₦airaland Forum

spothot: Look, this thing happened to someone i know. Unfortunately, her husband died 'cos of it. Even the woman knows she's got the problem

I want someone to answer my question.

Why is it only Nigerians that suffer from "spiritual husbands"?

odumchi: Obasi di na elu gozie gi, Ezeagu.

Ise. Thanks odumchi.

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[size=18pt]7 requirements to become a civilization[/size]

http://www.westmifflinmoritz.com/Greece_Folder/Requirements_of_civilization.htm

[size=18pt]Cities[/size]

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/3-215.JPG[/img]

[size=18pt]Written language[/size]

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[size=18pt]Religious Structure[/size]

https://www.nanngronline.com/media/BAhbB1sHOgZmSSI6MjAxMS8wOC8yNS8wOC81MC80OC83MDYvUElDXzlfT1NVTl9PU0hPR0JPX1NIUklORS5qcGcGOgZFVFsIOgZwOgp0aHVtYkkiCTcyMHgGOwZU/PIC%209%20OSUN%20OSHOGBO%20SHRINE.jpg

[size=18pt]Political Structure[/size]

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/3-041.JPG[/img]

[size=18pt]Materialistic Value[/size]

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/forbesamazon.JPG[/img]

[size=18pt]Art and Intellect[/size]

[img]http://2.bp..com/-o1OQvP3v05c/Tw_hNkQ6J7I/AAAAAAAACMA/fjVMHhlNR5w/s1600/IMG_0003.jpg[/img]

[size=18pt]Economic Structure[/size]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Igbo_Trade_Routes_before_1900.svg/2000px-Igbo_Trade_Routes_before_1900.svg.png

[size=18pt]7 requirements to become a civilization[/size]

http://www.westmifflinmoritz.com/Greece_Folder/Requirements_of_civilization.htm

[size=18pt]Cities[/size]

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/B017.JPG[/img]

[size=18pt]Written language[/size]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Ikpe_nsibidi.jpg

[size=18pt]Religious Structure[/size]

https://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6nneyBbwA1qjh37to1_1280.jpg

[size=18pt]Political Structure[/size]

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/LCP-50.JPG[/img]

[size=18pt]Materialistic Value[/size]

https://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g55/Ohene10/Temple/Kumasihouse.jpg

[size=18pt]Art and Intellect[/size]

[img]http://4.bp..com/_uEADAm_l6MU/S64QW_BkmPI/AAAAAAAAARc/pPF2GMljTVw/s1600/ife004.jpg[/img]

[size=18pt]Economic Structure[/size]

https://www.hurstgallery.com/exhibit/current/OldMoney/Images/14_katanga%20cross_lg.jpg

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/B016.JPG[/img]

King of Benin with Soldiers, late 17th cent.

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/B017.JPG[/img]

King of Benin (Oba) in Procession, late 17th cent.

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/3-215.JPG[/img]

City of Loango, late 17th cent.

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/wag-1.JPG[/img]

Foot Soldiers and Cavalry, Bornu, Northeastern Nigeria, 1860

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/VILE-60.JPG[/img]

Canoes, Senegal, 1780s

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/UVA03.JPG[/img]

Village Scene and Dance, Corisco Island, Equatorial Guinea, mid-19th cent.

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/Pommegorge1.JPG[/img]

Royal Ceremony, Dahomey, late 18th cent.

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/VILE-188.JPG[/img]

People Crossing a Bridge, Senegal, 1780s

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/bow-yam.JPG[/img]

Yam Ceremonial, Ashanti, Gold Coast, early 19th cent.

