History of the Culture
The first known human remains within the Nigerian region was found to be dated within the Last Stone Age (around 10000 BCE and 2000 BCE); they were called the Iron Age-Nok people. Between the pass of time, many different groups of people have migrated into and immigrated out of this land. The early societies that had settled down within this area were decentralized and focused on small villages or village groups. However, by the end of the first millennium CE, through social interactions and trade with their neighboring groups, societies began to develop more centralized state structures based on kingship.
By the 11th century, powerful empires were built in the northern and southern regions of Nigeria. Although the Nigerian region had built up powerful kingdoms, they were not able to protect themselves from British colonization in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Empires had fallen, villages had separated, and the Europeans began to alter the lives of the native people. They had negotiated new boundaries within the country and their country was given a new name. According to the book Nigeria: A Bradt Travel Guide (2005), the British colonial officer’s wife, had put together the words “Niger.” meaning black and ‘area’ together, making Nigeria. Despite the British colonization, Nigerian people today still have many different languages, cultures, and traditions with roots reaching into their ancestors.
Uniqueness of the Culture
According to the book, A History of Nigeria (2008), Nigeria is historically unique for three different reasons. First, it was found that there had been a high level of migration from the Northern part of Nigeria to the Southern part due to the Savanna. Second, humans within the regi...
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...ieved that it was the same country. However, through much research, I became fascinated with the Nigerian culture. The fact that the people who first resided in the country had begun using stone tools before other ancient countries had fascinated me. Another thing is I have not known that Nigeria was such a big part of Africa. Not only is it the economic giant of Africa, but also it is also larger than our biggest state, Texas. Despite the growing economy of this country, it still saddens me to see how big the social class differences are. People there are either extremely rich or extremely poor, not all people even have enough food to survive. I was also surprised by the percentage of Muslims and Christians that they had in this country. I thought it would consist of just polytheistic religions, but it actually contains a high percentage of Muslim and Christians.
Mackie, R. (2008), ‘The Art of the Benin: Changing Relations between Europe and Africa I: The conquest of the Benin in the 1890’s’, in Brown, R (ed.), Cultural Encounters (AA100 Book3), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 16-32
Niger, home of the free flowing Niger River, is a Sub-Saharan, western African nation. Sadly, it is an extremely poor country because part of the country is desert and less than 3% open for crop use. The present economic situation is bleak at best. Yet, the vibrant tradition and history of this country lives today in its tribes and its people even through all of its adversities. From severe droughts to military coups to a dysfunctional government to the culture has stayed strong.
Then I will use the film “ Kingdoms of Africa: West Africa” in order to explain how complex and advanced these societies like Benin were by looking at their deep culture, complex traditions and their highly skilled
In the Things Fall Apart, Achebe (1969) portrays Nigeria at a time when the arrival of the British was intrusive as they crept within Nigeria’s borders and made an overwhelming influence while they claimed that Nigerians were ultimately evil and needed to be controlled. In essence, it appears that one of Achebe’s (1969) goals is to convey to readers what the British’s alternative motives were when British colonialism occurred. Even though the British wished to portray Nigerians as untamed and undomesticated, the Igbo society was a multifaceted with a complex social system of values and traditions. The Igbo society was an ancient civilization with a labyrinthine system of governance and laws, and yet these laws involved barbaric practices. For example, Achebe (1969) presents customs such as the Nigerians leaving behind numerous babies, and the unthinkable and barbar...
The Portuguese arrived in Benin, in modern Nigeria, between 1472 and 1486 to find an established and ancient kingdom with remarkable social and ritual complexity, with art that was comparatively naturalistic, and with a political system that was, on the surface, recognizable to the Europeans: monarchy. Even more importantly, they found a land rich in pepper, cloth, ivory, and slaves, and immediately set out to establish trade (Ben-Amos 35-6). Though we often imagine "first contacts" between Europeans and Africans as clashes of epochal proportions, leaving Europeans free to manipulate and coerce the flabbergasted and paralyzed Africans, this misjudges the resilience and indeed, preparedness, of the Benin people. The Benin were able to draw on their cultural, political, and religious traditions to fit the European arrival in an understandable context. Indeed, as the great brass plaques of the Benin palace demonstrate, the arrival was in fact manipulated by the Benin to strengthen, not diminish, indigenous royal power.
