Excess Floorspace in Extra-Urban Igboland

Introduction

The reader may wonder why the subject is pertinent to warrant bundle of texts and space. It will be welcome to throw similar inquiry to the title phrase which suggests abundance in a particular geography (and time). While both theses are valid, the patterns, attributes and relationships including complexities underlying the subject deserve exploration. Moreso it is part of a consistent strand of analysis that attempts to shine holistic light on Igboland. 

From Space

Advancement of technology especially in remote sensing and satellite have provided a wonderful opportunity for anyone to zoom in onto their origin or village from any distance with manageable resolution. Google Map, Yahoo Map, Bing Map and others are part of global mapping environment for civilian and recreation utility. The most important aspect is observing the clear outline of your family home and compound especially the boundaries of contested places where disputes has cost resources including blood. What is apparent is clear evidence of low density of settlements scattered across Igboland with highest concentrations of built areas found mostly in state capitals. This will be addressed in full later. There is no contest between built up areas and dominant vegetation. Of course this doesn’t suggest that population follows similar pattern and this is the crux of the matter. What that is observed from space must be ‘ground-truthed’ for verification.

Ground Truth

Travelling around Igboland recently has exposed and confirmed a trend that commenced after Nigeria-Biafra War but accelerated in the last 3 decades by aggregate diminishing of the economy. This trend has economic, demographic, political and cultural implications. The gradual wave of emigration from extra-urban areas to the few urban concentrations in the former Imo and Anambra states has succeeded in part as the former population are not replaced by natural growth or immigration. Devoid of clear policy and investments in extra-urban areas it is impossible for these communities to compete with the state capitals which have become the ultimate destination. As a result housing stock gradually increased.

Spatial Realities

Mobility of people is usually not a threat to origin-destination matrix as each side benefit from daily exchanges and interactions. However movement of individuals and groups of people over time gradually produced a functional spatial winner-takes-all. This means that those who move from an origin to a destination are no longer permanent residents of the origin and hence do not contribute directly to its day-to-day activities. Destinations like Owerri, Aba, Enugu, Umuahia and etc become apparent winners though there is more to it than clear wins. Nevertheless their numbers swell as young unemployed men and women seek their fortune returning home only on occasions when it is affordable. This is one side to depopulation of extra-urban Igboland.

What is not difficult to miss is the increasing number of homes that are ‘too big’ for the current residents. In parallel is emerging increasing number of homes in various stages of dilapidation. The former depicts gradual or rather transformation of busy homes into ‘sterile’ nests for a few. The latter points to evidence of limited usage or reduced function for the few users what are constrained to monitor these homes for wear and tear. Even in clans with erstwhile large population, the experience is the same. What is interesting is the commonality of large homes with massive fences undergoing disrepair.

When you consider that most settlements in Igboland are linear on both sides of the road, you are confronted with a bilateral spectre of resignation and confusion with extra-urban spatial development. In addition to this emerging experience is the cultural dimension which is very powerful on various scales. In a sense it confirms the rejection of our villages as relics of gone-by days which have no relevance and lack productive essence. It sustains the view that our villages are mere outposts for infrequent short visits and space for ‘Denge Pose’ or ‘Power Show’ syndrome. This is no longer an attractive and viable space for living in most perceptions driving home a sense of fear which is accentuated by diaspora population especially their uncultured womenfolk and dislocated menfolk.  

Impacts

The first impact of depopulation and increasing housing stock is narrowness of roads including asphalted ones. Reduction in road width is evidence of few things. One is conflict which creates insecurity and abandonment. The other is peacetime abandonment due to lack of leadership and resources. The second point drives the point that with poor leadership and few employed young men, community maintenance becomes low priority. It is important to stress this outcome is not limited to the rainy season. 

The internal community dynamics which have exposed uselessness of time expected role of youth seem to unveil in the absence of ameliorating policy. The days of defined youth roles including responsibility for community maintenance are gone. With it also with a step to the grave is the socialist nature of community experience received from the ancients. I hope the word ‘socialist’ doesn’t make anyone look towards Marx and Bolshevik Moscow for answers. It is no surprise that social fragmentation and factionalisation is replete in Igboland.

Evidence

There are a number of points and areas which vividly exposed the gaps that drive the experience captured in this piece. We’ll be limited with the most obvious ones.

