StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Literature ((BRITISH COLONIAZATION IN AFRICA)) - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Before the British colonized Southern Nigeria, The Igbo people lived in harmony with one another. The community was strong, and their values meant the world to them. They were loyal to one another, and they stood steadfast to their religion and their way of life…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER93.1% of users find it useful
Literature ((BRITISH COLONIAZATION IN AFRICA))
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Literature ((BRITISH COLONIAZATION IN AFRICA))"

Download file to see previous pages

Goods that the British acquired from Igboland were spices, iron, palm products, timber, and elephant tusks, just to name a few. At first, the British were trading at the coast of Africa, but greed motivated them to make their way into Nigeria and take over the Igbo people, exploiting them and their resources in order to gain as much as possible (Litvack, "The Igbo People--Origins and History," 2001). The British colonization of southern Nigeria had a devastating impact on the Igbo people. For one, it caused the clans and the villages to turn against one another.

Where there was once unity, there was now dissension, disharmony, and upheaval. Their once familiar way of life was now destroyed, never to be the same again. They were forced to adapt a new way of living, be subject to new rulers, and even adhere to a new religion, which was very much contrary to what they were used to. All of these devastating effects were what was responsible for the breakdown of the Igbo people, as well as the extreme loss of identity and culture (Litvack, "The Igbo People--Origins and History," 2001).

Before the British colonists forced their religion upon them, the Igbo followed their traditional tribal religion. They believed in several gods who were led by one God named Chukwu. Chukwu was responsible for the creation of all things, and he was the leader of all of the minor deities. Chukwu was believed to be an almighty and powerful god who was omnipresent. Being that the people held this belief about Chukwu, temples, sanctuaries, symbols, and numerous representations of the god were all throughout the land.

Aside from Chukwu, there were minor deities who competed amongst themselves. The minor deities each had their roles. Some punish people for offending the Igbo society, while others made sure people did not take advantage of their privileges. Then there were the gods who controlled the weather, as well as the growth of the crops (Litvack, "Religion and the Igbo People," 2001). Families and villages had their own gods that they adhered to, and each individual person had what was known as a Chi, which was a spirit that was returned to them at death by Chukwu.

The Chi could either be good or bad. It was all dependent upon how the person behaved throughout life (Litvack, "Religion and the Igbo People," 2001). The Igbo also believed that the spirits of their deceased family members would watch over them to ensure that nothing bad came upon them and caused them harm. Because of this belief, it was common practice that the people prayed to the dead and asked them to ensure that they had a good and prosperous future. If anyone spoke against one of the deceased people who died an honorable or socially acceptable death, they were violating the law.

Those who died in ways that the Igbo felt to be socially acceptable were who they considered as the good spirits that ensured safety and good fortune. That who died in a way that was not acceptable to Igbo society was considered to be the spirits that caused harm and upheaval. Deaths that were considered to be socially unacceptable were mothers dying during labor, babies dying before they had teeth, those who committed suicide and any who died during the sacred month. Multiple births were also considered disgraceful.

For instance, if a mother conceived twins or more, those babies were left to die

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Tags
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Literature ((BRITISH COLONIAZATION IN AFRICA)) Essay”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1533696-literature-british-coloniazation-in-africa
(Literature ((BRITISH COLONIAZATION IN AFRICA)) Essay)
https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1533696-literature-british-coloniazation-in-africa.
“Literature ((BRITISH COLONIAZATION IN AFRICA)) Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1533696-literature-british-coloniazation-in-africa.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Literature ((BRITISH COLONIAZATION IN AFRICA))

Maternal Moralty in Sub-Saharan Africa: Facts and Figures

The probability of a maternal death is approximately 500 times higher in africa than in other economically developed countries (UCL, 2010).... As per reports, severe haemorrhage is identified to be the major cause of maternal deaths in africa whereas it accounts for only 13% in developed countries (ScienceDaily, 2010).... Maternal Mortality in sub-Saharan africa: Facts and Figures Prevalence of maternity deaths is higher in sub-Saharan africa as compared to developed countries....
4 Pages (1000 words) Literature review

Alternative Providers and Competitors of Melbourne Mustangs

Article review of 'Universal Jurisdiction, Universal Prescription?... Name Institution Article review of 'Universal Jurisdiction, Universal Prescription?... The article, Universal Prescription, Universal Prescription?... Authored by Charles C.... Jalloh, explores a range of issues that connect to the competing perspectives on the universality principle as understood and applied by the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU)....
10 Pages (2500 words) Literature review

The British Thought about Colonialism

Colored groups (immigrants from Asia and africa) earn less compare to whites.... This review discusses colonial controversy: the british perspective.... At the beginning of the 20th century, the army constituted 247,437, and the british Army was not a large employer in the nation as actually, it should be.... The british thought were more pre-occupied of colonialism than any other country in Europe or rather in the whole world....
2 Pages (500 words) Literature review

Alan Patons Cry the Beloved Country and Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart

Achebe's narrative signals the first indicator of tribal decline in africa, exploited by the white colonisers to exert power in their expanding empire.... The death toll of tribal life in africa in Things Fall Apart symbolises the human predisposition towards conflict as the ethnic tensions are replaced with the tensions between the whites and blacks.... The industrialisation of africa and separation of families brought about by white rule is highlighted through the Kumalo's journey as the central protagonist in Cry....
12 Pages (3000 words) Literature review

I Had a Hard Life

& Abrahams, N, (2011), ‘I HAD A HARD LIFE': Exploring Childhood Adversity in the Shaping of Masculinities among Men Who Killed an Intimate Partner in South africa, British Journal of Criminology, 8, pp.... Depending upon the complexity The research question in the paper “‘I HAD A HARD LIFE': Exploring Childhood Adversity in the Shaping of Masculinities among Men Who Killed an Intimate Partner in South africa” by Mathews, S.... tries to address the relationship between adverse childhood experience and violent masculinity among men in South africa who kill their intimate partner....
6 Pages (1500 words) Literature review

Securitarization of Africa

africa may not be a visibly influential continent in matters of the structure of governance and power globally, but it has a central role to play especially regarding the war on terrorism.... According to the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, africa is "scar on the… Traditionally, the interaction of the international community with africa was that of humanitarian and developmental assistance nature, seeking to help the continent deliver itself from humanitarian crisis and a high level of poverty....
1 Pages (250 words) Literature review

Pricing Policy in British Industry

The rationale for this literature review is to explain the prevalence of the average-cost or cost-plus pricing policy in the british industry, as compared with the marginalist approach.... hellip; With the british Industry officially entering a recession in 2008, it has become evident to economists that the nation is far from the rhetoric of the 1980s proclaiming a supply-side miracle and a return to the global prowess of an earlier period of time.... In his study, Skinner (1970) posited that it was clear that cost-plus pricing is fairly widely used in the british industry....
9 Pages (2250 words) Literature review

Architecture, Political Landscape and Urbanism on West Africa's Slave Coast

This literature review "Architecture, Political Landscape and Urbanism on West africa's Slave Coast" identifies some landscape features at Savi and Elmina and postulates accompanying social and political significance of the same.... They can be used to explain some aspects of the cultural conversions that took place because of the engagement of West africa in the Atlantic trade....
6 Pages (1500 words) Literature review
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us