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The epoch of redivivus of Igbo heritages: a challenge of Igbo youths today

RESPECT FOR LIFE:
Igbo world is principally anthropocentric. It is for this understanding the Igbo say Ndụ bụ isi (life first). Because of high significance which the traditional Igbo place on human life, they go to any length in order to preserve it. As a matter of fact the traditional Igbo attitude to the divinities and ancestors appears on many occasions to be primarily manipulative, as the Igboman moves from shrine to shrine for definite material satisfaction bordering on life, off-spring and health. Igbo traditional prayers {Igọ ọfọ) and sacrifices to the deities are mostly petitionary targeted towards the welfare of humanity. In few occasions sacrifices are made to malevolent spirits, the only brain behind this is to ward them off from causing harm. Igbo always resort to divination, traditional medicine, magic, the use of protective charms or amulets and initiation into secret cults so as to cope with first the uncertainties of life, secondly for protection and finally for progress. But reading between the lines one will point out the fact that all these reason points towards the welfare of humanity. Childlessness of any type was considered a threat to life among the Igbo as it hits the very root of that traditional primary value, life.Thus Igbo traditional religion provides for the people a viable system by which they seek to explain, to predict, and to control all space and time event for the preservation of life. In traditional Igbo society, human life was considered sacred, that it cannot be taken away without punishment. Suicide is for the Igbo world a most abominable crime (aru) against the human society and doing so reaps you of formal burial. when human beings were killed like in the case of twin killing and human sacrifice, the traditional Igbo society saw such as a fulfillment of convinced religious obligation and for the good of the land. They differentiated sacrifice from killing a fellow human being, for which life must go for life. Suffices to say that, the Igbo world respect life more than any other ethnic group in Nigeria, because of the Igbo respect life, kolanut breaking will always remain for them a celebration of life. Rural Igbo have very great respect for Ndụ because it comes from God. It is greater than money or wealth as the wisely put in the name ndu ka aku. All things are only useful if they have life, as re-enacted in the Igbo name ndu bu isi i.e. life first. As such it remains for the pan-Igbo society a vision; a mission and a commitment. 
 

Egbufoama Chike

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