1.     Degradation of positive leadership is holding sway in various parts of Igboland. This includes but not limited to devaluation of community elder, development unions, the political elite, the churches and the state. They have all collectively failed (directly and indirectly) to replicate what the ancients managed with aplomb. I am not interested in wasteful debates on democracy rather highlight that collectively and individually above-named institutions have contributed to the on-going leadership rape in Igboland. What is clear is the lack of clarity on the role of these institutions in the current social, economic and political climates. You get a sense of posturing and burying the head in the sand.

2.   In the face of expansion of geopolitical units at the lowest levels, there is total failure to maximise potentials of autonomous community structure. While the cultural elements are recognised, the political and economic dimensions remain untapped as communities fail to seat down together under the auspices of their Eze to design strategic plans and development policies which serves as springboards for holding the state accountable. In a sense communities are apolitical, apathetic and lack nuance towards innovating new political machinery for solving community problems.

3.   Massive stagnation of communities in the inertia to embrace human development along knowledge-based principles. Since it took almost 3 generations to get most of Igboland accessible water and energy, it is obvious that the potential in these values are lost. What do communities do with or after acquiring electricity and piped water? Where do specialists comes from when these investments require maintenance? Surely not from host communities in most cases. You begin to realise that extra-urban development is stuck in crisis with inability to evolve toward self-sufficiency in physical and human development. The import of these views is in part to reduce dependence on asset-owning families and increase employability of young men if possible starting up firms in the villages. Community security and population could be sustained. Building new churches or new parishes will not solve these problems but rather increase them.

4.    In the battle of settlements it is clear that the few urban centres have won hands down as the giants and near monopolists of spatial development; social, political and cultural investments. One cannot avoid the binary nature of choice that is apparent in both strategic and spatial levels. Still it is a pyrrhic victory as these few urban spots are unprepared and unequipped for increased waves of immigration. Poor (few) housing, poor sanitation, crime, political corruption, few schools, few hospitals, confused churches leadership, high cost of living, etc are found in Owerri, Orlu, Enugu, Awka, Onitsha, Abakiliki, Aba and Umuahia. It is interesting that each Igbo state has at least 2 viable urban concentrations. 

5.    Lastly local government as an instrument of viable governance, deliverer of public service and enhancer of physical and human development in Igboland is still-born. For now it remains a well-spring of privileged few who command and control all its resources for themselves and their families. You can only hope that their future generations will keep it together.

Conclusion

There is an opportunity to re-address spatial and human development strategies at the lowest level in the communities for sustained growth. The issues raised above result from neglect and gradual accretion over the last 3 generations. What is evident is massive confusion to confront or adjust to confront issues in a new era by bring together a mix of received ancient knowledge and achieved foreign concepts. The confusion is not strange rather is an expression of deep identity crisis. For communities that lived in the same area for thousands of years before the present, they either find a viable solution to surmount their problem or they simply vanish themselves from the face of the earth.

Adjectives of Collective Degradation

There are many terms, nouns and adjective that Africans have accepted about themselves without question for a while. Many of these terms in themselves seem imposed at a time though not currently forced but still remain in use. To suggest that some of the terms are harmless is an understatement. With time and as the collective evolve, it is no longer misplaced investment to review some of these terms and the contexts of their existence with a view for introducing alternative terms or rather descriptions.

A few of these English terms or phrases have caught my attention for various reasons especially in their confusion to fully describe or capture the essence of subject(s). The most concern is generated from the fact that those (Africans) who should know lazily repeat these terms even on the platform of advocating progress which to all intents and purpose is arrested.  Examples of the troubling terms include African Tradition Religion, Tradition Rulers, Traditional Healers, Traditional Medicine, Traditional Justice etc.  Prior to making any progress on my concerns, one is right to ask who own these phrases and if their ownership has changed over time? In this regard one must acknowledge that there are knowledge creators (pace/trend setters) and knowledge consumers. Of course knowledge is an (expensive) product.  While question of ownership may not be settled in this piece, credibility of context of usage is open field.

Take the first one, African Traditional Religion. What is meant by African? Is this the context of disparate indigenous religions across Africa before and after colonisation or single religious template of or for Africa? By Africa I mean the undivided geo-continental expanse from Cape to Cairo and from Cape Verde to the Horn. Or is this a blending based on suggestion of structural and process similarity between indigenous religions as funnelled through the Kenyan Religion intellectual, Prof John Mbiti? It is as nebulous as seeking for numerical accuracy of grains of sand in a cup still many of Africans revel in using it. What is wrong with mapping each African religion to its people/nation such as Igbo Religion, Twi Religion, Wolof Religion?