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/B023.JPG[/img]

Ceremony of Swearing Loyalty to British Government, Ashanti, 1824

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/3-041.JPG[/img]

Coronation, King of Whydah (Ouidah), Dahomey, April 1725

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/Raffenel5.JPG[/img]

Soldiers on the March, Senegal, 1850s

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/064.JPG[/img]

Body Guard of the Sheikh of Bornou, Nigeria, 1820s

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/forbesamazon.JPG[/img]

Female Soldier (Amazon), Dahomey, 1849-50

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/Hutton02.JPG[/img]

Ashanti Nobleman, Gold Coast, 1820

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/LCP-50.JPG[/img]

Court of King of Sestro, 1681

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/Boilat15.JPG[/img]

Clothing Style, Bambara Woman, Senegal, 1850s

[img]http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/Boilat12.JPG[/img]

Clothing Style, Sarakole Man, Senegal, 1850s

It depends where you go. Pidgin English is mostly used in the major cities where there is more diversity, but in most public places the native language comes first and then pidgin if the person is foreign. We have to ask how pidgin English will help those who will encounter a foreigner from the West for example. it would be just another African language they can't understand to them.

No, they didn't stop learning, and they didn't learn for the most part. The United States began with the settling of native British people in Virginia, that is how English came to be their language, then they gradually decided that they didn't like the way England used tules in the language and changed it on purpose. As immigrants from non-English speaking parts of Europe arrived or were incorporated from their own colonies, of course they had to learn English, but they also influenced the language which is why there are a lot of words in American English that you will only find in theirs.

Pidgin English ins't 'legalised' simply because people are more interested in preserving their own languages instead of a corruption of someone else's, but I understand what you mean by making pidgin the standard form of English in Nigeria. The problem is that half of the reason why English is valued in Nigeria (apart from acting as a lingua franca) is because of the opportunity to be able to communicate with the wider world who are usually going to speak English as a way of communicating with foreigners.

Dede1: @OP

Dull versus adventurous (rivet) mindset. The Europeans are always thinking to explore, conquer and overcome the unknown while earlier Chinese are like Africans who were only interested in their limited knowledge of things without further exploration. Our forbearers were stuck on old ways of processing palm oil until Europeans came and introduced oil mills.

Africans are also unbelievable cowards, blamers, misguided critics and easily deceived.

Very unimpressive assessment.

If anyone thinks that the Igbo of Delta State are treated any better than the ones in the southeast then they're mistaken because they're treated worse. Northern Delta is very neglected. And once you have a name like Agwu you're treated like any other person with that kind of name anyway. The surname of the Obi of Agbor is Keagborekuzi.

[quote author=ekt_bear]ezeagu: Fair enough. You will continue to believe in some sort of conspiracy against the black man's history (and tbh, to some minor extent there may be a bias).[/quote]No, there isn't a conspiracy against black history, there's a bias against anything non-white period which is why you don't even know much history about people who even wrote down their history, unless written by themselves like Asians. The best way to account for this bias is for Africans to research and tell their own stories like others have, which is why we have this thread (which you and others are bashing for what really seems to be no reason other than appearing unconventional).

[quote author=ekt_bear](and tbh, to some minor extent there may be a bias).[/quote]Where did you find this bias?

Most 'Igweship' has nothing to do with traditional authority but everything to do with cold-hard cash.

[quote author=ekt_bear]Ezeagu.

In my high school, we read portions of The Canterbury Tales (actually, the copy we had also had a translation into modern English.)

This is a collect of stories and was written it seems in the 1300s. So that is what the Europeans were doing in the 1300s. Writing down their culture, history, and stories.

Unfortunately, your ancestors and mine were not doing this in the 1300s. God knows what they were doing, but it certainly wasn't documenting their culture.

In my own personal family, I think my first literate ancestor who could read and write in Yoruba or English was probably my great-grandfather. So like somewhere between 1900 and 1910?

This Jewish white girl I dated once...her family has likely been literate since the time of Christ.

So. Is it the white man's fault that my ancestors didn't record their history, and his did?

They've been writing down stuff they've done for thousands of years. We have not.

Hell, even Hausa at least documented some things in Arabic, ajami, or whatever the heck writing system they had. Your ancestors and mine did not.

Now, I'm not passing blame on them. But neither does it make any sense for me to blame white boy either.[/quote]Writing has little to do with the elision of your history from Western texts. If it was so then there'd be no literature on Stonehenge, the pyramids, most of South American cultures (although some had writing), Germanic peoples, and countless other parts of history that text has not been found including the origin of humans themselves.

