₦airaland Forum

Negro_Ntns: Odumchi, are you the next Eze?

Yes, I am.

ogugua88: About the poll feature, I don't think it should come back lol. If it does, it shouldn't be used in our case. There's no telling who voted and how many times

Lol. That means more work on the back of whoever the vote counter is.

Nice thread Promoe! *subscribes*

afam4eva: No, it means open door.

Close door is "Mechie uzor"...there are other variations too e.g "Gbachie Uzor". I really don't know which one is the central Igbos. I speak Igbo anyhow.

The Central Igbo would be mehee uzo.

stillwater: No wonder my dad pronounces my name differently. That Ive is it an Awka dialect?

Awka says ive. And I'm guessing your name (according to your dad's pronunciation) is either Iveoma, Ivy, or Iveyinwa.

afam4eva: It means "White pusssy"..Btw, you're lying about everyone saying that in your hubby's village. What sort of village is that? Is it made of of perverts?

That's definitely Mbano.

The other thing that I was planning on writing about was nominations and voting.

I believe that, as several people have said before me, every person that identifies himself as an Igbo should be given the liberty to nominate and vote. It would also be in the best interest of democracy if the tribunal were a bit more lax and trusting of the good judgement of Igbo voters. The tribunal's main role, with regards to voting and nomination, should be that nominations and votes come solely from legitimate voters and nominators. As long as the participants are Igbo men and women, then the decision as to who should preside as eze and eze nwaanyi should be left mostly in the hands of the voters.

With that said, caution and care should be employed when determining those that are capable of nominating. Voting, on the other hand, will be totally out of our control due to the site's poll feature (that is, if it does return).

Reading through some of the responses here, coupled with the controversial events of the previous election, have indicated [to me] that there needs to be a serious re-examination of the policy known as "forgiveness". I am naturally a liberal thinker and I see no need for everyone to think or act exactly the same way. What we, as a people, need is mutual understanding and tolerance of each other.

What I'm doing is not saying that one party is right or that the other is wrong. Instead, I am saying that we should grant each other the liberty to freely express ourselves in whatever ways we deem fit. Being Igbo does not mean that one must necessarily hold a certain political figure (like Ojukwu) in high esteem. Rather, what it means is that we should work harder to promote unity and progress amongst those that we identify with. At the same time, speaking recklessly about others shouldn't be encouraged either. I believe that this concept of "forgiveness" and "damnation" shouldn't be in place at all because as human beings we are all subject to the temptation of using such a power to accomplish personal aims. Besides, there is a saying that goes: Obasi olu kere nkpona kee kwa mgbei; meaning: the same God created both rich and poor men (we were all created equally). Having an unregulated and unchecked ability to excommunicate others is simply dangerous, in my eyes.

A possible resolution to this problem rests in the hands of the election's regulators. They, the tribunal, should make it a point to see that a standard set of [generally accepted and] fair laws is in place and that those laws remain inflexible and sturdy during the course of the election.

There are a few other things that I will bring to attention in a short while.

davidugotex: Did u say that 'ehihie' means evening? O boy, no be dis same Igbo Izugbe wey dey teach me for schl? Abi u learn ur own for Singapore? Abeg ehihie is/and still remains noon, also check ur spelling.
I agree with other things u said earlier though.

Another person asked the same question and I wrote:

Thanks for correcting me there. I had one thing in mind and wrote another. What I meant to write was mgbede instead of ehihe. But at the same time, even ehihe has its own variations which are ukori and ukorli.

In Imo, some call evening udirishi while in parts of Anambra some call it uchichi. So far, that's seven names for the same word...

~Royal~:
Ill try bro, Onila threads must have brought lots of traffic. She is a Culture Section Icon

Onila is a Nairaland Culture Section Hall of Famer.

...Ill try my best to bring life here lol I can't compete with a Legend like her. Big Shoes to Fill

No problem, and thanks for the effort. I've said it many times and I'll continue to say it again: my job here is simply to help you guys. If there's any thread that you'd like to see on the homepage, just send it through (to that "Promoting the culture section on the homepage" thread) and I'll handle it. That's the primary way to get attract new posters and create activity.

