PREVIOUS RELIGIOUS DOCTRINES AND DEMONIC DOGMAS MUST BE
DISMANTLED BEFORE WORLD PEACE CAN BE ACHIEVED IN OUR PRESENT GLOBAL VILLAGE
SAYS DR KENEZ
OVERVIEW OF THE ORIGINS OF RELIGION WORLDWIDE &
DEVELOPMENT OF RENASCENT IGBO RELIGION a.k.a. KENEZIANISM
RENASCENT IGBO RELIGION
Replace the triangles with
a World Map to get the symbol of Renascent Igbo Religion.
Nine is the highest number
in Nze n’Ozo culture and same with numerology worldwide.
It is the highest number of
fines levied and offered to the Ultimate Spirit for absolution.
In traditional liturgies in
Igbo land nine kola nuts and nine alligator pepper are used.
The same number applies to
royal gifts presented in obeisance to the highest titled men.
A Kenezian Overview
A renowned
author with WIKIPEDIA, the Free Encyclopedia, contends that Religion is the adherence to codified beliefs and rituals that generally involve a faith in a spiritual nature and a study of inherited ancestral traditions, knowledge and wisdom related to understanding humanlife. The term
"religion" refers to both the personal practices related to faith as
well as to the larger shared systems of belief.
This is true of African Traditional Religion (ATR),
the ancient Religious Thought that held sway before westernisation reached my
forebears, therefore “Concedo in Aeternum”, with the Renowned Wikipedia Professor
but with some modifiers you will soon observe.
·
Religion as a concept
and Culture as a way of life have a very thin line separating them. Most of the
time the preliterate indigenes of rural communities converted their cultural
practices into religious rituals and vice versa. Thus most primitive religions
became the belief system or their natural theosophy and explanations on
creation, existence and death. It was initially introduced to unite people on
the grounds of totem and taboo, norms and mores, respect and fear of societal
traditions to enable the then village heads to rule and drive the group or
clan. Slowly, religions were engineered to evolve into stronger and wider
beliefs.
· Various preachers have driven their
thoughts across centuries to prove that their religion is superior. Lately,
however, religion has become a mixed flavour of theories, dogmas and doctrines
serving to control humanity with more free thinkers and isolation of
superstitions. The 20th century had many reformers getting rid of some foolish
and evil rituals, so that today, religion is more of a provider of the
definition of life and its cycle and eventually its self-esteem.
A belief system can refer to a religion or a
worldview. A world view (or worldview) is a term calqued from the German word Weltanschauung; Welt is the German word for 'world,' and Anschauung is the German word for 'view' or
'outlook'. It is a concept fundamental to German philosophy and epistemology and refers to a wide world perception.
Additionally, it refers to the framework of ideas and beliefs through which an
individual interprets the worldand interacts in it.
Map showing
multiplicity of religions, their numerical strength and relative importance of
religion in countries. This is based on a 2006-2008 worldwide survey by Gallup
Religiosity, in its broadest sense, is a comprehensive sociological term used to refer to the numerous
aspects of religious activity, dedication and belief (religious doctrine). Another term
though is less often used, is religiousness.
In its narrowest sense, religiosity deals more with how religious a person is,
and less with how a person is religious (in practicing certain rituals, retelling
certain myths, revering certain symbols, or accepting certain doctrines about deities and afterlife),
the Wikipedia lecturer concludes.
In summary,
therefore; ‘Do you believe’ becomes more important than ‘Do you know’. In Renascent Igbo
Religion the precursor of Integrational Spiritan Movement, the last nuance of
the term “world-view” is the most relevant for producing A Worldwide Mode of
Obedience, Loyalty, Respect and Worship of The Almighty Creator of the Universe
Devoid of Bigotry, Racism and Syncretism.Knowing is what we now need not
belief! Today, computer age
citizens of the Global Village need a respite from Belief Systems!
The
Igbo people have no name for the Giver of Life! All we have are appellations
that describe the evident and superlative traits of this Consummate Spirit that
created, creates and will still continue to create and sustain all the beings;
visible and invisible, animate and inanimate, human or inhuman for ages in the
future;
1.
Chi-na-eke: the ultimate spirit that creates
2.
Chi-ukwu:
the greatest spirit
3.
Obasi bi n-elu: the omnipotent that lives on high
4.
Ama-di-oha: the supreme husband of all
5.
Ogara-nya ngada-nga: the wealthiest of the rich
6.
Ugwu ana-ari-atu egwu: the highest mountain that is climbed with trepidation
7.
Ogbajiri igwe kpoo ya nku: He that breaks steel and calls it dry wood
8.
Utu na agba igwe: bacteria that eats up iron, i.e. potent ant that tears
iron to shreds
9.
Ogbu onye mbosi ndu n’ato ya oto: he that snuffs life out the arrogant at the apex of
egocentric pride.
In our culture, one can only give a name to what one
owns, has authority over and can dispose of at will! It is not right to give
any name to the Creator; we describe what he is and does; “Chi-na-eke”,
meaning; “the divine spirit that creates” or “Chi-Ukwu”; the Ultimate Spirit! Those who use the label “God or
gods” for the Creator; have never spelt it backwards. Try it now and be shocked
at what you get. Can you now
realise the demonic coinage that has been used for centuries? Our ancestors
were wiser. We dare not use lower caps in spelling the attributes we assign the
Almighty! Igbos do not, could not, should not and cannot use a pejorative term
or even an honourable one for their Creator!
Whereas other nations and
cultures built places of worship for their religions, the Igbo know that the
sky is the dome of the Creator and his illuminating lights are the sun, moon
and stars. The natural grooves or well planned and decorated open squares are
our places of worship; come rain come shine! Most devotional rituals are done
in moonlighting periods as it is cool and lasts the whole night. Above are
edifices other major world religions built. We have none! The entire horizon
with all its benefits is our church!
