Notion (vii)

I like to check out people's pages on Facebook, especially those with making sense comment section (not your Yabaleft online, gossip meal or Igboist) and I usually get carried away because I'd click someone else's page from another comment and so on. I discovered a profile not too long ago, (usually I don't recall their names and those I know that I'll return to, I screenshot their page for next time). Anyways, this brilliant lady posted the different God's of tribes of Nigeria. At the time I checked it, the Igbo today were the latest one she posted. I don't think she has done Hausa, but she did Yoruba. The Yorubas were more accepting of their roots, they are the most enlightened tribe, after all.

My Igbo brethrens shamed me on that post. They were screaming "bloody Idolatry", how demonic the post was, how the poster was satanic. I was stunned, because the only thing she put was the names, images and characteristics of each god and goddess. I have forgotten majority of their names but the one that caught my attention was 'Ani'. She was the goddess of fertility and it reminded me of the 'Ani' in my surname. I'm not sure if my ancestors had anything in mind while giving their son that name, but that's by the way.

As of this moment, I am ashamed that I forgot the names and characteristics of these God's whereas I know majority of the Greek gods attributes. I also discovered the similarities between our traditional God's with the likes of Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Ares, Persephone, Artemis, Gaia, Apollo, Aphrodite although the genders sometimes changed in Igbo gods.

Now, Nobody is saying that we return to traditional worshipping (I don't ascribe to that), but there is no harm in knowing our roots. The continuous destruction of those gods breaks my heart, especially when Tourists pay lots of money I Europe and Asia to read the history of those gods. Surely, if we were wise, we could turn it to museum artefacts and foster our culture and not using slavery as our only cultural heritage.

There is continuous destruction, convenant and ties breaking in homes especially villages all because of a perceived bondage by some gods. I don't blame the gods; I mean, if someone swears allegiance to me and suddenly deserts me for another when I had been protecting him, I will seek vengeance but I will be appeased if a respect is granted to me, then I'll kukuma leave the person be. We don't do same to these gods, little wonder why we are so paranoid and never move forward as a tribe.

And why is it only Nigeria that we have all these misfortunes and backwardness? Europe and Asia countries committed more atrocities than us, then why are we the only recepients of the father's sin in the Bible? People are blaming their ancestors for forming convenant with a god, what else would they have done? Just as the god is getting the perceived vengeance, didn't the Christian God promise damnation if one strays from his tents?

Our roots matter and that's what the poster was trying to point out but people are too chained with mental slavery to see reason. Sure, our culture is dynamic but their are certain things we ought to retain. It's crucial that we retain them. What stories are we going to tell our kids? Our language is already becoming extinct as it is. Come on don't deny it, you can't speak Igbo for 5 minutes without adding English. It's stories about those gods and the tortoise is what should make up bed time stories and not Adam and Eve, Noah arc stories. Those are Jewish mythologies just like we Igbo have our Eri and Nri mythology.

Prior to getting admission to study history and following people on Facebook, I'd have never thought of it this way. I don't think of our culture as demonic anymore. It was our ancestors means of survival then. Guys please, let's not throw away our culture or become allien to it while embracing the ones the whites brought to us. Have a nice day you'all.