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| Over 3 million Biafrans were massacred by the Nigerian government in a genocidal war and till date not a single person has been convicted despite documented evidence of the war crimes. |
As a Sociologist I have written this short piece to help IGBO people understand why they are often the target of ethnic hate and baiting, whilst IGBO hardly ever feel such themselves towards others, unless they are provoked. It leaves IGBO people often feeling confused as if victims of a social conspiracy.
It is important to understand why we are susceptible to hate, pogroms and genocide. It will help you understand that it is not because of what you do to anyone, but because of what you are, and no matter what you do it will always come - so learn to understand it, live with it, adapt to it and be less angry when you meet ethnic hate in others.
WHY IGBO HATE?
Ahmadu Bello and his hate speec against Igbo-speaking Biafrans
Igbo people are not braggarts yet they are accused of such and constantly attacked for it. Like the Jews that they take after, they have a higher system of mercantile trade that destroys local Petty Trade wherever they go. When you take someone's food out of their mouth they will become angry with you and spread malicious tales about you. These terrible rumours can develop into terrible ethnic hatred that leads to genocide. These were the conditions and levels of hatred that led to Igbo massacre of 1966 throughout Nigeria including Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba, Edo and the Middle belt.
The Jews have always faced such pogroms till they decided to create their own country and protect themselves. Igbo have been claimed to have a relationship with the Jews if not by direct descent, then a large number of Jews fleeing persecution certainly settled around Aguleri and Nri and had children with Igbo as well as heavily influenced the culture and trade. I have these debates with Remy Ilona who has made an amazing comparative cultural study leading him to conclude that a large chunk of the Anambra Igbo are Jewish descendants.
There is an uncanny resemblance between the Igbo system of Mercantile trade and ancient Jewish systems. A very good imagery of what happened to the Jews is recorded in the Merchant of Venice depicting Shylock as an evil Jew after his pound of flesh out of greed or vengeance. These images of greed were used to carry out repeated pogroms against Jews. It was such accusations of economic dominance that led to Hitler murdering 6 million Jews in Germany.
I am afraid Igbo face the same predicament from Senegal to Angola and now in South Africa where we dominate certain trades. It is something that has no immediate solution given how ethnically bigoted our society is. It took Europe decades of murder and mayhem to succeed with non-discriminatory laws that put a stop to such ethnic baiting.
Igbo success always creates envy, anger and tales of greed in the local host. Very terrible images are painted. For instance the Jews were often depicted as blood sucking vampires in Europe. In Togo Igbo have been depicted as cannibals for taking over some of their markets. There is a video of Sarduana [PICTURED ABOVE] describing the Igbo as dominating and wanting to take over everything. This comes from the virulent impact of take over of local markets by a superior system of Igbo trade - a joint high volume purchase and low cost selling system of trade, with free labour from the apprentice system. Other ethnic groups just don't understand the magic. Adeyinka Grandson claims it is so magical that it must be proceeds of crime as Igbo does not take loans from banks. On the surface such comments are hilarious but they are dangerous harbingers of genocide.
I can't imagine that the incoming APC govt is capable of rising above its present stigmatisation of Igbo for not voting them. Many of the leaders and members express such ethnic and sectarian sentiments.
By Agha Egwu
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