Speech about the Igbo and colonization

I am standing here today to tell you something about our way of thinking and our current approach in the colonization of other countries. We are doing it wrong. Primarily focusing on one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa, with over 15 million living in Nigeria, The Igbo, have been severely impacted by our influence and forceful adaptations of our religion, our culture and our way of life. These farming communities have dozens of dialects, all separated by their different towns and villages, yet we treat them as one. Over two hundred separate groups, twenty to thirty villages, all considered to be distinct societies, yet we treat them as one.

Our approach to colonization has to change, as we try to implement our familiar hierarchies of kingdoms and empires when these communities already have such structure which has worked for them for long, and would continue to do so without intervention. Their entire social and political structure revolves around the idea of cross-cutting ties, with such institutions like the council of elders, age-groups, council of chiefs, women's association and secret societies. Once we as the colonizers come to their land, we destroy their cross-cutting ties without acknowledging the implications and consequences left in the communities. We forcefully make them involved in subordinating African business interests to European interests, and when they don't accept, we play with fire.

Their whole religion is based around a supreme god with the name of Chukwu who created all things and demanded obedience. We implement our own religion into their community, take away their children, brothers and sisters into joining Christianity, and although the Igbo religion is pacific and respected the religious views of other people, we have failed to pay equal attention to their side. With our inability to try and comprehend their way of life, we have jumped to such conclusions in which have led to the complete disrespect of their figures in who they worship.

We have to change our approach in the colonial rule of other countries, but we cannot do so unless our priorities are right. Speaking in behalf of the Igbo people I have come here to say that rather than act on violence and force dramatic changes in the lifestyle of their communities, we have the power to cooperate with them, comprehend that they are not savages that need to be saved or controlled but rather people who we need to understand their way of life, culture and religion in order for them to do the same to us.