Then space right onto ‘Traditional’. While in itself the word is malleable, however as a comparator it serves useful purpose of denigration and sustaining anthropological inferiority. There is no sense in one or a people self-relegating themselves even as time has come for them to take their future in their hands rather seriously.  The word ‘Traditional’ in this context is similar to second fiddle, inferior, suspicious, arcane and irrelevant. The question now becomes which religion is not traditional but how many are not traditional enough for the term ‘Traditional’ to be placed in their name? No one has read of European Traditional Christianity or Asian Traditional Hinduism/Shintoism! For some in Africa including Africans and beyond who do not profess these religions, there is no argument that they are remnant of devils fading glory. Unfortunately those in this unfortunate camp i.e. the holy quakers, holy shakers and holy rollers of new imperialist impositions failed to trace the true genealogies of their new template. And this inglorious ignorance is wreaking havoc and will continue for generations to come.

One of the things that cannot be said again of various Africa Religions is impunity and universalism via imposed force. Even the best minds acknowledge that in all these religions, ecumenism is the heartbeat. One can join or exit at any time. One can hold membership along with membership of other religious organisation. They project highest levels of awareness and ontological maturity which imposed religion power brokers only attempt not via patience but through sanctioning industrial-scale bloodletting. Indigenous religions have clear genealogy which should put Africans in excellent position to making the best of new religions requirements. Sadly many Africans mischievously relish their outset fixed with either colonialism and or imposed ‘independence’.

One of the most annoying things to observe is how those who profess progression of African agenda in the various non-indigenous religions cut hollow figures who cannot but represent existential conflict between their (mis)understanding and expectations or lack of them. What one is left with is a conundrum of confusion and stupidity advocating intellectual and ontological suicide respectively just to satisfy patrons and currencies whose only fortress is time.

Is the use of ‘African Traditional Religion’ not a glossy attempt to smooth over unique rich tapestry of each indigenous African religion which is curiously prominently re-emphasised in the so-called monotheist religions of the North! Active imperialism of the mind! Even in the case of cross-over or conversion, where Jews of pre-Christian era required to totally abandon every facet of their judaistic ontology and heritage first before they are ‘saved’ by Christianity? No, neither should the peoples of Africa. Nevertheless the dignity and true ontology reflecting as unbreakable chain of heritage connected to present Africans from millennia deserve not be ‘disappeared’ or debased for ephemeral destructive ideology disguised as true religion. It is civilisation incorrect!

The ambiguity of deliberate choice becomes explicit when you encounter legal definition of religions across Europe even in the erstwhile heartlands of so-called Christendom. You’ll be surprised that there is no winner takes all even with the settlement encoded by 1648 Treaty of Westphalia which is now pumped into ‘careless underlings’ as separation of church and state.

Considering points made in the foreground, time have come for repudiation of legacies of imposition which are retrogressive and obnoxious, and even harmful to African experience. The so-called experts and intellectual vultures/gold-diggers especially children of the soil should start changing the nomenclature and registers of terms. Pre-phrasing existence by adding African simply confirms identity crisis. It is no different from a US Caucasian calling an US African grandfather a ‘boy’. Africa doesn’t need growing up.  Africans do not need to think that they exist, Africa is because it exist; period. The mental slavery that relegates a people to passive consumers of their own knowledge rather than its creative custodians is a dangerous trend clearly exploited by imposed religions. It is no gimmick to conclude that religious imperialists killed more generations without firing a shot than any weapon of mass destruction attempted to annihilate a generation of Africans.

Therefore lumping things together as final basis has no justification or coherence even in empirical multiscalar investigation. In any case you have Igbo Religion, Igbo Medicine, Yoruba Justice, Tuareg Law, Heroro Medicine, Tiv Healers and etc. Identity crisis cannot be resolved through crisis of collective destruction. Waves of change do not emerge as a result of geographical determinism or kneeling down on the altar of inferiority celebration over time. Even for trumpeters of globalisation, be reminded that it did not excuse or ensure homogenisation.  Take a cursory look at Europe, what is clear is that comparative villages in Africa are sovereign geographical spaces. Even Scotland is making a bid for independence from United Kingdom though without knives and guns for now.