The writing in Europe even is negligible seeing as 90% and above of Europeans before 1700 couldn't read or write and probably couldn't be bothered too. Writing was a privilege given to monks and royalty and they predictably only recorded religious and royal issues, and sometimes major wars. There were a few times that the state was documented, but this was usually as a survey after a war or for the royalty to share the land. If history books went 100% off these texts then we wouldn't have a reliable story since there was a lot of bias. If they only looked at text, the wouldn't be able to understand the way Europeans lived in those eras without having to research further using both archaeology and oral sources.

Even if we were to agree that writing is the reason for the marginalization of African history, then how on Africa's Equatorial forest are we going to explain the fact that there are hundreds of books on Southern Nigeria pre-European history alone? How do you explain the fact that in 1921 a book of the History of the Yoruba by Samuel Johnson who had died in 1901 (meaning this books was written in the late 19th century) was published without the Yoruba use of writing for the most part (with over 700 pages by the way)? Even his Wikipedia page says:

"After his death, his brother Dr. Obadiah Johnson re-compiled and rewrote the book, using the reverend's copious notes as a guide. In 1921, he released it as A History of the Yorubas from the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the British Protectorate. The book has since been likened to the rise and decline of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon." Then you have to explain how in 1913 a European by the name of Thomas Northcote who studied Igbo history and society and went on to produce six volumes. All of this without writing but from oral history. Why then is there more said about stonehenge in an average history books than is said about the whole of West Africa or even the whole of Africa? Let's not even start talking about the Bayeux Tapestry from Normandy or pre-Chinese Japan.

davidylan: this is quite daft. You obviously did not read the entire thread. Haiti came up as an example of a country in the Americas with 95% blacks and a failed country... this was to counter Rossike's claim that the USA would never have been as great as it is today without black labor. Haiti has 95% blacks and is a failed state.

PhysicsQED asked why i seemed to be picking on Haiti and i explained i used it as a general example of the fact that 99% of nations with a majority black population are failures.

How do you explain Barbados, The Bahamas, Seychelles, St Kitts and Nevis, Jamaica, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia which are ALL over the Dominican Republic in terms of human development?

davidylan: Haiti is an example of the failure of the black race. QED.
I'm black by the way. But lets call a spade a spade.

I'm waiting for you to reply me.

"However", the title of the thread is [size=18pt]12 Great [/size][size=25pt]*African*[/size][size=18pt] Inventions That Changed The World[/size]

[quote author=ekt_bear]I don't have any real reason to do this. Will you see someone post on a random forum, "12 great white inventions that changed the world"

In general, I see less of this need to boost themselves among white people. You see Greeks happy about their contributions thousands of years ago. But they are more focused on solving their current troubles rather than wallowing in a glorious past.

Similarly, I guess in theory the Germans might be somewhat bummed that they didn't do anything 3,000 years ago. But fortunately for the Germans, they have some things today and tomorrow to be happy about..

Anyways...I didn't bother debunking any of these accomplishments seriously because it is somewhat obvious they are a crock.

However, perhaps it is necessary for me to do this, as tedious and boring as this will be for me..[/quote]You've clearly fell for it. In the West: Whenever there's a discussion on bronze casting or bronze artefacts in history, how many times do you think Benin will be discussed and for how long? When there's a discussion on ultra-realistic ancient art, how many times do you think Ife will be mentioned? Whenever there's a discussion on ancient arms, how many times do you think the weapons of Africa, such as the cross-bow will be mentioned? Whenever there's a discussion on Egypt, how many times will the origin of the Egyptians in the upper nile be discussed as opposed to the Macedonian, the Greek, the Sumerian, and other non-African origins or a pharaoh or his "red hair"?