Ndeewo nu o.
I'm here and I'll be reading along and I'll say a thing or two when the time comes.

And please, no one should call me Maazi because I am not one. lol

ChinenyeN: He's simply looking to get himself killed. That's all.

My wish is for him to open his eyes before it reaches that stage.

Jah Man: I do not understand where you and Chinenye are getting your confusion from.
Like any other major language,there is what we call 'central Igbo' which is what is taught in Igbo Language in colleges.It is an amalgam of different local dialects in the geographical entity called Igboland.It is also expected that every Igbo indigene that has average education understands that.
Can Chinenye explain to me what is meant by 'artificial'?
Ehihie is not the same as evening odumchi.Ehihie(central Igbo) is rather afternoon.
Evening is 'anyasi' or 'mgbede'(central igbo), abani or abali(central igbo)=night.ututu(central igbo)=morning.
I have tried as much as possible to understand most local dialects in igboland excpet the 'okpoto' language in Ebonyi state which is extremely difficult.If you listen to those hawkers on 3rd mainland bridge,you may not know they are discussing in igbo.I know that because I lived around that area for 2 years.

Thanks for correcting me there. I had one thing in mind and wrote another. What I meant to write was mgbede instead of ehihe. But at the same time, even ehihe has its own variations which are ukori and ukorli.

In Imo, some call evening udirishi while in parts of Anambra some call it uchichi. So far, that's seven names for the same word...

ODUA_NEGRO: Onlytruth,
I say this because you as the leader of ndigbos in NL demonstrated, even online, the same set of principles and spirit that leaders of alaigbo use to discriminate against their own sons and daughters of the osu outcast.

Anyway, this is not the time for this. What a nice and interesting post, Eze.

Are you going to stand there watching or will you open new threads and contribute positively?

StarFlux: So you are saying even Igbos cannot speak their language then? I find it hard to believe that everyone would know all the distinct dialects.

You know that's not how it works. My point still stands.

The term "Igbo language" actually represents two types of speech forms: Igbo Izugbe (Standard written/spoken Igbo)and Olumba (pure unstandardized written/spoke Igbo). The first was "manufactured" by linguists who sought to create a means for the Igbo peoples to communicate with each other unhindered by the constraints of intelligibility. Speaking any one of these two technically counts as "speaking Igbo", even though the former was constructed as an amalgam of various dialects from the latter. As a result of this, most Igbo people actually speak two forms of Igbo: the centralized one (which is said to be intelligible to every Igbo person) and the un-centralized one (which varies greatly).

I think the thing that makes Igbo seem difficult is the sheer variety of variations (in tonality, nasalization, and lexicon) within it. Take the word mgbede (evening) for example. It is the centralized form of the word evening. However in the un-centralized realm, others say mgbe anyasi, mgbe abali, mgbe abani, and evivie. I also don't think that the Igbo language is so related to another language (maybe aside from Idoma) that a speaker of that language would have a considerable learning advantage over a speaker from another when learning it (this is all within the southern Nigerian context).

tomakint: @ Odumchi you are so so right! Indeed an Edo man would find Yoruba more accessible than Igbo man for real I also agree with u that Yoruba is the most accessible of all Nigerian languages perhaps it has to do with the domineering nature of Yoruba's culture across the country! Good point! What type of language did u use to compose ur signature?

I wouldn't necessarily say that that's the reason why Yoruba has more learning materials than other languages. I would say that the efforts being made by Yoruba scholars, both indeginous and foreign, are keeping Yoruba relatively relevant.

My signature is in Igbo.

Andre Uweh: I strongly believe that the same way one can lay his hands on Yoruba language materials so also can one easily access Igbo.
With the formation of SOCIETY FOR THE PROMOTION OF IGBO LANGUAGE AND CULTURE (SPILAC) materials on Igbo language about everywhere. Recently, the two foremost institutions in England Oxfor University and Cambridge has added the Igbo language as one of their courses. If materials are not as accessible as yoruba, surely they will not do that.
About the Hausa, am not too sure to comment as I do not grow up there nor come from there.

