THE FOUNDATION OF [THE IGBO] IDENTITY CRISIS
I was having a discussion with someone who claim that he is Ìgbò, he noticed my unconventional stand on issues and he asked me "what's your religion?", I smiled and answered "A bụ m onye Ìgbò", he was like "I don't understand, please be specific in answering my question",
I answered again "A bụ m onye Ìgbò", then he felt like helping me remodel the question so that maybe I can understand it better "by religion, I mean 'are you a Christian, Muslim or Traditionalist'?"
I maintained my stand but with an instance "When someone tells you 'I am a Jew' what do you think", he answered "Of course that he practice Judaism", and I continued "So why then should being Ìgbò not enough to define a religion of a people?" At this point, he was a bit confused and he was like "explain yourself more",
I continued once more "is the Ìgbò religion, Christianity, Islam or Traditionalist?" he answered with a bit agitation "I do not know, maybe you tell me", and I told him "Religion is an extension of Culture, hence the Ìgbò religion is called 'Ịgọ Mmụọ' which is an extension of Omenaana. Therefore, Onye kpọrọ onwe ya onye Ìgbò bụ Onye Ọgọ Mmụọ na-eme Omenaana".
Ụmụibe, it is tautology to refer someone as "Ìgbò Traditionalist" and worse still a Paradox to refer someone as "Ìgbò-Christian", it's just like saying that someone is a "Christian-Muslim". The apogee of such paradox is calling Ana Ìgbò "a Christian Nation", it's like calling Israel or Saudi Arabia a "Christian Nation" or Rome a "Muslim Nation" or Japan a "Hindu Nation".
At the Apex of the Ìgbò thinking which forms the Most Foundational Ìgbò Thought Process is the Cosmology of Chiukwu which the Ìgbò sees as Ógbè Okike, there is No Room in the Ìgbò Cosmology for the Trinitian Theology (which is the foundation of the Christian dogma/doctrine).
In the Ìgbò Cosmology, Chiukwu is Neither a Person Nor Three person in One God. Chiukwu is also Not "Nwa emere Mmadụ". Chiukwu is simply the Whole Creation United as a Whole. Therefore, if you call yourself "Onye Ìgbò" and you don't build your thought process from the Ìgbò deepest foundational thought of Chiukwu,
How then are you "Onye Ìgbò"? You can never build your thought process on the Christian theology of Trinity and Human Incarnation of God and still call yourself Ìgbò. Like, how can you agree that the Whole Creation is incarnated in one Human being (a doctrine that even the Christians who articulated it affirm that it is still a mystery to them) and you still think you are Ìgbò?
The Ìgbò thought process is "A fụ n'anya ekwe" therefore "knowing" comes before "believing/agreement". How then can you believe that something is "a Mystery" and at the same time "a Truth" and you still think that you are Ìgbò.
If something is still a Mystery, how then do you know it's the Truth? "Mystery-Truth" is simply a Paradox... That's why the creators of Christianity locked the doctrine of Trinity with Dogma because the simplest of logic can decimate such Paradoxical doctrine.
Meanwhile, the word Chiukwu comes from two words "Chi" and "Ukwu", these two words should not be ambiguous to anyone who claim he is Ìgbò, the two words simply show that the culmination of all the "Chi" in creation makes the "Ukwu" and there is no place in the Ìgbò Cosmology that Chi has been attributed to Physical part of Human (Mmadụ),
Rather Chi has always been attributed to "Mụ" which forms the foundation for Mmụọ, hence you hear words like "Alọ m Chi" or "Ịlọ Mmụọ", "Okwu Mmụọ" or "Okwu Chi" used interchangeably sometimes depending on the context but you can Never hear "Ịlọ Mmadụ" or "Okwu Mmadụ". That is why the Ìgbò calls himself "Onye Ọ̀gọ́ Mmụọ" because the Ìgbò can Never be "Ọ̀gọ́ Mmadụ"
How then can someone agree and be worshiping a "God made man" which goes contrary to the Ìgbò most foundational thought process and still call himself "Ìgbò"?
These my brethren are the Foundation of Our Identity Crisis.
If we must heal as a Nation, then we must start from this toughest part of our Thought Process and be courageous enough to tell ourselves the Hardest Truth!
© Chukwuemeka Obinwugo, Eke, 28th May 2023 See less
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