EZI- NA-ULO AND UMUNNA: IN SEARCH OF

DEMOCRATIC IDEALS IN TRADITIONAL

IGBO FAMILY

Anthony Ufearoh

Abstract
This write-up intends to locate democratic ideals the traditional Igbo
family in search of democratic ideals suitable for African societies.
This is done using the tool of hermeneutics. The nature of Igbo
family inheres from the Igbo world-views. Igbo family is an inter-
connectedness of beings, visible and invisible, that mutually co-
exist. It is an integral whole comprising of the living, the dead and
the unborn. A hermeneutical analysis of ezi-na-ulo gives rise to a
family characterized by dialogue, consensus, freedom and mutual
understanding. One easily observes that these are ingredients for
building a stable human society. This in a way accounts for the
reason why the Igbo-African family serves as a model for modern
socio-political and economic theories and action.

Introduction
There is no doubt that the traditional Igbo family has been grossly
and variously misapprehended and misrepresented by both the
colonial writers and some contemporary African writers. Yet a little
study of the Igbo family reveals the rich ideals of mutual respect,
dialogue, consensus, freedom, et cetera. The wrong impressions
about Igbo family that have been disseminated ought to be corrected.
According to the late Ugandan scholar, Okot p’. Bitek, ‘The African
scholar has two clear tasks before him. First, to expose and destroy
all false ideas about African peoples and culture that have been
perpetuated by Western scholarship….Second, to present the
institutions of African peoples as they really are….’1
Accordingly, this paper examines the possibility of the Igbo
family forming a basis for an African democracy. It is an
investigation into our traditional values and ideals.The life activities
of man revolve around the family. Igbo people are no exception.
What obtains in the Igbo family also obtains in most African
families. Hence in this write up, reference could be made to African
family at intervals within the work. This study intends to do a
Ezi-na-Ulo and Umunna: In Search of Democratic Ideals 95

phenomenological and hermeneutical analysis of the traditional Igbo

concept of family. The Igbo family in this context, one must bear in
mind, refers to the traditional Igbo family as uncontaminated by the
influence of colonialism and Judeo- Christian values, ethics and
morality. However, this does not entirely exclude the contemporary
Igbo family which has undergone a lot of changes sequel to external
cultural influences.
The paper also examines the principles that underlie the
practice of democracy. How fruitful has democracy been in the
African continent? It presents the colossal failure of democracy in
most African states. This calls for a rethink.
Has Igbo family anything to offer or contribute toward
achieving authentic African democracy? Prima facie, the Igbo family
seems to be undemocratic. It seems to lack equality, freedom and
dialogue because due to its patriarchal nature, the father seems to
exercise unlimited amount of power and dominance over the wife
and children. The general belief is that women are subjugated in the
Igbo culture and tradition.
In the first place, the fact that the Igbo seemingly regard males
as superior to females is undeniable. This is evidenced in the Igbo
linguistic and epistemic schemes. For instance the Igbo name for
male is ‘oke’. Oke is regarded as superior to nwunye, the female.
Oke moto means superior car; oke ulo means superior house.
The above situation notwithstanding, one finds out that the
presumed subjugation of women in reality is not as it is reported.
Rather, on a more critical and closer examination, one finds out that
the principles that guide the Igbo family are democratic. Even the
notion that Igbo family is patriarchal has come under serious
challenge. Ideals that are inherent in Igbo family could serve as a
panacea to the imported Western liberal democracy. Igbo family can
serve to build a democracy rooted in African culture and tradition.

Democracy
The relationship between the concept of democracy and the word
itself is so close that a brief glance at the etymological derivation
quickly paints a picture of what democracy is about in one’s mind.
Etymologically, democracy comes from the Greek word, "demos,"
meaning people and “cratos” meaning “rule”. Democracy is a rule
96 Anthony Ufearoh

by the people. In democracies, it is the people who hold sovereign

power over legislator and government. Modern democracy is rooted
in ancient Greece, especially the Athenians. Democracy which is
“rule by the people” was understood in sharp contrast to monarchy,
in which one person ruled, and Oligarchies, in which a few ruled.
After a few decades of embracing democracy, most African
countries are still bedeviled by series of political problems. This is
evidenced in the civil wars that have been ravaging the continent,
political and economic instability et cetera. We have sit-tight
presidents who failed to live up to the democratic credentials they
professed because of their intolerance of oppositions which they
often drove underground. There are abuses of human rights,
coercion, nepotism and all forms of corruption. Notwithstanding that
we practice democracy, government of the people by the people; the
masses still feel alienated from the government of the day. These
indications point to the fact that Western liberal democracy has
failed to yield its lofty promises in Africa.
On a more serious note, part of the reasons for the failure of
Western liberal democracy in Africa lies in the failure to harmonize
or to blend the Western ‘imported democracy’ with the realities of
African culture and socio-political life. The above point is very
important and should not be neglected. Oliver Iwuchukwu has
argued that political theories must begin with anthropological
presuppositions.2An authentic African democracy must incorporate
the realities of African world.