For the Igbo, no human engineered structure is good
enough to be the abode of the supreme spirit that owns the sky, the land and
the sea. He is worshipped in the open! Therefore, I conclude this prelude thus:
May Our Creator (Chi-neke) prosper the work of your hands and provide divine
guidance and protection for your spouses and children. I share in this last
prayer and hope that all is well for those who love The Ultimate Spirit
(Chi-ukwu).
WHO ARE THESE IGBOS?
Wikipedia,
the free encyclopaedia, states that they are members of a unique species of
Africans imbued with love of money, industry, native intelligence and so much
ingenuity that they are dreaded.
The white section of
this map shows where Igbo descendants inhabit with their kit and kin to date
Igbo also called Ibo are the resourceful people living chiefly in
Biafra, now refrred to as Southeastern Nigeria who speak Igbo, a
language of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family.
The Igbo may be grouped into the following main cultural divisions: northern (Onitsha ), southern (Owerri), western (Ika), eastern (Cross River
Before European colonisation, the Igbo were not united
as a single people but lived in autonomous local communities. By the mid-20th
century, however, a sense of ethnic identity was strongly developed, and the
Igbo-dominated Eastern region of Nigeria tried
to unilaterally secede from Nigeria in
1967 as the independent nation of Biafra.
By the turn of the 21st century the Igbo numbered some 20 million.
Most Igbo traditionally have been subsistence farmers,
their staples being yams, cassava, and taro. The other crops they grow include
corn (maize), melons, okra, pumpkins, and beans. Among those still engaged in
agriculture, men are chiefly responsible for yam cultivation, women for other
crops. Land is owned communally by kinship groups and is made available to
individuals for farming and building. Some livestock, important as a source of
protein, prestige and for use in sacrifices, is kept. The principal exports are
palm oil and palm kernels.
Trading, local crafts, and wage labour also are
important in the Igbo economy, and a high literacy rate has helped many Igbo to
become civil servants and business entrepreneurs in the decades after Nigeria
Before the advent of colonial administration,
the largest political unit was the village
group, a federation of villages averaging about 5,000 persons. Members of the
group shared a common market and meeting place, a tutelary deity, and ancestral
cults that supported a tradition of descent from a common ancestor or group of
ancestors. Authority in the village group was vested in a council of lineage
heads and influential and wealthy men.
In the eastern regions these groups tended to form larger political units, including centralized kingdoms and states. Traditional Igbo religion includes belief in a creator god, an earth goddess, and numerous other deities and spirits, as well as a belief in ancestors who protect their living descendants. Revelation of the will of the deities is sought by divination and oracles. Many Igbo are now Christians.
In the eastern regions these groups tended to form larger political units, including centralized kingdoms and states. Traditional Igbo religion includes belief in a creator god, an earth goddess, and numerous other deities and spirits, as well as a belief in ancestors who protect their living descendants. Revelation of the will of the deities is sought by divination and oracles. Many Igbo are now Christians.
The author of this reformation book on ONE WORLD
RELIGION is an indigene of this stock of humanity. His forebears practised IGBO
TRADITIONAL RELIGION, which has been modernised and re-named RENASCENT AFRICAN
RELIGION. The relevance of this overview is to place it on record that everyone
is product of an ethnic group that has been bombarded from infancy with
cosmological and metaphysical concepts peculiar to his forebears who were
limited in authentic knowledge of the Creator and the Entire Universe he
engineered. We are all equally immersed in religious bigotry until we outgrow
same by conscientious study. We need to divest ourselves of the skewed indigenous
and colonial knowledge we have learnt since birth and lifestyles we have
acquired all our lives to be in the theocentric environment to beg for Divine
Wisdom from above to dissociate ourselves from ethnocentrism before we can
arrive at an International Religion!
ANCIENT PANTHEON IN
RENASCENTIGBOREL NEEDS MODERNISATION
The most widely worshipped deity of the Igbo
was clearly the Earth goddess, ALA
The Greatest Gift of
the Goddess of Fertility in Igbo land is Viviparous Reproduction
It
is impossible to enumerate all the lesser deities our forebears had, many of
whom are now mere names to us. Among them were the spirits of many mountains,
rivers, springs, respected ancestors, and reputable warriors, past kings and
queens who had “become gods” at death. Demons also existed in pre-colonial era
as malevolent spirits under the command of Amadioha, the disciplinarian.
Sickness and misfortune were ascribed either to these demons, to sorcery or to
divine retribution.
Gods and men
The gods were imagined to have their own lives, though
also needing the service of their worshipers, who in turn were dependent on the
gods for their well-being. They lived in their temples, where they had to be
fed, clothed, washed and entertained. Part of their time, however, might be
spent in heaven or in roaming the sea or the mountains. They might withdraw in
anger and so cause life on Earth to wither and cease. One of the most
characteristic rituals of the Hittites was the invocation by which a god who
had absented himself was induced to return and attend to his duties by a
combination of prayer and magic. The relation between man and god resembled
that between servant and master. “If a servant has committed an offence and
confesses his guilt before his master, his master may do with him whatever he
pleases; but because he has confessed his guilt . . . his master's spirit is
appeased and he will not call that servant to account.” Confession and
expiation form the main theme of the extant royal prayers of Igbo priests.
DIVINATION IN IGBO RELIGION
Divination
is our native means of ascertaining the remote causes of events, catastrophes
of misfortunes in our people’s lives. ‘ Igba afa’ which literally translates thus;
‘invocing spirits to reveal hidden information’, through which the cause of
divine displeasure was ascertained, was mainly an
enigmatic procedure using cowries, beads or small bones of animals or tokens
with symbolic names. This specialised arts is said to be inherited or conferred
on native doctors by the particular spirit s/he worships or has fully dedicated
her/himself to. The omens, as interpreted by these experts, are either
favourable or unfavourable and would give ‘a yes or no answer’ according to the sense of the question
put to them. In this way, by a lengthy process of elimination, it was possible
to determine the precise offence that required expiation.
