Achieving Global Peace Through the Igbo Concept of Justice in Language and Proverbs

International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering (IJRTE) ISSN: 2277-3878,Volume-8, Issue- 1C2, May 2019 Achieving Global Peace through the Igbo Concept of Justice in Language and Proverbs Chinedu Cletus Agbo, Ahmad Zuber, Robertus B Soemanto ABSTRACT--- Achieving and sustaining global peace has worldview ensure uprightness and equality, equity and been the most human challenge, and strive of all functions of truthfulness, it guarantees non-delay and non-denial of world bodies including the United Nations. In short such bodies justice especially for the oppressed. This is unlike the global like the UN came into existence in search for world peace but this (western) sense of justice which has pursued (or pretends to has remained elusive owing largely to misapplication of power and justice by some world leaders. For the Igbo nation of pursue) peace through slavery, colonialism and war as Southeast Nigeria, just as a man is considered impotent if he evident from the transatlantic slavery, balkanisation of cannot impregnate a woman by sexual intercourse, someone’s Africa and the daily bullying of the rest of the world by the power is deemed impotent if such is unjust and so cannot ensure global west like the US and Russia. In truth, in Igbo peace. Hence the proverb language and proverbs, lies a better understanding of justice Egbebereugoberenkesịrịibeyaebelankukwaaya (let the kite perch needed to quell all the global injustices and enthrone peace. and the eagle perch, whichever refuses the other to perch may her wings break). This study examines how the world can achieve Because for the Igbo, injustice to one is injustice to all. And peace with the Igbo concept of justice in language and proverbs, so those privileged with the levers of power ought to be and evidence of this in some events of their history with the cautious using them on those not so privileged. Nigerian state. Proverbs are the heart of Igbo language and Igbo language is a very important part of Igbo culture. culture but have yet to receive needed academic attention and so Although it is predominantly spoken by the Igbo (Ndịgbo) have remained under-researched. Thus the importance of this of Southeast Nigeria, it is today the language of over 70 study. Research method is descriptive qualitative with Igbo proverbs as source of data from observation, in-depth interviews million people around the world. The CIA World Factbook and documentation. The data were analysed qualitatively using allotted 32 million of this number to the indigenous Igbo Interactive Analytical Model. Results show that Igbo language (one of Nigeria’s three major ethnic groups)[3].Not only is and proverbs on justice form the people’s worldview in response this number controversial but it is also an unjust fabrication to Nigeria’s injustices especially following the Nigeria-Biafra by Nigerian authorities to deliberately deflate the official civil war. A worldview that has made the region more peaceful population of Ndịgbo just to give especially the rest of the and resilient despite the odds. This study recommends adherence to the Igbo concept of justice by world powers for achieving other major ethnic groups—Hausa and Yoruba—a global peace. numerical superiority. Keywords—Global Peace, Igbo Justice, Impotence of Power, For its importance, Igbo language is highly stylised by the Proverbs use of fanciful and didactic proverbs so that points are made without inflicting pains on the listeners during I. INTRODUCTION conversations. Unfortunately, this is yet to receive the Justice in Igbo is ịkwụbakaọtọ or ikpenkwụmọtọ. The needed academic attention, hence the importance of this word ịkwụbakaọtọ is itself made up of different words: study. Proverbs are defined as short witty sayings in general ịkwụba (to stand), aka (hand) and ọtọ (straight, up). Put use; stating a general truth or piece of advice. Evident in together, this literally means: to keep one’s hands straight up Igbo language and literature, proverb does more than advise or to keep hands upright. The second wordikpenkwụmọtọis or tell general truths. They form the fulcrum around which made up of ikpe (judgment), nkwumọtọ (upright standing, the people live and sum up life experiences[4]. This attests straightness). Contextually, taken together, bothịkwụbakaọtọ to the irrefutability of the bond between language and and ikpenkwụmọtọ respectively imply being upright, literature. Hence the concepts of power, justice and peace straightforward and just in one’s words, deeds and find themselves well expressed in proverbs as they judgment[1]. In particular,ikpenkwụmọtọmeans upright importantly determine the peace or otherwise of a society. judgment. In other words, for the Igbo (Ndịgbo), justice These concepts mean different things to different people but means uprightness/straightforwardness or justness in one’s in the context of this paper suffice it to say that while