Ezi-na-Ulo and Umunna: A Hermeneutical Approach

In Igbo language the concept of family is expressed as “ezi-na-ulo”.
Morphologically speaking, ezi-na-ulo are two nouns joined by the
coordinating conjunction ‘and’. They are binominals and antonyms
but they conjure an imagery of complementarity. Example of other
polar binominals in Igbo language are olu na Igbo (riverine and
heartland), ohia na uzo (bush and road). One needs a thorough
knowledge of Igbo culture to fully appreciate the anthropological
import of complementary binominals. Uchendu did a socio-cultural
analysis of ezi-na-ulo. He writes:
Ezi-na-Ulo and Umunna: In Search of Democratic Ideals 97

Ezi-na-ulo is more than a homestead. It is a cultural

phenomenon of great complexity. A basic spacial unit
in Igbo social organization, analytically ezi precedes
ulo in structural time, but ezi loses its functional
integrity once ulo disintegrates. It is the peace of ezi
that brings prosperity to ezi-na-ulo …. Although in
structural time, ezi precedes ulo, both protect ezi-na-
ulo. In cultural terms ezi-na-ulo constitute a unity. You
cannot meaningfully think of the one without thinking
of the other. In structural analysis ezi-na-ulo are polar
concepts but they are also complementary. Their
complementarity lies in the fact that it is the social life
in the ulo that activates the cultural life of the ezi, the
achievements of the ulo that are celebrated in ezi and
vice-versa.3

From the above citation one can easily deduce that the seeming
polarity that exists between ezi and ulo gets harmonized or
reconciled in the ezi-na-ulo -the family. Ezi connotes outside,
exteriority whereas ulo connotes inside, interiority. The family now
becomes the point of harmonization. The family is both a natural and
sociological institution. Being a natural institution and the first cell
of the society, it is common to all men in all cultures. From a
sociological point of view, the family is as Carl Smith holds, “a
close warm group of people, which creates a large environment
where all the members especially the children, feel secure, accepted
and loved.”4 It is a primary or sociological unit and serves as the
basis for the development of the larger society. For this reason, the
sense of family is not restricted to Igbos and Africans alone.
Ezi na ulo structurally unite to form one concept. Ezi-na-ulo is
not just a bundle of material cultural traits; it is a people -- people
united by a bond of kin network and interlocking functions and
reciprocities. It is this network of people that is referred to as Ezi na
Ulo. This is primarily a nuclear family; conglomeration of which
gives rise to extended family –Umunna.
A conglomeration of different families which may or may not
be from the same lineage gives rise to umunna. The concept of
umunna far exceeds the nuclear family set up of just a husband, wife
98 Anthony Ufearoh

and children. It is rather a wide range of extended family relations.

Iroegbu explored the limits of Umunna as follows:

‘Umunna’ literally means: children of the father. The

father in question here determines the level of the
closeness of kinship. The extended family father is the
determining parent in ‘Onuama’ which is constituted by
the totality of the nuclear families who are descendants
of the same grand or great grand father.5

Odimegwu gave a hermeneutic approach to the concept of ezi-na-

ulo. He states: “Indeed the ideal of the family that emerges from a
proper hermeneutic of Ezi-na-ulo (the Igbo term for family) is quite
enlightening and captivating. This term captures the reality of
holistic being and existence.”6 He further x-rayed the
complementarity of the two words ezi and ulo, highlighting the
political implications.

The two words ezi and ulo are polar words yet they are
complementary. The conjunction ‘na’ serves as the
operative conjunction that unites the shores of the river
of human existence into the new reality of procreative
bridge, bond and institution. The Igbo family therefore
symbolizes unity of being as well as multiplicity of
aspects….The Igbo family is therefore predisposed
“…for the production of dialogical person: the
quintessential leader in the communalist leadership
system of the traditional Igbo society…..7

Among the Igbo the extended family is not simply made up of

father, mother and children. It comprises a whole group of persons:
the head of the family with his wife or wives, his children, and
grandchildren, and also his brothers and sisters with their wives and
children, his nephews and nieces, in a word, all those persons who
descend from a common ancestor. In Igbo language there are no
separate words for cousins or nephews or nieces; every person is
either a brother or a sister. It is not how large this family is that is
important, but what role it plays in keeping together the members.
Ezi-na-Ulo and Umunna: In Search of Democratic Ideals 99