Oath-Taking,
Initiations and Festivities
Our
forebears hardly trusted anyone who had not been sworn to secrecy or
confidentiality. To inculcate these virtues of allegiance, loyalty and
patriotic ideals in the youth, titled men and leaders, they are initiated
different levels of cults at early stages of their life spans. Historical
records give abundant evidence for a kindred, communal or town religious cult. The king himself and
other royalties take oaths, and a chief priest is always at hand to administer
oaths at all important state matters, including royal decrees and treaties,
that were usually placed under the protection of Igbo national deities.
Before the arrival of the
first Whiteman on African soil, traditional grooming of children were organised
in each community whereby the norms and mores of the kindred were passed on to
bona-fide descendants of the same genealogies. These were the African Education
of Survival Skills. Graduation Ceremonies for Batches of Initiates marked the
end of the Education in Igbo Cultural World-View.
The proper conduct for religious groove administrators; shrine or temple personnel was laid down in a tablet of instructions that gives some insight into the organisation of a prayer and worship in pre-colonial places of adoration among our people. Divine vengeance is threatened against those who violate any of the norms or mores of the community, commit adultery or rape, homicide or suicide, steal live yams from another’s farm, misappropriate food or drink brought for sacrifice, who admit unclean animals or unauthorised persons into the temples, who purloin vessels or implements belonging to the god, who fail to celebrate festivals at the proper time and warriors who desert their posts to spend the night with their wives.
Achieved Social Status is Highly Respected in Igbo
Land for Authentic Leadership as Kings or Chiefs
Many extant texts consist of descriptions of festivals
in which the king or queen is the chief celebrant and even doubled as priest or
priestess. In some communities, as it is in Eze-awara ancient kingdom, the two
posts of royalty and religious and intertwined, so that the traditional leader
becomes holy and a role model! The festivals were numerous and all
related to farming seasons; from the planting all through to the harvesting
time. The details in costume for males and females signified full manhood and
womanhood. Pouring of libation may be done by a chief priest or by the ‘okpara’ the oldest
male in the community, such as the crowning or robbing of the king and his
entry into the temple, accompanied by warriors, various dignitaries and
musicians playing their instruments. Owing to the very large number of
fragmentary texts, it has not yet been possible to discern special
characteristics of the festivals. They invariably culminated in libations and
frequently in a cultic meal. One such festival in Eze-awara kingdom lasted
seven markets weeks by Igbo calendar, approximately 28 days and involved
celebrations in different grooves and squares.
Burial customs
Oral
traditions abound about male and female slaves having been buried alive with
their masters; kings or queens. Ignorance about life after death occasioned the
folly our ancestors indulged in believing that their services were still needed
over there in the spirit world. There was a burial ritual for a king or queen
that lasted 13 days and in which the body was embalmed with local herbs that were very potent in
preservation. Corpses of warriors were dipped in the
blood of sacrificial animals at their burial ceremonies before they were
respectfully laid down with the skulls they captured during epic battles, their
obsolete firearms, bows and arrows. Titled men and women were buried in
sittings positions. Morticians of old knew enough about ‘rigor mortis’ to have
achieved those pre-colonial medical feats! A feast followed their placement on
a royal stool in a stone chamber with all their ceremonial adornments!
We must pause at this funeral stage of our narrative
that recaptures the legends of our forbears. There shall be chapters where the nitty-gritty
of mythologies of the ancient Nri, Aguleri, Igbo-Ukwu, Arochukwu and other
notable kingdoms will be graphically documented. It is interesting to note that
our people abhorred cremation and extreme surgical operations because of their
belief in re-incarnation. One burnt or mutilated by surgery or accident was
expected to come back scarified and looking ugly!
Here is a sample of what an ancient record shows about pre-colonial administration in Igbo land before the arrival of foreign religions. The accuracy of the deposited narrative was sketchy.
Here is a sample of what an ancient record shows about pre-colonial administration in Igbo land before the arrival of foreign religions. The accuracy of the deposited narrative was sketchy.
THE DYNASTY OF AGU N’EBE
ENYI N’OLU; KING ELECHI AMADI VII’
And later his grand son;
DIM MBAEZUE IZUOHA, SON OF KING ELECHI VII
1814 – 2010 AD WITH AN
ESTIMATED POPULATION OF 300.000 AND 500 WARRIORS
“Vessel of the Holy Spirit
of the Almighty Creator of the Universe” was the title and greeting of this
High Priest of the 103 BC Ancient Kingdom of Warriors who were the royal
bodyguards of the great patriarch HRH EZE DARA, the oldest male and founder of
the Ihe-Ara community of old, today known as IHIALA. His prime minister and
second in command in those inter-tribal war era was Obiagu Chinedum Awarike, “a
legendary warrior who administered the kingdom with iron-fist hands”, as the
records showed. The dynasty of his twenty-ninth descendant was established
shortly after World War 1 with a population of thirty thousand citizens and 500
brave soldiers of old.
As a returnee sergeant that
served in Burma Africa ,
have their own genealogies and ancient historical sketches. Intellectuals of
Igbo extraction must resolve to forge a consortium to collate and document the
socio-cultural heritage of the Igbo race!
Rev. Prof. J. J.
Kenez, the Rev. is an abbreviation for ‘Revolutionary’ not the Christian term!
