The
Igbos are widely regarded to have a very rich culture and history which
have been the subject of many movies and literary works. These are some
of the places where all that rich culture can be discovered.
File photo: Igbo Men
The Igbos, one of the main ethnic groups in Nigeria, are known to
have a rich culture and remarkable history. While modernization has
ensured the erosion of certain aspects of their culture, much of its
history has been preserved, including relics from the past which reveal
its heritage. Jumia Travel, Africa’s No.1 Online Hotel Booking Portal,
lists 5 of the places where the culture and history of these people who
dominate the eastern part of Nigeria can be discovered.
1. lgbo-Ukwu Museum
The Igbo-Ukwu museum is in Ngo village, Igbo-Ukwu, Amabara state.
The town, Igbo-Ukwu is of great historical and cultural significance in
Igbo land as it is notable for bronze artifacts from a very
sophisticated bronze metal-working culture centuries before other known
bronzes of the region. It is in recognition of this that the Federal
Government in Nigeria granted approval for the hosting of an annual
National New Yam Festival in Igbo- Ukwu to promote the culture and
tradition of Ndigbo and new yam festival.
The festival takes place at National Yam House built by the Federal
Government in Igbo- Ukwu since 2005. The Igbo-Ukwu bronze treasures
were accidentally discovered by a worker who was hired to dig a cistern
by Mr. Isaiah Anozie during dry season in 1939 . Subsequent
archaeological excavations of the area led by Professor Thurstan Shaw
led to the discovery of other sites , making a total of three sites:
Igbo Isaiah (a shrine), Igbo Richard (a burial chamber), and Igbo Jonah
(a cache). Among the recovered object include a ritual Pottery Vessel,
Scabbard, Pendant with rams head, Human face with scarification, Bronze
bowl and a pear – shaped bowl. While some of these artefact have been
exported and some lost, the Museum plays a significant role in preserve
the remaining Igbo ukwu pieces, indigenous productions, which are vital
in discerning the ancient history of not only Igbos, but of the human
existence within ancient Africa. lgbo-Ukwu Museum has remained an
attraction to tourists mostly because of its bronze artifacts. It is
great place to visit as the bronze pieces are a sight to behold.
2. The Long JuJu Shrine of Arochukwu
Arochukwu is the third largest town in Abia State (after Aba and
Umuahia) in southeastern Nigeria and is a famous tourist destination as
the cave of the famous long juju oracle is a particular attraction. It
is originally, a religious centre with a well-laid down administrative
structure headed by a Chief Priest. The cave is believed to hold the
long metal pipe through which the gods speak to the people, and was used
to judge the perpetrators of crimes in the old time.
A dark kilometre-long series of tunnels, some deeply mysterious
features of the shrine include the Throne of Judgement, where Chukwu
would decide on the fate of a person, the Tunnel of Disappearance, and
the Red River, which would turn coloured when a person was killed. What
makes this shrine, also known as Ibinu Ukpabi, a spectacular historical
site in the region is the role it played in the slave trade era and thus
the impact it made in Nigeria’s history. In the 15th Century, when the
slave trade was introduced, West African middlemen used it to their
advantage, as the condemned were no longer killed inside the shrine, but
secretly sold on into slavery. The mystic Long-Juju shrine, the slave
routes and other relics of the slave trade era have become important
tourist attractions in the area as a result of what they represent in
Nigeria’s history.
3. Mbari Cultural Centres
Mbari is a traditional arts and crafts center retained by the Imo
State council for Arts and Culture. Situated at Ikenegbu in Central
Owerri, Mbari, it is an open air museum that houses monumental arts
depicting the culture, tradition and history of the Igbo people.
Sometimes referred to as the ‘house of gods’, it is a huge tourist
attraction. Although Mbari is a monumental art sacrifice to “ALA” the
earth goodness, it also shelters artistic representations – artefacts as
well as sculptures- which tell of the prevalent social life of the
Igbos and images of other prominent deities that inhabit the traditional
Igbo cosmic system. These deities include Amadioha (the god of
thunder), Ogwugwu (the god of the forest), Nwaorie (the goddess of
Nwaorie River), Ahiajoku (the god of harvest), etc. Closely attached to
each deity are images of animals such as monkeys, tortoise, rams, snakes
and owls, believed to represent errand spirits or mystical messengers
of the deities.
There are also images of Ikoro, the Igbo traditional instrument for
communicating messages; unfamiliar creatures such as the ostrich (Enyi
Nnunu); a certain tall figure representing Alakuko, allegedly the
tallest man in Igboland; ‘Onye afo toro’, a man whose stomach became
bloated because he committed an abomination against Ala, etc Contrary to
general assumption, Mbari is neither a centre for idol worship nor an
idol in itself. It is an art form that has its origin very deep in Igbo
cultural and religious beliefs and practices. The Mabari cultural centre
is a three dimensional cultural facility, made up of the Mbari House,
Mbari Museum Kitchen and an amphitheatre, and definitely a must-see
location.
4. National War Museum Amafor Isingwu Umuahia
National War Museum Amafor Isingwu Umuahia is a museum set up to
exhibit relics used during Nigeria’s Civil war of 1967. The museum has
the largest collection of the Nigerian civil war weapons that are no
longer in used. The weapons are from both the Nigerian military and the
defunct Biafra. Commissioned in 1985, the museum is located at Ebite
Amafor in Isingwu Autonomous Community in the Umuahia North Local
Government Area. The museum’s location was chosen because it was where
the bunker housing the famous shortwave radio “the Voice of Biafra” was
transmitted from. It has three galleries featuring items on the
traditional warfare, armed forces and Nigerian civil war weapons.
War relics in the museum include weapons used during the
pre-colonial civil disturbances, warfare materials used during communal
and inter-tribal wars and those of the Nigerian civil war. The Museum
Complex opens at 10am and closes at 6pm daily with a gate fee of N100.
For those who did not experience the civil war, they may not get a
mental picture of how it occurred without visiting the museum. And for
those who did, they could relive the period by visiting the museum. It
is a perfect way to gain firsthand knowledge of the civil war, a huge
part of Nigeria’s history. It is certainly a place to go.
5. Mungo Park House
Mungo Park House, also known as National Museum Asaba, is tucked
behind the Delta State High Court and the state Library Board complex
along Nnebisi Road, Asaba, Delta state Nigeria. Although named after
Mungo Park, the man who discovered River Niger, the prominent colonial
vestige of pre-fabricated wooden storey building was never owned or
visited by Mungo Park.
The house was constructed by the Royal Niger Company (RNC) in 1886
and served as the first British administrative headquarters in the
country and invariably the first government house in Nigeria. The Mungo
Park House offers education on Nigeria’s rich historical background
(mainly that of trade and investment in pre-colonial era) and journey to
civilization. Although some parts of the building are slowly
dilapidating due to the elements (weather corrosion), it is definitely a
place to visit. The museum is also just a few blocks from the popular
Grand Hotel, Asaba.
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