Despite Nigeria being the largest multilingual black nation with a rich culture, its heritage has been distorted due to European colonial contact. Whereas, the Europeans, like the Nigerian societal cultures, had their shameful, barbaric past as well, which is evident especially when research is made on the period of the English antiquity and mediaeval periods. Perhaps this may explain why the biggest danger of not preserving one’s culture is its distortion by those who are culturally misinformed.
The first evil planted in the minds of Nigerians is the Eurocentric claim that the Scottish Presbyterian missionary Mary Slessor stopped the killing of twins in Nigeria. This claim is misleading and amounts to the fallacy of hasty generalisation, or simply, the fallacy of composition. The reason is that while Slessor halted this practice, it was only that which was prevalent among the Efik people of Calabar and some parts of Igbo land. For instance, the Yorùbá race, known for having the highest rate of twin births globally, leaves no strong evidence that they embraced the tradition of killing twins. Rather, the Yorùbá belief system adored twins, revered them as blessings, and linked them to the deity called <0xC8>àngó. Hence, to the Yorùbás, twins, locally called bej, are the sacred favourite of àngó (god of lightning and thunder). Therefore, it would be more accurate to say that Mary Slessor ended the killing of twins among the Efik rather than pushing the narratives to imply that it was a widespread Nigerian practice.
In the sphere of marriage, traditional African societies cherished cohesion and embraced polygamy, viewing it as prestigious in that century, yet maintaining a high level of abhorrence for divorce and separation. Despite the low rate of divorce, polygamy was tagged as imprudent and barbaric. Consequently, Christianity preaching monogamy as the best became widespread, but the divorce rate has since increased, unlike in the polygamous traditional setting where divorce was discouraged and rare. Very alarming, and that’s the hypocrisy; the brainwashing passed down to us that monogamy is the modest kind of marriage that could best bond families together as against the practice of keeping many wives or husbands.
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To further distort our historical heritage, some Eurocentric writers falsely claim that Africa lacked a structured government before European contact. This is historically inaccurate, as empires like Wagadu (Ghana) and Mali had centralised, formalised systems as early as the 8th century, far before the European conquest of Africa. In pre-colonial Nigeria, the Hausa/Fulani empire existed, and there is proof that a structured monarchical system existed in the Oyo empire with checks and balances, a tributary (taxation-like) system, an unwritten constitution, and the 3 organs of government that exist in any modern government. What more features are basic to what is to be called a government than that which I have highlighted about the empires above?
European-centred literature often portrays Africa as retrogressive due to its patriarchal and patrilineal practices, criticising them as violations of women’s dignity. However, many scholars, like the Argentine Maria Lugones, the Peruvian sociologist Anbal Quijano, and Nigerian gender scholar Oyeronke Oyewumi, by the theories of “coloniality of power and coloniality of gender,” have asserted that the genesis of gender inequality in Africa cannot be separated from the impact of colonialism. Before colonisation, many African societies were not primarily patriarchal. For instance, the Tuaregs of North Africa had a matrilineal social structure, the Kongo Kingdom of Central Africa had significant female rulers, and queen regnant figures like Amina of Zaria, Magajiya Daurama of Hausa land, the Umuada group in pre-colonial Igbo land, the Iyalode chieftaincy in Yoruba pre-colonial system, and the Iyoba role in Benin kingdom show the pivotal roles women played in the pre-colonial era. In Ghana, queen mothers were part of a dual-gender leadership system with tribal chiefs. The Dahomey Amazons, an all-female military unit, further highlight the prominent roles women played. Overall, pre-colonial Africa saw women in a range of influential positions, including as rulers, warriors, and leaders. In one notable instance, the Lovedu people of Southern Africa had a female supreme monarch.
From another perspective, even if African societies were guilty of gender inequality due to patrilineality and patriarchy, similar or worse gender discrimination existed in Europe before it colonised Nigeria. A notable example of this gender bias in English history is apparent in the War of the Roses (1455–1487), which began as a monarchial conflict and evolved into a struggle involving the decimation of the Lancaster male line in 1471. This led to the Tudor family inheriting the throne through the female line. And so, if the male line was eliminated in the said war, somewhat this evidences the prevalence of patriarchy in English history. Additionally, after King Henry VIII died in 1547, his son Edward VI, only nine years old, became king. Despite having elder sisters like Mary I and Elizabeth I, Henry VIII chose the minor Edward VI, for that was a time when females ascending the English throne lacked substantial precedent.
On the other hand, the doctrine of coverture rooted in Europe since the reign of King Henry II, where a married woman’s legal existence was considered to be merged with that of her husband, also gives proof of gender inequality in the European past. Although now old-fashioned and abolished, from the foregoing, it would be stereotypical to hold onto the view that the Europeans had a better past or superior culture. They had their dirty past, dynastic clashes, gender discriminative period, and incest past (Mary I marriage to Philip II of Spain, his cousin), among others. And if they evolved, we Africans must see our culture as evolving and should not be stigmatised or painted black for its shortcomings. Britain did away with most; we’re evolving as well.
In terms of languages, according to Wikipedia, Nigeria has over 500 languages and dialects, which should be a source of pride. However, since the time English became Nigeria’s lingua franca, many children, especially from affluent homes, have not been encouraged by their parents to speak their native languages, leading to a decline in fluency. Despite the government’s mandate to teach major native languages in Nigerian schools, this is insufficient since written language differs from spoken language. In effect, while some of these schoolchildren can write in Igbo, Hausa, or Yoruba, they struggle with speaking. Whereas, since English is the dominant language of instruction in our schools, parents who cherish our cultural heritage are expected to promote the speaking of native languages at home.
Language is crucial for cultural survival. So, parents should do away with the notion that once their child is allowed and encouraged to speak his/her native language from home, he/she is at risk of being deficient in speaking English fluently. This is a mere stereotype and fallacious, as there existed some Nigerians like Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu, Ahmadu Bello, Awolowo, et al. who spoke their native languages and English fluently. Of all the Nigerians that existed, Chief Bola Ige was a fantastic polyglot, and Prof. Wole Soyinka, fluent in English and Yoruba, also speaks French well.
In conclusion, our culture is our heritage; as a people, we must jealously preserve it by promoting our native languages, dress, music, festivals, and arts to prevent it from being assaulted and distorted by Eurocentric views and cultural supremacists. They told many lies!
OYEBANJO Oluwaseun Abiola; History tutor, Trinity International College, Ofada, Ogun State: [email protected]