BASIC DEFINITIONS
© 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
© 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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ren·ais·sance [rénnə snss, rènnə snss, ri
náyss'nss]
(plural ren·ais·sanc·es)
noun
[Late 19th century. < French renaître "be
reborn" < Latin renasci < nasci "be born"]
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re·nas·cent [ri náss'nt, ri
náyss'nt]
adjective
[Early 18th century. < Latin renascent-, present
participle of renasci "be reborn" (see renaissance)]
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re·li·gion [ri líjjən] (plural re·li·gions) noun
[12th century. Via French < Latin religion-
"obligation, reverence"] -re·lig·ion·less,
adjective , get religion (informal)
1. U.S. to stop flouting the rules, regulations,
customs, and expectations of society
2. to become a believer or join a religious
organization, and, usually, start to lead a life that follows its teachings
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Af·ri·can [áffrikən] adjective
noun (plural Af·ri·cans)
[Pre-12th century. < Latin Africanus < Afri
"the ancient inhabitants of
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FOREIGN PERSPECTIVE OF THE IGBOS
Igbo, From Encyclopædia
Britannica
Igbo also called Ibo are the people living chiefly in
southeastern Nigeria who speak Igbo, a
language of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family.
The Igbo may be grouped into the following main cultural divisions: northern (Onitsha ), southern (Owerri), western (Ika), eastern (Cross River
Most Igbo traditionally have been subsistence farmers,
their staples being yams, cassava, and taro. The other crops they grow include
corn (maize), melons, okra, pumpkins, and beans. Among those still engaged in
agriculture, men are chiefly responsible for yam cultivation, women for other
crops. Land is owned communally by kinship groups and is made available to
individuals for farming and building. Some livestock, important as a source of
prestige and for use in sacrifices, is kept. The principal exports are palm oil
and palm kernels. Trading, local crafts, and wage labour also are important in
the Igbo economy, and a high literacy rate has helped many Igbo to become civil
servants and business entrepreneurs in the decades afterNigeria gained independence. It is notable
that Igbo women engage in trade and are influential in local politics. Except
for the northeastern groups, the Igbo live in rainforest country. Most Igbo
occupy villages of dispersed compounds, but in some areas villages are compact.
The compound is typically a cluster of huts, each of which constitutes a
separate household. Traditionally the village was usually occupied by a
patrilineage.
Left: Leaded bronze ceremonial object, thought to have been the head of a staff, decorated with coloured beads of glass and stone, 9th century, from Igbo
Right: Maiden spirit mask symbolizing beauty and peacefulness, painted wood, Southern Igbo Ekpe society,
Before
the advent of colonial administration, the largest political unit was the village
group, a federation of villages averaging about 5,000 persons. Members of the
group shared a common market and meeting place, a tutelary deity, and ancestral
cults that supported a tradition of descent from a common ancestor or group of
ancestors. Authority in the village group was vested in a council of lineage
heads and influential and wealthy men. In the eastern regions these groups
tended to form larger political units, including centralized kingdoms and
states. Traditional Igbo religion includes belief in a creator god, an earth
goddess, and numerous other deities and spirits, as well as a belief in
ancestors who protect their living descendants. Revelation of the will of the
deities is sought by divination and oracles. Many Igbo are now Christians.
Igbo
On
both sides of the Niger Benin
The
lack of overall centralization among the Igbo-speaking peoples has been
conducive to the development of a great variety of art styles and cultural
practices.
The earliest sculpture known from Igboland is from the village of Igbo Ukwu, where the grave of a man of distinction and a ritual store, dating from the 9th century AD, contained both chased copper objects and elaborate castings of leaded bronze. The earliest artistic castings from blackAfrica ,
these pieces consist of ritual vessels and other ceremonial objects with
intricate surface decoration, often small animals and insects represented in
the round.
The earliest sculpture known from Igboland is from the village of Igbo Ukwu, where the grave of a man of distinction and a ritual store, dating from the 9th century AD, contained both chased copper objects and elaborate castings of leaded bronze. The earliest artistic castings from black
A very great variety of masks is found among the Igbo.
The masks, of wood or fabric, are employed in a variety of dramas: social
satires, sacred rituals (for ancestors and invocation of the gods), initiation,
second burials, and public festivals, which now include Christmas and
Independence Day. Some masks appear at only one festival, but the majority
appear at many or all. Best known are those of the Northern Igbo Mmo society,
which represents the spirits of deceased maidens and their mothers with masks
symbolizing beauty. Among the Southern Igbo the Ekpe society, introduced from
the Cross River area, uses contrasting masks to represent the maiden spirit and
the elephant spirit, the latter representing ugliness and aggression and the
former representing beauty and peacefulness.
A
similar contrast is found in their Okorosia masks, which correspond to the Mmo
of the Northern Igbo. The Eastern Igbo are best known for masquerades
associated with the Ikookochi harvest
festival, in which the forms of the masks are determined by tradition, though
the content of the play varies from year to year. Stock characters include
Mbeke, the European; Mkpi, the he-goat; and Mba, which appear in pairs, one
representing a boy dressed as a girl mimicking the behaviour of a girl, the
other representing the girl being satirized.
Most
impressive are the ijele masks of the Northern Igbo, which are 12 feet (366 cm) high. Consisting of platforms 6 feet (183 cm) in diameter, supporting tiers
of figures made of coloured cloth and representing everyday scenes, they honour
the dead to ensure the continuity and well-being of the community.
Wooden
figures are carved for ancestors of both sexes, varying from less than 1 to
more than 5 feet (less than 30 to more than 150 cm) in height. Those representing
founders of the village are kept in a central shrine and sometimes become
patrons of the market. A great many other decorative wooden objects are made,
including musical instruments, doors, stools, mirror frames, trays for offering
kola nuts to guests, dolls, and a variety of small figures used in divination.
Shrines called mbari,
which contain elaborate tableaux of painted, unfired earth, are made in honour
of the earth spirit in villages near Owerri in southern Nigeria; and in Igbo communities to
the west of the Niger, elaborate
pottery groups representing a man and his family are made for the yam cult.
There seems to be no tradition of pottery sculpture in otherIgbo groups.
Igbo Ukwu
Bronzes,
which have been dated to about the 9th century AD , were discovered in the
1930s and '40s at Igbo Ukwu, near the southwestern city of Onitsha.
(See also African art.)
