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By Young Erhiurhoro
Africa was described by ancient British writers and philosophers as the cradle of civilization, beginning from Egypt where the Pharaohs exercised much power and influence, through to the Mediterranean, across Greece and Asian countries, and over three hundred years of non-stop monarchy and primogeniture. This was possible as a result of the natural endowment which increased the economic prospects of the Egyptians to the black world.
In world history, Egypt was named a world power because the kingdom exerted much power and influence to bring under its kingship and rulership thousands of other kingdoms, thereby expanding her jurisdiction and economic power to the four corners of the world.
By 200BC, Egypt had already established different industrial enclaves where the world’s finest household items, jewelries, clothing and other beautiful things that the eyes can behold were manufactured.
In fact, the Egyptians were quick to discover the diversity of the natural environment and its economic prospects to the land and to its inhabitants. This they did by venturing into large scale farming, animal husbandry, forestry, fishery and other agro-based businesses.
This was also the beginning of the slave trade. Many Greeks, Asians, Europeans, Americans and other Africans were sold to Egypt. Great merchants, farmers and entrepreneurs began to use these slaves to work in their farms, industries and trade depots. The Egyptian economy was booming, but at the same time too, this heralded the beginning of the downfall of the once most powerful kingdom in the world.
How did it happen? At a time, the Egyptians thought power would perpetually remain in their hands since they had the economic power to control the world. Little did they know that, they were exposing their most cherished and hidden treasure to those they called slaves.
Slaves then were regarded as fools and morons; People of no wisdom and low mentality. Therefore, they were allowed to venture anywhere, even in Pharaoh’s most dreaded palace. This brought about the great economic downturn and fall of Egypt.
After the slaves had learnt enough, unknown to those great merchants and industrialists, a kind of revolution took place which brought freedom to these slaves. Many escaped and went back to their countries. Many died as a result of emotional and psychological depression. While others, especially those sold at childhood, took Egypt as their home and couldn’t find any other resting place for themselves.
After this was the era of global civilization. This wind of civilization blew fiercely throughout the world. It changed many sectors of the world, ranging from religion, education, politics, business and culture. By this period of world history, power had changed from the hands of the Egyptians. The American and European slaves sold to Egypt had acquired enough experience in those areas mentioned above.
As they regained freedom and got back to their different countries, they began to put to practice what they learnt from the Egyptians unknown to the same Egyptian leaders. They now established farms and industries and gradually, the wind of industrial revolution began to blow in the entire Europe and America. From this era, the real battle for supremacy over who controls the world affairs began between the two continents, Europe and America whose citizens were once sold into slavery to Egypt.
Unfortunately, Africa that was described as the cradle of civilization through Egypt became the least amongst the seven continents of the world to remain civilized.
Immediately after the fall of Egypt, the whole of Africa went back to the pristine age. Life they say began in Africa. But not after the Europeans and Americans had taken over the control of world affairs. Africans went back to where they came from. Europe was fast enough to conquer large parts of Africa, especially West Africa, through trade and religion.
It first started with trade which culminated into the African slave trade and thereafter the new Christian religion followed. Missionaries were sent to Africa by the Church of England with support from the British government to preach the new religion to Africans. This was the beginning of the cultural revolution and the social change in Africa.
But this new order was different from the old order which was the Egyptian Order. The slave trade initiated by Europe was different from that initiated by Egypt. Europe never allowed Africans to discover their hidden treasures like the Egyptians. They hid their practical theories of success and wealth creation through trade, industry and religion from the slaves. They never allowed African slaves to enter their most treasured book archives or engine rooms of their different industries. It was in Europe that the true definition given to slaves in Egypt as fools and morons was applied rightly.
The irony of it all is that, in the eyes of the Egyptians, that is Africans, slaves (Europeans and Americans) were fools and morons, but unknowingly, they were wise. While in the eyes of the Europeans, slaves (Africans) were fools and morons, and truly they behaved the same. This was the difference between the Egyptian ideology of slave trade and the European ideology of slave trade.
Succinctly, our subject of discussion in this short discourse is the late Prof. Peter Palmer Ekeh and his gospel of social change and cultural renaissance in Urhobo land and Africa in general.
He was a social scientist, a political economist and a scholar in African-American Studies, which invariably made him a social crusader of his time. He was able to understand early enough, from his area of specialization, how economic power could bring social change, political autonomy and independence to his Urhobo people.
In Nigeria today, many will agree that economic power dictates political power. Take the issue of national security for instance. Those with economic power in the country tell President Muhammad Buhari what to say or what to do on the issue of national security.