power dealings with others.And that is the basis for which a leader is the ability to influence, justice is exerting that ability is regarded; the absence of which results to chaos as peace fairly, righteously, equitably, truthfully and indeed with eludes. This is well expressed in the proverb let the kite equality. To this extent, peace is the result or expected perch and the eagle perch, whichever refuses the other to outcome of applying the said characteristics of justice by a perch may her wings break[2]. Not only does this leader or holder of power. And so unlike the global sense of justice; equality, equity and truth are the hallmarks of Igbo concept of justice both in Revised Manuscript Received on May15, 2019. thought and in deed.Thus, Chinedu Cletus Agbo, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Indonesia justice takes the centre stage Ahmad Zuber, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Indonesia as the central argument of this Robertus B Soemanto, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, paper because for the Igbo Indonesia Published By: Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering Retrieval Number: A10910581C219/19©BEIESP 556 & Sciences Publication International Conference on Emerging trends in Engineering, Technology, and Management (ICETETM-2019) | 26th-27th April 2019 | PDIT, Hospet, Karnataka and in reference to the meaning of power above, a leader is a death toll numbering more than one million people. It was as powerful (influential) to the extent he is just. But beyond seven years after Nigeria gained independence from Britain conventional meanings, as reflected in their proverbs, the that the war began with the secession of the Southeastern Igbo notion of justice in relation to peace and power, also region of the nation on May 30, 1967, when the region stems from the fact that without justice there cannot be declared itself the independent Republic of Biafra. It is peace or at most there will be a ‘restless’ peace[5].In short, worth noting that the then Southeasten region the Igbo believe that those (the leaders) who turn blind eye comprisedRivers, Delta, Bayelsa, Calabar, Enugu, to injustice will sooner or later be located by the searching Anambara, Abia and indeed all the communities in the eyes of justice. On this, they hold that all the agitations and South-South and Southeatern parts of today’s Nigeria. As secessionist tendencies like the Igbo do through Biafra are reports have it,the ensuing battles and well-publicised all reactions towards government’s skewed policies which human suffering prompted international outrage and are systematically anti-Igbo. intervention[9]. Having established that proverbs are core part of Igbo So the question is: How have the Igbo (Ndịgbo) related language and culture which define a people, for the Igbo, with the Nigerian state through their concept of justice in not only are proverbs used to convey serious messagesin proverbs, and how can the world achieve global peace via simple manner, they easily make lasting impressions on same? For the purposes of this paper, a little bit of history is one’s mind for lasting code of conduct about serious matters important for Igbo proverb says “that those who do not like power, justice and peace. That was why Achebe—an know where the rain started beating them will not know Igbo and one of Africa’s most famous literary giants—said where it stopped”[10].The story of Nigeria’s injustice and that “proverbs are the palm oil with which words are envy against Ndịgbo (also known as Biafrans) has always eaten”[6]. Indeed, in Igbo language and culture, proverbs are been there even pre-independence but it worsened both highly symbolic and are the only strong weapon used immediately after the independence which then led to the to convey important information on such matters as justice Nigeria-Biafra civil war (1967-1970), culminated with the as in egbebereugoberenkesịrịibeyaebelankukwaaya (let the war and persisted till this day. kite perch and the eagle perch, whichever refuses the other It was reported that in 1966, anti-Ibo (Igbo) rioting, to perch may her wings break).This proverb captures the largely by Hausas, killed about 30,000 Ibos (Igbo) and totality of Igbo sense of justice which protects the poor from created about a million Ibo refugees. According to one of the rich and saves the weak from the strong. It gives the war accounts, it was fear of renewed killing that kept everyone a level playing ground, making all equal before the many Ibos fighting. Consequently, it was almost inevitable law.Focused on language and culture—the people’s way of that in 1967, the Ibos (Igbo) broke away from Nigeria life—this study offers a unique and richer understanding of largely because they feared massacres at the hands of their Igbo concept of justice because earlier studies had looked at ethnic rivals - the Hausa in the North and Yoruba in the the concept from traditions, customs and rituals of the South.

Load more