They reveal not only a high artistic tradition but also a well-structured
society with wide-ranging economic relationships. Of particular interest is the
source of the copper and lead used to make the bronzes, which may have been
Tadmekka in the Sahara, and of
the coloured glass beads, some of which may have come from Venice and India,
the latter via trade routes throughEgypt, the Nile valley, and the Chad basin.
It is believed that the bronzes were part of the furniture in the burial
chamber of a high personage, possibly a forerunner of the eze
nri, a priest-king, who held religious but not political power over large
parts of the Igbo-inhabited
region well into the 20th century.
‘Igboid’
languages
‘Igboid’
is a language cluster that constitutes a sub-branch of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family.
There are nearly 20 million speakers of Igboid languages in southeastern Nigeria.
In the early years of the 20th century an attempt to develop an artificial form
of Igbo called Union-Igbo, based on four Igbo dialects, was not successful.
Later a standard literary form developed based on the Owerri and Umuahia
dialects. There is a growing body of literature in Igbo, and such Igbo writers
as Chinua Achebe, Cyprian Ekwensi,
and Christopher Okigbo are internationally known. Igbo also
is used as a second language by others who live in this area of Nigeria
·
MLA Style: "Igboid languages." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica 2009
Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago
All
the following entries from here to the end are from Encyclopædia Britannica,
2009
Biafra
Biafra is the secessionist western African
state that unilaterally declared its independence fromNigeria in May 1967. It constituted the former
Eastern Region of Nigeria Biafra ceased to exist as an independent
state in January 1970.
In
the mid-1960s economic and political instability and ethnic friction
characterized Nigerian public life. In the mostly Hausa north, resentment
against the more prosperous, educated Igbo minority erupted into violence. In
September 1966, some 10,000 to 30,000 Igbo people were massacred in the
Northern Region, and perhaps 1,000,000 fled as refugees to the Igbo-dominated
east. Non-Igbos were then expelled from the Eastern Region. Attempts by
representatives of all regions to come to an agreement were unsuccessful. On May 30, 1967, the head of the Eastern
Region, Lieutenant Colonel (later General) Odumegwu
Ojukwu, with the authorization of a consultative assembly, declared the region
a sovereign and independent republic under the name of Biafra .
General Yakubu Gowon, the leader of the federal government, refused to
recognize Biafra 's
secession. In the hostilities that broke out the following July, Biafran troops
were at first successful, but soon the numerically superior federal forces
began to press Biafra 's
boundaries inward from the south, west, and north. Biafrashrank to one-tenth its original
area in the course of the war. By 1968 it had lost its seaports and become
landlocked; supplies could be brought in only by air. Starvation and disease followed;
estimates of mortality range from 500,000 to several million.
The Organization of African Unity, the papacy, and others tried to reconcile the combatants. Most countries continued to recognize Gowon's regime as the government of all
Cultural patterns
This
section cannot deal individually with all the groups in the area but only the
more important or better-studied groups, for Guinea Coast
Even within a small area, such as southeastern Nigeria,
great variations exist. Prior to the Biafran war (1967–70) in certain Igbo (Ibo) areas there were 700 or more
people per square mile (270 or more per square kilometre), whereas in the
equally fertile forest hinterland of the Cross River densities were well under
100 people per square mile. Moreover, the Igbo settlements were
characteristically spread out through their cultivated lands, whereas theCross River Africa .
The third major ethnic group, the Igbo of southeastern Nigeria
Nzekwu's
first novel, Wand
of Noble Wood (1961),
portrays in moving terms the futility of a Western pragmatic approach to the
problems created by an African's traditional religious beliefs. To the hero of Blade
Among the Boys (1962),
traditional practices and beliefs ultimately gain dominance over half-absorbed
European and Christian values. In 1963 he published a children's book, Eze Goes to School (written with Michael Crowder), and
his third novel, Highlife for
Lizards, appeared in 1965.
Igboland and the
Delta city-states
Many
Nigerian peoples did not develop centralized monarchical states. Of these, the Igbo were probably the most remarkable
because of the size of their territory and the density of population. The Igbo
characteristic decentralized society seems to have been a deliberate departure
from the earlier traditions of Nri; monarchical institutions in such outlying
cities as Asaba, Onitsha Niger delta
and peoples of the Cross River area, where secret societies also
played a prominent role in administration. Monarchical structures began to
emerge by the 18th century in response to the needs of the overseas trade.
Initially, Portuguese contacts focused on
Awka
Awka
is a town and the capital of Anambra state, southern Nigeria Onitsha , and Enugu
Arochukwu
Also
spelled ‘Arochuku’ is
a town in Abia state,
southern Nigeria Nigeria port of Bonny
Abakaliki
Abakaliki
is a town and the capital of Ebonyi state, southeastern Nigeria
Nsukka
Nsukka
is a university town in Enugu state, southern Nigeria Nigeria
Onitsha
Onitsha is
a river port and market town in Anambra State, southern Nigeria Anambra River Benin (nearby, to the west) in the early
17th century, it grew to become the political and trading centre of the small
Igbo (Ibo) kingdom of Onitsha Benin Onitsha
The town is the site of the Roman Catholic
Holy Trinity Cathedral (1935) and the Anglican All Saints Cathedral (1952). Its
oldest secondary schools, including the Dennis Memorial Grammar School (1925;
Anglican), St.
Charles Teacher Training College (1929;
Roman Catholic), and Christ the King College
Owerri
Owerri
is a town and the capital of Imo state, southern Nigeria, at the intersection of roads
from Aba, Onitsha, Port Harcourt, and Umuahia. It is the
chief trade centre (yams, cassava [manioc], taro, corn [maize], and palm
products) for a region of modified rainforest that also yields rubber for
export. It is known for its handicraft centres. Although there is as yet little
industrial development, one factory produces galvanized sheet iron. The town is
the seat of the New (Federal) University of Imo ,
Alvan Ikoku College Nigeria
Abia
Abia state is in East-Central area of Nigeria Enugu Aba ,
which lies on the railway north from Port Harcourt Nigeria Aba
Aba
Aba is a city in Abia state, Southern Nigeria .