Nigeria’s security situation has deteriorated to a level where a sitting governor could be kidnapped even in the midst of his convoy. If this can happen to a governor, then what becomes the common citizen of the country? Another example is the monopolization of businesses in Nigeria. Today, Nigeria is in economic crisis and total economic breakdown because our blue-chip businesses and industries are monopolized, thereby placing economic power in the hands of few Nigerians.
Today, the oil sector in Nigeria is in the hands of those few who were able to find the source of economic power in the country immediately after independence in 1960. These are majorly the Hausa/Fulani people in the northern part of the country.
This might have been as a result of their closeness to the Arab world, which also had a very strong economic bond with Egypt as at the time of their economic boom and standing as a world power. The Arabs made good use of this great opportunity to their advantage. Not too long ago, the Hausas and Fulanis because of their strong communal ties with the Arabs, benefited much from the wealth of the Arab countries. The economic power of the northerners has continued to make the so-called NNPC and our refineries to crumble and became moribund in their operations. This is why an oil producing country like ours will continue to import petroleum products in this 21st century from other countries because those with economic power in the country desire it to be so.
In fact, these were the worries and concern of late Prof Ekeh, as a political economist, for his Urhobo people. For Prof Ekeh, Urhobo is richly blessed in oil and gas and other natural resources. Yet, nothing is on ground to show for the goose that laid the golden eggs. This is so because the economic power to take over production of these natural resources was not with us then. The gospel of Prof Ekeh as a political economist is for those Urhobos that have found the economic power in the country to venture into this area and monopolize it like our Northern brothers. If the Federal Government of Nigeria can give oil mining licence (OML) to the Hausa/Fulanis because of their economic power, I think the same can be done for us here in Urhobo because, according to the writings of Prof Ekeh, economic power controls every other sector of human existence.
Secondly, Prof Ekeh as a social scientist had propounded useful theories for the growth of the Urhobo people. Many a time, Prof Ekeh advocated for the peace and unity of the Urhobo people. He always preached the gospel of peace and unity among all the cultural units of the Urhobo nation. The cultural units are what we call kingdoms and clans today.
In his theories as a social scientist, he wanted the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) to wax stronger in order to remove nepotism and tribalism from the land. Do we even know that within the Urhobo nation, there are tribal or kingdom sentiments? They are what is tearing the Urhobo nation apart today. Thank God, Urhobo is now one under the present UPU leadership. Again, social change according to the writings of Prof Ekeh has to do with social anthropology in the areas of population and topographical expansions. Urhobo is big enough in terms of population and land mass to have new kingdoms. After all, we have heard of political kingdoms and traditional kingdoms in Urhobo land before now. If the Delta State government can recognize traditional kingdoms, I think the government should equally recognize more new political kingdoms in Urhobo land. To buttress this point, the Benin kingdom as it’s today, is not just one kingdom but a conglomerate of many kingdoms. From the writings of Prof Ekeh, the reign of the Ogiso dynasty in Benin kingdom brought about so much social change to the traditional institutions and cultural settings of the Edo people. All through the reign of the Ogisos, the Benin kingdom was able to conquer so many small and big kingdoms in Edo region.
All these conquered kingdoms were forcefully brought under the control of the Benin kingdom. In the same way, smaller kingdoms and family units broke away as a result of fear under the same Ogiso rulership. From the writings of Prof Ekeh on Urhobo History and Culture, it was at this same period that the Urhobo households or family units in Benin migrated from there to avoid communal clash between them and the Oba, to found what is today known as the Urhobo nation. The Urhobo nation was not founded by one forebear. It was founded by many people who ran away from the dreaded rulership of the Oba Ogiso. Secondly, the people that founded Urhobo didn’t come from Edo land at the same time. They migrated here at different times. Again, it’s interesting to note that the reign of the Ogiso dynasty took many years in the Benin kingdom. It was a system of primogeniture and democratic hereditary like the Egyptian kingship and monarchy.
However, what the Benin kingdom did after the conquest of large part of the Edo territory, the Oba was made a paramount ruler of all the other kingdoms that came up, though it was not their wish to form the great Benin kingdom. Time is now ripe for the Urhobo nation to adopt this similar theory, because our own culture and total ways of life are similar to that of the Benin kingdom. My message here is that, new kingdoms should be created or established to fulfill the theory of topographical expansion as advocated by Prof Ekeh. This now behooves on our traditional rulers to have an understanding with their subjects. For instance, Abraka today is long split into two kingdoms as a result of such understanding. Today, they benefit more from the government as the kingdoms are recognized as two independent kingdoms by the Delta State government.
