matthew 15:24) according to their own mythology.

Only crazy racist and conspiracy theory involving stealing modern Jewish people their history and their religious legacy can explain otherwise. That's not science, it's only absurdity.

gatiano:
[]

That's a lot of nonsense. Who's saying there's a lot of hate between tribes? If African people had a lot of hate toward each others, those tribes wouldn't even exist as they would have been forcefully assimilated (if not killed) by more powerful tribes much before any kind of foreign colonization. The diversity of African cultures is a legacy left to us by our ancestors showing a great sense of creativity, autonomy and tolerance of what is different (live and let live).

Also, there's no concept of devil in Yoruba culture as any entity are both capable of good and bad deeds. Even if the whole world was composed of black people today, it would still be different populations with their own history, lineages, regional/local interests, local news and events, favorite football team, favorite dishes, cultures, customs, specific types of clothing, local music, local artists, etc. The existence itself of the various ethnic groups in Africa demonstrate this fact leaving no possibility for argumentation. It's an unwritten legacy of our ancestors which doesn't even need doctrines written in a book. For Africa, and indeed for the whole world, it's always about Unity in Diversity.

Even within the same group of people we are all individuals with our own personality, preferences, family, parents and ancestors, personal experiences, favorite dishes, tastes in clothing, etc. We just must learn to live with each others and appreciate each others (live and let live). The various choices in life = basis of liberty on a personal, family, community, national level.

Horus:
--

Even if Jesus was black (which he wasn't), don't be a little religious Hitler like European people and Jewish people (especially in the past). Africa is made up of various populations, each with their own religions, spirituality, etc. Sharing both similarities and differences between each others.

Zulu are black people, it doesn't mean Nigerian people need to adopt their religions and customs. They are also Niger-Kordofanian speakers like the majority of Nigerian people and thus share a common past.

I don't know why you ask this question specifically to christians. I'm not a follower of any religions or spirituality. In any religions (with a god), this god would need to either to have created evil himself or at the very least allow evil. I think most religions goes with the idea of a perfect god having allowed evil (aka allowing free will). For atheist/agnostic, evil is not a problem (obviously) since it's only part of nature like a tiger eating another animal (or for goodness: humans helping each others to grow crops thus promoting their collective survival and quality of life), what is defined as evil is subjective and part of our various human cultures.

Another question would be why god allow diseases, natural disasters with a lot of death, still born baby, etc. Each religions also have their own answers which usually involve supernatural forces and retributions.

Here's what Jesus himself said about his mission:

"I Was Sent ONLY To The Lost Sheep Of Israel" - Jesus

Matthew 15:24

kingston277:

Please note that. Those non-Yoruba who lived in Yoruba kingdoms were of contoured extract whom had no say in joining such kingdom.

In reality the situation is more nuanced than this. The main reason why Yoruba Kingdoms sought to expand their territory was the increase the size of the Kingdom, so the fact that unity makes us stronger was a fact known (obviously) by past African peoples and Kingdoms. The goal was combining kingdoms (Yoruba subgroups and sometimes non-Yorubas) together under the same leadership, to create a stronger kingdom. The same idea existed in many African Kingdoms and also among those who wanted to incorporate Yorubas into their kingdom. We're talking about sending tributes to the King (of all kings), making available for him soldiers in time of wars, probably also access to mines and other natural resources sites, control of trade routes, etc. The incorporated Kingdoms/Chiefdoms also (iirc) received protection from the metropolis.