It lies along the west bank of the Aba River , at the intersection of roads from Port
Harcourt Aba Port Harcourt Imo River natural-gas field provides power for Aba Aba
Enugu town
is the capital of Enugu state, South-Central Nigeria, at the foot of
the Udi Plateau. It is on the railroad from Port Harcourt, 150 miles (240 km) south-southwest, and at the
intersection of roads from Aba , Onitsha Port Harcourt Enugu village of Enugu Ngwo Republic of Biafra
Coal mining is still important, but Enugu Enugu
Anambra
Anambra state is in East-Central
Nigeria . Anambra state was first formed in 1976 from the northern
half of East-Central state, and in 1991 it was considerably reduced in area by
an administrative reorganization that created the new state of Enugu.
Anambra is bounded by the states of Kogi on the north, Enugu on the east, Abia on the southeast, Imo and Rivers on the south, and Delta and Edo on the west. It includes the valley of
the lower Anambra River ,
which is a tributary of the Niger River . The northern part of the state consists of
open grassland with occasional woodlands and clusters of oil palm trees. The
southern part includes a tropical rainforest along the eastern bank of the Niger River ,
which forms Anambra's western boundary.
Igbo constitute the
majority of the population. Agriculture plays an important role in the state's
economy; yams, taro, oil palm products, rice, corn (maize), cassava, and citrus
fruits are the principal crops. A large modern market is located in Onitsha,
which is the hub of the state's commerce and industry. Awka is the state capital. A major bridge
across the Niger Riverat Onitsha provides a direct road link westward
to Benin City and Lagos.
Lead, zinc, and lignite are mined in the southern part of the state, and
petroleum and natural gas are also extracted. Industries include textile
manufacturing, soft-drink bottling, brewing, and furniture manufacture.
Metalworking and wood carving are traditional local crafts. A network of roads
connects Awka with Onitsha , Enugu
Umuahia
Umuahia town is the capital of Abia state, southern Nigeria Port
Harcourt to Enugu Trinity College
Imo
Imo state is in Southern Nigeria .
Imo is bordered by the states of Anambra to the north, Abia (until 1991 part of
Imo state) to the east, and Rivers to the south and west. The British first
entered the territory in 1901, when they established a military post in the
region. Imo consists of coastal lowlands to the east of the Niger River .
Most of the state's original tropical rain forest vegetation has been replaced
by more open areas of oil-palm bush. Imo state is mainly inhabited by the Igbo
(Ibo) people and is one of the most densely populated areas in Nigeria
Owerri, the state capital, is an industrial and
educational centre that manufactures beverages, galvanized sheet-iron, leather
products, and soap. The state capital is also the seat of the Federal University
*It
will interest the younger generation to note how the whites acting in league
with politicians in Nigeria
Rivers
Rivers state is in Southern Nigeria,
comprising the Niger River *delta on the Gulf of Guinea. It is bounded by the states of Anambra and Imo on the north, Abia and Akwa Ibom on the east, andDelta on the west. Rivers state contains
mangrove swamps, tropical rainforest, and many rivers.
Several Ijo fishing settlements in what is now
Rivers—including Abonnema, Degema, Okrika,Bonny, Brass,
Akassa, Nembe (Nimbi), and New Calabar—became important in the early 19th
century because of their trade in slaves and later for the export of palm oil
and palm kernels. Incorporated as part of the Oil Rivers Protectorate in 1885
and Niger Coast
Protectorate in 1893, the area became part of the amalgamated British colony
and protectorate of Nigeria
Fishing and farming are the principal
occupations of the region. Plantains, bananas, cassava, oil palms, coconuts,
rubber trees, raffia, and citrus fruits are grown. Large deposits of crude oil
and natural gas in the Niger River delta
are the state's major mineral resources. Major oil terminals exist offshore
from Brass and Bonny, and petroleum refineries have been established at Port Harcourt and nearby Alesa-Eleme. Port Harcourt,
the state capital and one of the nation's largest ports, is on the southern
terminus of the eastern branch of the Nigerian Railway's main line. Most
industrial activity in the state is centred in Port Harcourt ,
which has become one of the nation's leading industrial centres and is the site
of a federal university, theUniversity of Port
Harcourt
Cross
River
Cross River state, formerly known as
South-eastern, in Southeastern Nigeria . What is nowCross River
The Cross River , after which the state is named, rises from the Cameroon Mountains Benue on
the north, Abia on the west, and Akwa Ibom on the southwest. It is bordered on
the east by the Cameroon republic
and fronts the Bight of Biafra on the south.
The state has saltwater swamps, mangrove forests, oil palms, and dense tropical
rain forest. Cross River state has a significant portion of the nation's forest
resources and supplies a sizable amount of the country's industrial woods for
export and domestic markets.
The population
of Cross River Nigeria
Both, Cross River Biafra .
It is the “divide and rule” policy of Britain; a diplomatic masterstroke
whispered into the ears of the illegitimate military dictator in Nigeria then,
to persuade the riverine peoples to sabotage the efforts at independence by
Biafrans. It worked; ‘divided we fall’ was proven right!
This author, “Nzeogwu the
Second”, was a nineteen year old conscripted ‘ad hoc’ Sergeant in March 1968
but by sheer bravery rose by ‘bush commission’ to a Substantive Major by
December 1969.
THE AUTHOR AS AN UNDER-AGED
BIAFRAN SOLDIER
The Nigerian civil war started in 1967 when Nigeria
Photo by; Hulton Deutsch/Corbis & Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft
Corporation.