In the same way too, Enhwe in Isoko ethnic region, a sister ethnic region to the Urhobos, also has two kingdoms. These are the types of kingdoms we now refer to as political kingdoms because they are created and approved by the government as autonomous and independent kingdoms.
In Isoko nation today, the Enhwe people benefit more in anything affecting the entire Isoko nation. This can only be achieved when the traditional rulers have this kind of understanding among themselves and their subjects.
More importantly, since 2006, Evwreni kingdom has been engulfed in continuous crisis as a result of kingship tussle. The crisis led to the killing of their king and at the end, after reconciliation, the heir to that slayed king was enthroned as the next king. This didn’t go down well with certain groups of people in the kingdom. Today, the kingdom is on fire again. The king has now gone to self-exile to protect himself and family, and the killing of innocent indigenes has taken the order of the day in Evwreni town.
As if this was not enough, Unenurhie community which is also part of Evwreni kingdom is crying foul that Evwreni town is oppressing them in so many ways because according to leaders of Unenurhie community, Evwreni grabbed the first opportunity provided by Urhobo foremost great leader and Evwreni man, Chief Mukoro Mowoe, and used such opportunity against the Unenurhie people. Today, the Unenurhie community claimed seniority in the kingdom and strongly believed, according to their culture and traditional practices that they ought to produce the traditional ruler of the kingdom. Also, they averred that the original traditional chieftaincy stool or title brought from their original home in Benin kingdom to Elele Amini, in present day Rivers State, before they again migrated from there to settle in their present abodes, was Odion and not Ovie. Odion in Edo parlance means elder. If this is true, the Unenurhie people are saying that since they are the senior in Evwreni kingdom, the traditional stool is their traditional and natural right. Therefore, taking it from them is an act of injustice and imposition against their birthright.
This is the present battle between Unenurhie and Evwreni communities in Evwreni kingdom as we speak. It didn’t end there. The Okpawha quarters in Evwreni town is also claiming the ownership of the traditional stool of the Odion. They have gone to court several times against the Ovie to seek redress and change of the traditional title. However, I want to plead with the Urhobo leadership, in collaboration with the Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs of Delta State, as an advocate of peace like my master, late Prof Ekeh, to bring peace to the situation in Evwreni kingdom by using the theory of topographical expansion propounded by late Prof Ekeh to end the crisis.
To solve this issue once and for all, I think the Unenurhie community should be allowed to have their own kingdom separate from the present Evwreni kingdom.
Another case in Urhobo land is the case of Orere and Eghwu kingdom. Initially, what is today known as Okparabe kingdom was part of Eghwu kingdom, even in the pre-independence era. Though, there was some form of autonomy attached to the Okparabe leadership at that time. Yet, the traditional ruler of Eghwu kingdom was regarded by the colonial government as the paramount head. But today, through the wise use of political economy and social revolution or renaissance, recognition and independence has been granted to Okparabe from the old Eghwu kingdom and today, they are autonomous in the affairs of their own kingdom. If we watch carefully from recent events, Orere is now agitating for same. I want to support their agitations to fulfill the theories of social expansion and social anthropology as defined by Prof Ekeh in his writings on Urhobo History and Culture.
Also, matters in Uwheru kingdom should be looked into. The case of Ohoror community is very much glaring. This community and other communities like Agadama, Owarovwo, Uvwriche, Ovwororo, Avwon, Oreba and others shouldn’t be denied their rightful positions in the making of Uwheru kingdom. They should be given their rightful positions to avoid greed, disunity, enmity and avarice that is presently tearing the Uwheru kingdom apart. I also move that Uwheru kingdom should be divided into two independent and autonomous kingdoms to create peace and unity in the area.
Finally, there is a cultural revolution currently going on in every part of the Urhobo kingdom. Late Prof Ekeh according to his biography presented by his family during his burial, was an ardent Catholic and a strong practitioner of the Christian faith. Yet, he was a lover of the Urhobo culture and the Urhobo traditional ways of life. This was his focal point in his writings on the Urhobo people. Today, the wind of acculturation is blowing fiercely in all the nooks and crannies of the Urhobo nation. This is not a matter to be taken lightly. According to the writings of Prof Ekeh, if the Urhobo leadership, including traditional rulers of each kingdom or clan refuses to stop this crazy wind of acculturation and civilization now, the strong wind will definitely wipe away our original culture, including the most cherished Urhobo language.
