Culture is not new to us, we live by culture every day, we act by culture, culture defines us. It is the total way of life. Nigeria is a country that practices a multi-ethnic culture.
Nigerian citizens cherish their culture passed down from generation to generation. Largely, culture in Nigeria comprises of 3 major ethnic Oduduwa, Biafra and Ariwa.
Other related cultures in Nigeria is shaped by multiple ethnic groups, it has 527 languages, seven of them are extinct, consisting of 1150 dialects and ethnic groups are the Hausa and Fulani in the north, the Igbo in the southeast and the predominance of the southwest which is the Yoruba culture, the Tiv people of The north-central Nigeria and the Efik-Ibibio.
The Edo people are most frequent in the region between Yoruba land and Biafra land. Apart from it being multi-ethnic and multi-lingual. It is also multi-religious. Covering over 250 ethnic groups.
A different culture is attached to cultural values and beliefs. Talking about the Yoruba culture, this started from the earlier times our father, grandfather and great grandfather. “Oduduwa” a divine king in Yoruba land known as Ooni of Ile-Ife, though he was not only the first ruler of a unified Ife but also the progenitor of various independent royal dynasties and ancestors.
His father Lamurudu came from the east according to Oral History, Oduduwa had only one son Akanbi Alais Idekoserake. In turn, he gave birth to seven children in Yorubaland and as time goes on they began to spread to different parts in the Yoruba land. They are mostly Christians and few Muslims.
Wikipedia describes the Igbo culture as the people’s visual art, religious beliefs, marriage rites that children are betrothed at a very young age just like the Hausa people, childbirth where twins were an abomination to the god of their land Amadioha.
Till civilization came, many lives were lost. Mary Mitchell Slessor stops the killing of twins and the law remains to date, dance rites and festivals.
Other tribes have their culture and they practice different things and speak different languages. Even the Hausa-Fulani have their own culture too and they are mostly Muslim people with few Christians.
Their total way of life is different. Be proud of your culture, the newly introduced foreign culture is sailing us away. We want to employ their attitude and lifestyle which is not possible. Be yourself and be true.
Written By Adeluwoye Comfort Eniola Obinwannem News