The prior history of Nigeria before the 1900’s is critical in exploring the effects of colonialism. During the pre-colonial era, Nigeria was mainly divided into three tribes: Igbo, Yoruba, and Hausa Fulani. A female’s role differed according to kinship structure of the tribe and the status of the woman in the economy. Neither new nor peculiar, women have long been regarded as the “subordinate” class in Nigerian culture. Nigerian women were able to achieve high statuses by lineage or marrying into ruling class families. Under customary laws, a woman’s purpose was to be fertile and able to bear children. Tribes expected their women to marry into Igbo, Yoruba, and Hausa Fulani patri-lineage and bear sons to guarantee the future of the tribe. A wife’s position improved as she gave birth to more children and gain approval from elder members. Women who could not were scorned just as Mama wa...
Loftus, D. and Wood, P. (2008), 'The Art of Benin: Changing Relations Between Europe and Africa II' in Brown, R. D. (ed.) Cultural Encounters (AA100 Book 3), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 43-87.
According to Beaueboeuf-Laufontant, racialization can be defined as the placement of groups in particular statues within the matrix of domination is justified through the generation and dissemination of controlling images. As a result of overaching ‘’matrix of domination”, a few statuses are considered normative and deserving of first class citizenship while most others are deemed constitutive of deviance and requiring subordination. As representations of subordinated groups, controlling images guide behavior toward and from these persons, constrain what is seen and believed about them, and when internalized, profoundly influence the self-perceptions of the marginalized. Like stereotypes, controlling images are generalized representations about
Nigeria contains more historic cultures and empires than any other country in Africa. People were first known to inhabit Nigeria as early as 5 B.C. They first constructed a kingdom in the center of Nigeria, which is named Jos Plateau. This was the first of many widespread kingdoms of that region, but two centuries later it would extend to Bornu, which is located on the western region of Nigeria (Gascoigne 1). Nigeria was made up of mostly kingdoms until British colonized in the 1800’s. The Soko Jotojhad and Yotruba wars encouraged slave trade at the time the British were trying to abolish the slave trade. Slaves were normally traded for European goods such as guns and gun powder. At this time, the British encouraged trading palm oil over trading slaves. Many of the slaves that were exported to Britain were intercepted by naval ships and shipped to Sierra Leone to collect palm oil. Some Nigerians began to migrate back from Sierra Leone in search of their homes and trade. British missionaries were invited to follow the slaves back, and in the 1840’s they wer...
Nigeria Nigeria had an eventful history. More than 2,000 years ago, the Nok culture in the present plateau state worked iron and produced experienced terracotta sculpture. The history of the northern cities of Kano and Katsina dates back to approximately 1000 A.D. In the following centuries, Hausa Kingdoms and the Bornu Empire became important terminals of north-south trade between North African Berbers and the forest people, exchanging slaves, ivory, and other products. The Yoruba Kingdom of Oyo was founded in 1400s.
How are you doing today? Hope splendid. Pls my wife, i am not scared or avoiding you when you were in the hospital then, you were taken oxyen and other treatments which i dont want to disturb you when i came in and i didnt know you will be angry with me becos of that and i was very close to you wben you asked me for help or throw your stuff for trash and pls, forgive me for that for not showing care but i really cares about everything for you and it can't happen again. You have to know that i am new in the country and i am still learning the america culture and Nigeria culture is somehow different with america culture. Thats why i told you that if i did wrong to you, try to correct me or tell me immediately, so i can correct
According to Samuels in Case Studies in Comparative Politics, Nigeria began as a group of states and empires, which were conquered by the British Empire who ruled Nigeria through indirect rule with varying degrees of rule in North and South Nigeria (Samuels, 323-326). Since they were granted independence in 1960, three republics have been created and each has ended by military rule, which led to the creation of the fourth, and current republic in Nigeria. In the current regime Nigeria’s GDP is ranked 108 of 156 and has been decreasing, lower than some of the non oil-producing nations in Africa (“Nigeria”).
In the end, what holds African countries such as Nigeria together is their shared pride. Modern, western influences can bring positive changes to society, but new cultures cannot completely eradicate the foundational cultures to which a society is founded on.
Nigerian culture is as multi-ethnic as the people in Nigeria. The people of Nigeria still cherish their traditional languages, music, dance and literature. Nigeria comprises of three large ethnic groups, which are Yoruba, Hausa-Fulani and Igbo.
Oti, Adepeju; Ayeni, Oyebola. (2013) Yoruba Culture of Nigeria: Creating Space for an Endangered Species Cross - Cultural Communication9.4 : 23-29