Culture, they say, doesn’t allow vacuum. The gap would be filled with the Western culture. Western culture is a conglomerate of various advanced cultures to form a whole. It’s not a single culture from one particular country, tribe or ethnic group. And if this kind of culture is allowed and welcomed to a place, it grabs the original culture of the place and dumps it in the abyss. This is what the Urhobos are experiencing today. From a recent research conducted by a group of linguists on local languages in the Niger-Delta region, the Urhobo language would go into extinction by the next thirty years if a proactive measure is not taken now to protect it. This is correct because so many Urhobo children, young people and even elders can no longer speak the Urhobo language fluently.
Let me still propound here like my late mentor and tutor, Prof Ekeh, that if the Urhobo leadership fold their arms and happily welcome this new social order and cultural revolution, all our cultural festivals would be wiped away in the next one decade. Like Prof Ekeh, I’m so much concerned about our cultural festivals for so many reasons. Before the advent of Christianity in Urhobo land, we have our own traditional ways of worshipping the supreme being (Oghene) and other spiritual entities like deities, ancestral spirits, progenitors and forebears. The various rich cultural festivals across Urhobo land are the different ways and times to fellowship with these beings at the different times of the year. Cultural festivals are the central religious gatherings of the Urhobo people like today’s Christian crusades and annual conventions. It’s a time of visitation and renewal of common bonds and friendships among friends and family members, especially with people that travelled to distant or foreign lands for greener pastures.
All these cherished cultural practices and moral values are no more as Christianity has killed them all; making the Urhobo people to believe that, the celebration of cultural festivals are idol worshiping or paganism. Christianity has continued to go down deep into wiping away of our culture in seconds. Urhobo shouldn’t forget that, any group of people that without culture are better off created as non-living things. In fact, every living thing has a culture. Is it men, animals, plants, insects, fishes or even the forces of water, air, sun and the moon? They all have culture.
Again, I can’t end this discourse without a mention of the Igbe traditional religion of the Urhobo people. According to folktales and history, the Igbe traditional religion was founded by Prophet Ubiesha Etarakpo from Kokori Inland, in Ethiope East LGA of present-day Delta State of Nigeria in the 18th century.
The various tenets and modes of worship of this religion are centred on purity, intuition, holiness, forgiveness, prophecy, conscience, confession and many other spiritual attributes. The symbol of worship is the lump of white clay (Orhe Ofuafo). The Igbe adherents so much believe in the licking of this holy chalk which many Christians in Urhobo land, out of ignorance call “ordinary sand”. The holy chalk or lump of clay stands for purity and holiness of the mind and body of worshippers. It’s also a healing balm to those who believe in it. From testimonies shared by different Igbe members, the holy chalk have healed many people of incurable sicknesses and also done great miracles. According to Igbe adherents, their worship is to Oghene which they also called ‘Orise’, the Almighty God and not to gods or man as Christians describe it.
As at today, despite the strong preaching of Christians against it, the Igbe traditional religion has continued to grow in leaps and bounds and has spread to so many other countries around the world. Therefore, Prof Ekeh said, all the religious and cultural art-facts of the Urhobo people must be documented and kept in Urhobo archive. To achieve this, the UPU leadership should remember to create a gallery, museum and library at the Urhobo Cultural Center at Uvwiamuge-Agbarho which is still under construction to archive Urhobo most treasured art-facts.
Secondly, to protect our culture from sudden extinction by this wind of acculturation, civilization and globalization that is posing much threat to us, the Urhobo leadership can as well use the present cultural revolution to improve on our cultural festivals by using modern technology. To achieve this, I have designed a proposal which can elevate our economic power as well. Though, the UPU has been using this proposal during the annual Urhobo Day celebrations, but it should be separated from the Urhobo Day celebrations and given to a competent private entertainment group or company to organize in partnership with the leadership of the UPU. On yearly basis, there should be Urhobo Cultural Festival Show where all the kingdoms and accredited communities would participate and showcase their rich cultural festivals in a competitive manner with prizes attached at the end. If this is well managed, it can generate a lot of employment opportunities for our teeming jobless youths, and can also generate income to the coffers of the UPU.
I want to appeal to the UPU leadership under Olorogun (Dr.) Moses Taiga, the president-general of the Urhobo foremost socio-cultural organization to look into this proposal and invite me for more details on how to achieve this laudable and noble project for the Urhobo people. I will be much grateful if they consider the extinction of our culture as a social aberration for our people and do something tangible to stop it now. To this end, the late Prof Peter Palmer Ekeh and his numerous theories on social change, political economy, social anthropology, cultural revolution and relativism and many other theories he propounded on Urhobo History and Culture should be considered from time to time in form of public and memorial lectures to keep his legacies and theories of social change and cultural renaissance in Urhobo land and Africa alive.
Young Erhiurhoro;Kjc is a reporter and a member of the Urhobo Historical Society