“Why did we lose the
war of survival? Should Nigeria Mecca
Finding answers to these
existential questions drove the young war veteran crazy. He could not
comprehend how an unjust war ended in favour of the aggressors. For him it
meant that we wasted all our time and youthfulness in the war fronts praying to
the God of Christians! He truly deserved veritable explanations! He withdrew
from all religious engagement for a period of ten consecutive years, from 1970
to 1980. That gave him enough time to reflect on some existential questions
about all he had learnt from the Christian missionaries that moulded his early
life in the junior and senior seminaries.
FAMINE IN BIAFRA
During the Nigerian
civil war of 1967 to 1970, the Nigerian government imposed blockades around Biafra ,
effectively cutting off the secessionist state’s food supply. The resulting
famine in Biafra was devastating, as upwards of one
million people died of starvation. The swollen bellies and ankles of these
Biafran children are symptoms of kwashiorkor, an extreme form of protein-energy
malnutrition.
Culled from Archive Photos & Microsoft ®
Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft
Corporation. All rights reserved.
There arose the need for him to re-evaluate his belief system, moderate his scrupulous orientation to social life and thereafter, formulate a realistic code of conduct that could guarantee his survival in the conflicting world of the Nigerian society he found himself trapped in! He lived as a war captive for the next 30 years! Within this period, he fully practised the introverted meditative lifestyle of Viktor Frankl or that detached life of a research scientist reminiscent of the great Austrian monk geneticist, MacGregor Mendel.
He
earned four university degrees that spanned a period of 15 years, with breaks
here and there to assist his eight younger brothers and sisters, siblings of
the same humble family of a school teacher/catechist! To achieve this, he again
joined the armed forces of the nation he lived as an exile, the fallout of
which was that he neatly sandwiched a military diploma, pjsc,from the Nigerian Air Force in between the four degrees!
A
bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, sponsored by the Catholic missionaries in1970,
then another bachelor’s degree in Psychology, self-sponsored and partly aided
by a Federal Government Loans Bursary award in 1975. This loan was later paid
in full after his NYSC, which he served at the Department of Psychiatry,
University College Hospital, Ibadan and Lambo’s Aro-Village System, Abeokuta
from 1975- 1976!
This
was followed by the three-year stint as an Air Force Medical Officer, NAF 759. Upon winning the Anambra State Ph.D. Scholarship Award in
1977 he resigned in 1979 and later earned a Masters in Clinical Psychology,
from the School of Medicine, University of Benin,
in 1982. He rounded his training with a Doctor of Science degree in Research
Psychometrics, earned by innovative researches in personality evaluation,
organisational psychology and family counselling in 1993! This doctorate degree
qualified him to join the prestigious AfricanCollege of Research Scientists, Addis Ababa
For
the next phase of his research/academic life he combined family roles and
clinical duties, churning out psychological tests for guidance/career
counselling, personality evaluation and marriage/family counselling. In the
interim he got married and to date has two boys and a girl, who became the
well-deserved consolation for his long years of ambivalence!
Today he is a retired Flight Lieutenant in private
clinical practice as a HUMANISTIC-EXISTENTIAL PSYCHOTHERAPIST.
He still does extensive research in Family Counselling, Existential Family
Therapy and Community Medicine. His published psychological tests and books
exceed fifteen, as at the last count. He is a respected authority in
Psychometrics, a Member of the National Association of Clinical Psychologists
and the Founder/Animator of three world-wide NGOs;
i.
KENEZ HEALTH KLINIK, an Interdisciplinary Therapeutic Organisation for Family
Health,
ii.
HAPPY FAMILY NETWORK an Inter-ethnic CBO for grooming healthy &
successful families,
iii.
INTEGRATIONAL SPIRITAN MOVEMENT, a Spiritual Fellowship for Modern Scientists!
The greatest contribution
he has made so far seems to be in the area of family counselling and
existential therapy where he has developed, constructed, validated and
standardised more than thirteen psychological tests for school career guidance,
pre-marital counselling and crises intervention in families that need help! In
addition, he has written nine books covering such areas of knowledge as: social
ethics, theosophy, cosmology, social and community medicine. The manuscripts of
these inspirational works are, in the real sense of the phrase, begging for funds to print them.
Can anyone publish these books so that others may benefit from the information stashed away in them? His religious involvement in early life became an asset as this book in moral ethics has turned out to be the best outcome of his contemplative lifestyle. Below are some of the verses he wrote that kept him mentally alive and hopeful that his children would have a better future! You may benefit from reading and practising some of them in your daily living! There are existential truths rather than theological jargons! Establishment of Universal Truths and control of one’s tongue and selfless service summarises ISM.
Can anyone publish these books so that others may benefit from the information stashed away in them? His religious involvement in early life became an asset as this book in moral ethics has turned out to be the best outcome of his contemplative lifestyle. Below are some of the verses he wrote that kept him mentally alive and hopeful that his children would have a better future! You may benefit from reading and practising some of them in your daily living! There are existential truths rather than theological jargons! Establishment of Universal Truths and control of one’s tongue and selfless service summarises ISM.
Double-faced
Christians now abound everywhere; they worship Satan at night and come to
church on Sundays! This lifestyle has eroded the credentials of our forebears!
There is now, an urgent need to redeem our children from these nefarious
practices! We must revert to the legacies of our renowned grandfathers, improve
on it and bequeath the next generation a better religiouslegacy than we had!
The Animator International’s Version
Lord
of the universe, the Almighty Creator God, I am your humble son,
Jideofo
Kenechukwu, born into the family of Sir Daniel Paul Mbaezue.
In
your Infinite Wisdom and Love you have created me for a purpose,
Permit
me to understand and fulfil the mission you have assigned me,
May
your Holy Spirit guide me to accomplish it in my short span of life.
My
Eternal Creator and Lord of the universe, I know that you exist,
I
observe also that all beings are interdependent, we need each other,
Therefore,
increase my loyalty and dependence on your benevolence.
I
love you as the Father of all that exists, I want to love other beings,
As
much as I love myself, permit me to truly achieve this increasingly!