These are questions that you ask yourself and then realise that the West is a EURO-CENTRIC SOCIETY and it[b] AUTOMATICALLY ASSUMES THAT EVERYTHING EUROPIAN IS THE NORM AND EVERYTHING ELSE IS 'OTHER' AND UNIMPORTANT[/b] (which is why they do not need to put white, caucasian, or European in any of their headlines and why your story is limited to a footnote or a page in a history text-book).

davidylan: This is quite a daft response. Of course if i drove my car to work i do not claim to have flown or walked... but neither does the car claim to have gotten their by itself nor have i seen a donkey having a say in whether corn or wheat is the crop of choice on the farm ploughed. African Americans were the slave labor... but the true brains and those deserving of most of the credit are the white Europeans... look at Haiti.

Please explain to us the history of Haiti and how it supports your points.

davidylan: To say America would not have existed without African Americans is the real horse manure here. Lets be honest with ourselves...

So where would the labor have come from?

davidylan: That is a dishonest play on words. Again blacks were simply the slaves who simply did what massa told them to do.

So why were people from rice farming regions of Africa (Senegambia) taken to rice farms, and people from smithing regions of Africa (Bight of Biafra) taken to work places that dealt with metal and building, and people who could read and write (Muslims) kept as house helps, and those who were used as labor put into factories?

Be honset, if I multiplied you by 50 and set you out to build a bridge would you be able to do it?

davidylan: Again i repeat... Haiti hasnt been colonised in over 50yrs... why cant they get their shit together still while countries like the Dominican republic are doing ok? Nah... just blame the white man for the black man's failures.

Big fool... the Dominican republic shares a large border with Haiti and its GDP per capita is at least 8-9 times more than that of Haiti. Next excuse?

Could you please explain the relationship with a freed former-slave colony in the early 19th century Caribbean which was surrounded solely by European slave-colonies backed by multiple powerful European empires in the thick of the transatlantic slave trade? Can you recall the battles that France and others took and has been taking out on Haiti since you know so much of Haiti's histories and how they are so useless because they are black?

[quote author=ekt_bear]White people that I know don't give a sh1t about stuff that happened several thousand years ago.[/quote]That's because they don't have to. Just pick up a history book and the content speaks for itself.

[quote author=ekt_bear]This is not what they use to boost their self-esteem.[/quote]Out of all the history documentaries and even general discussions of the ancient world, are you willing to say people of African descent lead the majority of them?

Trying to undo ezeship with the state of Igboland would just lead to war in the community. People start war over things as little as not receiving a title from an eze.

[quote author=nnenna.1]As to why African Americans and Africans have a divide. Others have stated something similar to what I am about to write, but here goes.

I don't care what anyone says, this division is largely caused by African Americans who have been fed the concept of a racial hierarchy with them seemingly being on top of native Africans.

This is the reason why they are initially very scornful of the Africans they meet - they think that they are "better" by virtue of living in the western world for longer. Many of the Africans who develop prejudice with regards to African Americans do so as a result of negative experiences of this kind.

Of course you have Africans who are prejudiced against African Americans solely because of media bias and negative stereotypes. This is wrong, I admit.

However for the most part, Africans in Africa typically have a positive mindset when thinking of African Americans, largely as a result of Hip Hop, Pop Culture, the civil rights movement, etc.

Until they immigrate to the states, of course, only to realize what the Average African American thinks of them.[/quote]I actually believe the tension is more about them descending from slaves who have lost all their culture and have nowhere on this planet they can point to as home. There's a resentment when they see Africans doing okay for themselves when they haven't been through what their community has been through, and then there's what you said.

[quote author=ekt_bear]anything recent? E.g., within the past 100 years? Or even the past 1000 years?

Why are we only able to mention accomplishments from several thousand years ago[/quote]It's unfair to ask of recent inventions from Africa that influenced the world over the last 1000 years since they were cut off from the world until 200-500 years ago. It would be easier to list inventions they made on their own. On the other hand, Europeans for various reasons had leaped forward technology wise by the time they met West Africans, so not only did they bring all their inventions, they also arrested the development of the Africans under the Sahara.

rhymz: ezeagu, come on na. . Spyder was just being sarcastic, I see nothing demeaning about his remarks. Of course, anyone will be curious to see a set of white women not just show interest in dancing a native dance but also perform it, why are you getting heart burns from that and pontificating about self-esteem. In fact, anyone that picks a bone with such a frivolous thing is himself, suffering from some latent insecurities.
Anyway, let's just enjoy this thread and stop picking faults unneccessarily, there will be another thread for such. As for that eeeediot claiming he had lived in Enugu and hates the place, nigga, who cares if you lived in Pluto?? Abeg carry your bile enter one corner go drink, why are you trying so hard to get a response, you dont matter.

