Proud Biafrans, I was pricked when I read Chamberlein Eke's "Non-Igbo marginalised by Igbo." The most painful part of it was that, in the end, his write-up stood out to mean "Igbos marginalizing themselves." First of all, welcome a new member, Mazi Obumneke. That's me writing.
From Agbor to Igwe-OCha and beyond, it is not a human arrangement that Igboland has some dialects. Other people like the Yorubas also have dialects, which exceed 40 in some cases. Such a situation does not call for some people of a particular dialect to deny which part they are of.
Ikwerre is a dialect of Igbo, just like the Owerri, Onitsha, and Anioma dialects, among others. Who are we to question our Chi, who gathered us on our promised land?
We may have to revisit Igbo 101: Facts little told by Mazi U.N. Afulezi.
This notion of "Igbos marginalising themselves" has no reason to exist in the Independent Country of Biafra, for it does not call for any education or convincement for Igbos to know and acknowledge their Igbohood and take advantage of their heritage. In our minds, we all have the indelible pains of how we were slaughtered without remorse by our enemies. Still being slaughtered, we should obey the centripetal pull drawing us to the centre. Doing so makes our dreams come true in no distant time.
Let the New Year be prosperous and fruitful.
Obumneke.
[ January 01, 2002: Message edited by: Obum ]
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