I'm not saying that the Igbo language is not relevant - no, of course not. What I'm saying is that (I may be wrong though) due to the combined efforts of both Nigerian and foreign Yoruba scholars, (it seems) Yoruba has been made relatively more accessible to the lingistic community. We Igbo are trying very hard also and have made significant strides in atttempting to improve the way we teach and preserve our language. In the United States, Igbo is also taught as a course in many universities: one of which being the University of Pennsylvania.

This one na Cain and Abel. Wahala dey o.

I would say that Yoruba is the most "accessible" Nigerian language in the sense that it's relatively easier to get your hands on its learning materials as compared to those of their languages.

Difficult is a relative term. Theoretically, it would be easier for a Kanuri native speaker to learn Hausa than for an Efik native speaker to do so. Also, it would be easier for an Edo native speaker to learn Yoruba than for an Igbo native speaker to do so.

Antivirus92: i care less about what abagworo said. Aro aburo ofu,otu obuna odi gi. I am of umunri and i know that we are homogeneous. We are only concerned about heterogeneous aro.

This is exactly what we're saying. You're so quick to reject another person's views/beliefs and promote your own.

Nnaa, i lovuole o. Ya so kwa inyi.

Isn't this guy a historian?

Anyway, Afam, how did he tell you this? By phone, email, letter, or mouth?

Fulaman198: No, there is no dictionary because there are too many Fulfulde/Pular dialects.

Generally, how intelligible are the dialects?
To what degree would a Fulani child born in Katsina, Nigeria understand the language of a Fulani child born in Gambia, if the two has not previously interacted?

Antivirus92: story! So you believed that aro of yesterday which consist of igbo and non igbos can later become through mix-up? you always argue here that igbo who have lived hundreds of years inter-marrying themselves are not one. See the best of sentiment! ARO IS NOT ONE.

Like Abagworo said earlier, you will get yourself in trouble if you try this nonsense in real life. Imagine walking into the palace of the Eze Nri or Eze Aro and telling them that their peoples' histories and cultures are inferior, fake, and substandard to what you yourself consider "Igbo". I'm sure your skull would be paraded through the streets of Agukwu Nri/Arochukwu and your bones used as shrine objects.

you always argue here that igbo who have lived hundreds of years inter-marrying themselves are not one. See the best of sentiment! ARO IS NOT ONE.

You're big enough to understand that the relationship between Aro and Aro is not the same relationship between Aro and Orata or Aro and Ohuhu.

Aga owula o di gi adi, Aro wu olu.

Pagan 9ja, I'd like to ask you something:

Not that I'm in favor of or against inter-ethnic marriage, but do you think that prior to Europeans inter-ethnic marriages never happened?

Antivirus92: do you actually know what a lineage mean? How can you call a confederacy of ndi ibom(in akwa ibom),ekpa,ezza/izzi(in ebonyi state) and umuezeagwu that came from owerre axis a lineage because they came together to form aro confederacy? Do you actually know anything about aro history? Again umuiguedo are NOT considered as umunri please. An ogbunike or nando or nteje man cannot tell u that he is nwa nri but he can claim brotherhood with umunri. This where you guys get it wrong,mistaking umunri,umueri,iguedo etc even though they are all related.

Antivirus, why do you speak commandingly on issues that you [apparently] know little about? Your statements are becoming borderline insults.

Who on this earth told you that the Aro have no lineage? The Aro people are composed of three otusi (lineages) which are: Ezeagwu, Okennachi, and Akuma Nnubi. All Umu Aro communities also trace their origins to a particular village within these lineages. Originally, we (Aro people) were an amalgamation of different peoples but now, due to cross-pollination and other factors, we are all one.

The simple explanation is that times have changed and so have people's opinions and feelings. The term "negro" is inappropriate today because of the simple fact that it is outdated. In the 17th and 18th centuries it was "nigger", in the 19th and early 20th centuries it was "negro", in the mid twentieth century it was "colored", and today it's "black".

AlterEgo™:
I endorse nitlad's self-nomination to the tribunal.

Noted!

*Kails*:
this should be interesting.

It would definitely spice things up if you participated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xjeroNaLfg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Chai! Osasebe, olu abu gi di uto ka nmanu ańu!