I've seen enough of that sentiment to know it isn't fully a joke. If the sentiment didn't exist there wouldn't even be a joke in the first place. Let's look at it in another way "Blacks are full up in England, we're the best, look at all the black women in our rural town, ahahaha", honestly, do you think this would be a joke by an Englishman?

pleep: Why did they catch on in Europe so quickly, but not so in China? Why did Europe feel the need to improve and invest in handheld gunpowder technology when other regions weren't?

The only logical answer to this is because of the different battlefield conditions. Europe needed guns to counteract the power of plate armored knights, while in other areas bows and crossbows were perfectly effective against their unarmored opponents.

Europeans were constantly trying to invade each other and they were generally of equal strength so their technology had to be improved in order to defend and offend.

[quote author=Mrs.Chima]In order to cooperate...you need to unite right? Unite means to come together....why is it difficult for colored folks to "unite" despite differences?

We really can't blame what the past did but we can control where our future ends.[/quote]The past usually gives clues as to what the future holds, and to be honest, the events I stated aren't even fully the past yet. When I said cooperation over unity, I meant that African people should come together when it is important to, but shouldn't fake a sense of being one just for the sake of it. They should work towards understanding when it is necessary to unite AND when it is necessary to give each other space otherwise we'll end up with a continent that is a larger version of Nigeria.

anonymous6: In Ghana the tribes are getting along but it wasn't because of the obvious but because the former President of Jerry Rawlings killed corruption to a extent in the country(by killing some heads of state).

When it comes to Nigeria, it is because of corruption and religious nonsense(Hausa); if those two areas are corrected the tribal issues would disappear gradually.

When it comes to black communities well I feel they are getting along in their own way to a extent, especially among black africans, for example the Ghana vs. Nigeria you rarely hear this besides online in forums unless it involves football( or soccer).

Ghana does not have multiple major ethnic groups tussling for power at the center like in the case of Nigeria, that is why there is more harmony. The Ghana identiy is based on the Akan who make up half of the country. When you think of Ghana you think of Kente and the Ashanti kingship.

ifyalways: it was fully in vogue then but was not known as igba nkwu. It was ime ego nwanyi or ikwu ugwo isi nwanyi. I believe the name evolved to igba nkwu because of the reservations we now have regarding paying "dowry" et all. Ime ego or ikwu ugwo isi dika a na-ere nwanyi hence the name change.

Thanks for the info. I was thinking more about the passing around the wine and main wedding, instead of the bride price and negotiations because there are other Igbo groups who do not pass wine around as a wedding. Some don't have weddings at all, just marriage.

Andre Uweh: @Ezeagu, in addition to what Ify has said above, the histories of our people before this century were just political histories. Historians were only interested in writing about kings and leaders and neglected the social and cultural aspects of our beautiful ways of life.

Earlier histories were focused on kings because there was hardly any penetration of hinterland. In the late 19 century and early 20th century there are authors such as G.T. Basden and even G.I. Jones who hardly ever talk about 'kings' at all.

I wouldn't say it's a way of life for all Igbo people seeing as the only people who actually care about these 'eze' are the 'eze', the family of the 'eze', the people getting money from the 'eze', the people being bullied by the 'eze', the 'ezes' friend, and the 'ezes' 'kingmakers'. Apart from that, no one gives a rats ass about no 'eze', in fact that can be said for the pre-European ones as well to a certain extent. You can improve 'ezeship' by not interfering with culture that's thousands of years old, which to be honest is already true, so I don't know what else can be improved, maybe limiting their powers.

The Hausa and the Yoruba are just that, 'Hausa' and 'Yoruba'.