I
worship you as my first beginning, I wish to do this as long as I live,
I
acknowledge your constant sustenance and care for me and all that is,
Guide
me by your divine wisdom, correct me with your eternal justice,
Comfort
me with your mercy and protect me with your limitless power,
So
that I may obey all the laws, you put in creation for our own good!
I
have a princely heritage in that I function at three levels of operations,
In
that tripartite functionality of thought, word and action I am like you.
Grant
me a large heart and mind to appreciate the universal knowledge
That
all humankind are blood relatives and co-heirs of this your ability,
Therefore,
we all are brothers and sisters, children of the same Father!
Permit
me to fix all my thoughts on you; my words to edify mankind,
My
actions to reflect my love for all humanity because I respect you,
And
all my trials and sufferings to be endured for your greater glory.
I
want to do whatever you ask of me, in the very way that pleases you,
Thereby,
obey all your natural laws for as long as you permit to live here.
Lord,
enlighten my understanding, strengthen my will, purify my heart
And
make me holy so as to resist temptations and repent of all my sins,
Help
me to rise above human weaknesses and to grow stronger in truth,
So
that with simplicity of heart and humane love I may care for others,
And
in caring for others may my worship and adoration be self-evident.
Help
me to conquer every anger with gentleness, greed by generosity,
Apathy
by true charity, selfishness by works of mercy and compassion,
Help
me to forget myself and thereby freely reach out towards others.
Let
my conscience be clear most of the time, my conduct without fault,
My
speech blameless, my thoughts edifying and my life well ordered.
Make
me very prudent in planning ahead for all, courageous in taking risks,
Patient
in adversity, honest at work and unassuming in times of prosperity.
Keep
me attentive at my prayers, temperate at table and sober in drinking,
Firm
in my holy resolutions, diligent in my good intentions/ labours of love.
May
my lifestyle be exemplary and reflect your infinite goodness for all to see.
Put
me on guard against mundane desires, protect me from every vanity
And
licentiousness, which can draw me away from obeying your dictates.
Let
me cherish your benevolence for all humanity and imitate your ways.
Teach
me to realise that the world is passing by and that nothing here lasts,
That
my true happiness is being a loyal citizen in your heavenly kingdom!
At
the dusk of my earthly life, help me to prepare for death with a proper focus
Lead
me safely thro’ the pangs of physical death to that endless place of peace,
Where
all those who have done your will on earth will be adequately rewarded,
With
the bliss of singing your praises in communion with your saints forever!
THIS IS THE LITMUS
TEST FOR ALL GENUINE KENEZIANS
Anyone who cannot
internalise the noble thoughts, words and actions enunciated in this universal
prayer has no business joining
Kenezianism, a.k.a.
INTEGRATIONAL SPIRITAN MOVEMENT.
Every sane man or woman who
lives by the dictates of this interethnic, intercultural, inter-religious,
interdisciplinary and international prayer points is a true Kenezian and a
candidate of God’s kingdom on earth.
We must be saints here not
after our deaths. Kenezianism is the only natural path to holiness.
* Signed at 0500 hours GMT
on 11th March 2001 by Rev. Prof. J. J. Kenez
& Approved by the Holy
Spirit of the Almighty Creator of the universe. *
Dr Jideofo Kenechukwu
Danmbaezue, a.k.a Rev. Prof. J. J. Kenez
The Humble Vessel of the
Holy Spirit of the Creator of the Universe
Animator International of
RENASCENT IGBO RELIGION, a.k.a I S M
E-mail: saintkenez@yahoo.co.uk or
agunabu1948@gmail.com
Websites: www.happyfamilynetwork.hpage &http:wwwrenascentigborel.blogspot.com
MY 64TH BIRTHDAY GIFT on Sunday, 11 March 2012
TO ALL HUMANITY FOR
FORGING A UNIFIED RELIGION
IN OUR CURRENT GLOBAL
VILLAGE FOR LASTING WORLD PEACE.
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About Me
As a doctor and a theosphist I am available to all shades of human
beings at my websites, e-mails and clinic located at C82, Federal Housing
Estates, Trans-Ekulu, Enugu or during the summers; at Ezeawara town in Ihiala
LGA of Anambra State if I am not on holidays to Houston-Texas, USA. ENGLISH
Greetings to Rational Beings of this computer age! By having a website you are
now recognised and respected as a Citizen of the Global Village. You are no
more a racist, a chauvinist nor a parochial religionist. You are a special son
or daughter of the Almighty Creator who has given us the macrocosms and
microcosms to share. Let us live in peace like we ought to, equal heirs to the
benefits we derive from being HOMO SAPIENS! Please visit http//www.happyfamilynetwork.hpage.com for the scientific creed and
international educational guidelines and youth rearing practices that can make
us ONE HUMAN FAMILY living in ONE CREATED UNIVERSE as children of ONE ALMIGHTY
CREATOR. FRENCH Salutations à des êtres rationnels de cette ère de
l'informatique! En ayant un site web vous sont désormais reconnus et respectés
en tant que citoyen du village global. Vous n'êtes pas plus raciste,chauvine,
ni une un religieux paroissial. Vous êtes un fils ou une fillespéciale du
Créateur Tout-Puissant qui nous a donné le macrocosme et le microcosme de
partager. Laissez-nous vivre en paix comme nous devrions, héritiers égal aux
avantages que nous tirons de se HOMO SAPIENS! S'il vous plaît visitez http / /www.happyfamilynetwork.hpage.compour
la croyance scientifique et directives internationales et les pratiques
éducatives des jeunesd'élevage qui peuvent nous faire une famille vivant humain
dans ununivers créé que les enfants d'un Créateur Tout-Puissant. GERMAN
Grüße an Rational Wesen dieser Computer-Zeitalter! Durch eineWebsite, die Sie
jetzt anerkannt und respektiert als Citizen of theGlobal Village como como hijos del
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