By Deborah Iyalagha
Recently, a video surfaced on social media, showing George Floyd, an African American inhumanely murdered by white cops. There was a huge uproar which left everyone discussing the issue of “racism”. This left me wondering why it is so hard to be black! I mean, I just have a higher amount of melanin in my skin and I am from an African descent but that shouldn’t make me any different right?
I opened up WhatsApp and checked out status posts, then proceeded to my chats and held an interesting conversation with a friend on her opinion on the entire situation. She gave me her input about how most Nigerian (African) youths do not actually know anything about their history as black people, so here I am writing this.
Most Nigerian (African) youths today do not understand societal problems such as racial discrimination and slavery because they do not understand where they come from i.e. their roots. All they know is “I am Nigerian (African), born and raised and I am from so and so tribe”. They do not know about the kingdoms and civilizations which have risen and fallen to form the present day Nigeria.
Nigeria in itself is a country that is built on the foundations of great kingdoms and during my research I found some which I never even knew about. Some of the kingdoms I discovered include:
The Oyo Empire which dates back to the 12th century and is still existent till date;
The Zazzau also known as the Zaria Emirate which dates back to the 16th century and is also still existent till date;
The Benin Kingdom which was created in the 12th century and is also still existent till today;
The Bida Emirate also known as the old kingdom of Nupe which exists till today;
The Kingdom of Nri which dates back to around the 9th or 10th century and is said to be the first kingdom to exist in Nigeria. Unfortunately, the kingdom met its end during the 19th century upon invasion from British forces.
As I am currently typing this, I am just amazed at how intriguing the civilizations which have existed in Nigeria were and still are. But most Nigerian youths know little to nothing about them, heck I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t gone to research on them.
Knowing the ancestry you come from means that you know exactly who you are and having knowledge of who you are, makes you able to stand against any form of oppression. Knowing who you are, where you come from and who your ancestors were affects the way we think, speak and act.
My dad just made me laugh at loud in the course of writing the post because I consulted him on which kingdom our village belongs to, and when I gave him the list I had compiled from the internet, he burst out saying the list wasn’t complete and the internet should not tell his child such 'lies', as the kingdoms I had listed had nothing to do with the Ijaw clan. My dad could correct my error because he knows his ancestry and where he comes from.
I believe if more Nigerian youths are educated on pre-colonial, colonial and early post-colonial history, they would know more about our great country. Knowledge is power, and having knowledge about the past of your country can help you shape a better future for the country.
I strongly believe that the history of our great nation should be taught in schools , so that it can give youths a glimpse of how amazing the past has been and we can know more about the brave and inspiring figures who have walked the land we live on, centuries past. Figures like Queen Amina of Zaria, King Jaja of Opobo, Usman Dan Fodio, Herbert Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikwe and many others whose stories have been transformed and retold as myths and legends.
I had fun researching for this post and my mind was opened to the reality of the rich cultural and ethnic background that our great nation was founded upon. In my personal opinion, doing the research and finding out the mightiness that once existed has vastly made me quite proud to be Nigerian (African) and Black. I have learnt that some of the kingdoms did trade with the British, Dutch, Spanish, and even other ancient civilizations as far off into the Sahara! Now that is true power.
Knowing where you come from is very important in order to discover and shape your true identity. So now it is your turn, don’t wait to be given a history lesson, go do some research and discover your identity.
-By Deborah Iyalagha
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