Onye oma I na eje-eje?
Obodo Oyibo?
Onye ezi a na akpo I o, bia
Mana I jebe-ejebe
Biko lota kwa anyi na-eche I ka I dulu anyi gaa
Akwa umu uwa na-ebe si Onicha Ado

Nwa Omambala I balu anyi ife
Onye nwe I nwe kwalu ife
Onye julu gi juzili ife

Egwu a bu egwu e kwesiri ikuru ndi anyi niile puru ala Igbo chefuo ebe ha si.

ROSSIKE: But the territory of Biafra also included the various lands and ethnicities located south and south west of Igboland - the Efiks, the Ijaws, the Ogonis, the Anyangs, the Ibibios, the Kalabari, the Ikwerres etc etc.

I just couldn't resist the need to point out something that I noticed.

In the country of Biafra, the idea of Ikwere as an ethnic group separate and distinct from Igbo was nonexistent. Ikwere "seceded" from the Igbo nation in the post-war years.

Ndeewo nu.

Antivirus92: l just don't take ur arguements(chinenye,odumchi,abagworo) serious because i know that they are not born out of fact but out of hatred for the anambra man.

Come on go and sit down!

Mentality- Almost all igbo people have the same mentality,(i.e business minded,democratic,independent) if they are truely different groups of people,some will be lazy,some war-like etc

If there's any part of your write-up that I like, it's this because it's extremely true.

I find it interesting how the Igbo peoples are very unique each in their own ways, yet very similar too.

For example:

The people of Owere (Urata) are known for their Bongo music and their ever-bustling palmy joints.
The Aro are known to be extremely serious businessmen and seasoned travelers.
The people of Onicha (and Idemili axis) are rumored to be born, raised, and buried in the market.
The Ngwa are expert craftsmen and manufacturers and are generous and hospital.
The people of Mbaise are extremely cunning and witty (as the late Dr Sir Warrior pointed out).
The Edda are among the best and most experienced blacksmiths in eastern Nigeria.
The Ohafia/Abiriba/Abam are known for their headhunting skills.

The list trails on...

Shollypopz: I thought katapot was more pidgin than it is Igbo. Ask ur elders, I'm sure there's a name for it in Igbo lang.

I thought so too but then I asked a few of my older relatives and they all told me that it was called "katapot". In fact, when I was a small kid growing up in my hometown, I didn't know it as anything other than that. The thing with the Igbo language is that things often go by different names depending on what area of Igboland you're in. For example, Odenigbo said that in Anambra it's called "doti" but if you came to my town in Abia and said "doti", I would have no idea what you were talking about.

stillwater: I have a topic. I think a topic of our history first would be nice.

Would black people have made significant progress, if we took out slavery, colonialism?

Someone can word the topic better for me.

I like this. I'd like more interesting ideas like this.

sweetsunny: I am nominating smartjyke as a contestant.
Smartjyke

Thanks!

shymexx: Afam created this topic in August: https://www.nairaland.com/1027225/inter-tribal-couples-lets-meet

Bwahahahahahaha

Shymexx, you're always talking about how you want a better/more interesting culture section. Help us do that by going here: https://www.nairaland.com/1091082/road-nairalands-first-ever-cultural/1#12816741

Jarus: I endorse Afam4eva's self-nomination to tribunal.

As an advice, I will suggest you have at least 3 well-known Nairalanders on your tribunal and contestants. This strategy will add colour to it. There are some Nairalanders whose presence can pull crowd/curiosity/interest for the event.

Thanks for the advice.

Jarus: Also, I've not seen you outline the modality. Is it a cultural superiority contest? Or we just pick certain aspects of our culture and subject it to review? What exactly will the tribunal do? Whose culture?

No, it's not a cultural superiority contest. It would be a debate in which a cultural topic would be presented and the two contestants would be asked to take opposing sides. For example, contestant A would say that native medicine should be commercialized while contestant B would argue against it. The person that best conveys his opinion in the most persuasive manner would be the winner (according to the decision of the tribunal).

At the end of each debate, each tribunal member would simple choose the contestant that he/she thinks did best.

dubem3: i equally suggest the topic be made
known well in advance to give room for preparations.

No problem. People should start hammering out ideas as we wait for more contestants/nominations and the 3 most popular topics will be selected.