Although some people may argue that in the Igbo family the
husband tends to be domineering over the wives and children. But
this is not the ideal. Inasmuch as the Igbo family is patriarchal it
does not give the man the unlimited lease to become a despot over
the entire family. It does not also negate the high respect accorded to
women in Igbo family. Women are highly regarded in Igbo culture.
This is because it is not only that they are closely related to child
bearing but also the beauty and the care of home depends so much
on them. One of the major manifestations of the life-forces is
procreation. It is natural for a man to seek for the female womb
wherein he will plant his seed. In this case, woman stands in the
position of being the most powerful symbol of perpetuation of unity
and life in the universe.
In traditional Igbo setting women have their structure of
political authority parallel to and often countervailing those of men.
The Igbo have male crops and female crops, male functions and
female functions, ceremonies that are exclusive to women as well as
ceremonies that are exclusive to men. And so it seems that there is a
very intricate sense of balance in those arrangements.
In the study of cultures, when it comes to religion, we see the
culture of the people in its nakedness. It is here that one sees the
high regard which the Igbo culture has for women. Unlike Euro-
centric Christianity and Islam which do not allow women to become
priests and imams, Igbo culture has a place for priestesses who
attend to most of the powerful gods in the land. Chielo was the
priestess of Agbala in the novel: Things Fall Apart.8

The Metaphysics of the Igbo Family

Metaphysics is concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of
being. Here it involves the fundamental nature of the Igbo family.
This is the raison d’être and the essence of the Igbo family. A little
examination of the metaphysics of the Igbo family shows that the
Igbo family just like the Igbo world view comprises of both visible
and invisible members. Talking about the Igbo worldview Uchendu
says:

First, the Igbo world is an integrated one in which all

created beings, the living and the dead, are in
100 Anthony Ufearoh

communion through symbolic interactions and other

communication channels. In Igbo view the world of
man is not strictly divorced from the world of the
spirits. Lineage continuity is a cooperative enterprise
between the world of man and the world of the spirits.
Existence in this world involves interaction between the
visible and the invisible, and the living and the dead,
each honouring a contract based on mutual interest and
reciprocity.9

Following the Igbo worldview, the Igbo family has a tripartite

membership which includes the living, the dead and the unborn. The
concept of the family goes beyond the living members. The
ancestors and all the dead members are part of this large family. This
means that the family never reduces in number. Those who are
married into the family and the children born into it help to swell the
number. The dead relatives remain permanent members. “The
living-dead (ancestors) solidify and mystically bind together the
whole family…African concept of the family also includes the
unborn members who are in the loins of the living”10. They are the
future hope.
The inter-connectedness of the individual and the community
stems much from the extended family system that serves as the
framework on which the community is built. The extended family
system gives rise to kinship, which is one of the most fundamental
constituents of all human societies. The above interconnectedness
also underscores the spirit of unity and oneness that obtains in
community. This has been described as communalism. This
communalism is built on the Igbo extended family. The spirit of
oneness is not limited to the nuclear family, it extends beyond the
group from the same ancestral tree to a clan or village or even town.
The individual is not alone in the world; he is surrounded by
members of his community. A person is complete only in so far as
he is part of this community. An African, right from birth, learns to
believe that ‘I am because I belong’.
The Igbo social structure is modeled on the extended family
system. The extended family is made up of a number of nuclear
families bound together by blood relationship. Ezi-na-ulo, therefore,
Ezi-na-Ulo and Umunna: In Search of Democratic Ideals 101

is not the extended family system, per se. It is the nucleus of the
extended family system. The extended family comprises the
Umunne and the Umunna congregations of as many ezi-na-ulo or
nuclear, conjugal families as there are in that lineage. These include
the brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, uncles, aunties and cousins,
extending to as many generations as could be traced and connected,
who have their origins from the same ancestral father and mother, as
well as the in-laws.
No nuclear family is totally autonomous. Each must necessarily
be connected to others so as to form a complete Igbo family, which
then is normally large. This model of the family widens further so as
to include the kindred- the extended patrilineal family known as
umunna. A gathering of kindreds in turn constitutes a lineage-Ebo.
This lineage eventually extends to form a village- Ogbe, which is
simply a collection of lineages. A conglomeration of villages forms
a town- Obodo. This is the wider extent of the Igbo social unit.
The peculiar fact about the family is not only that it is a
relationship built on love; it is also open to life. Every human being
has a form of nostalgia towards home. It is a natural habitat for
human beings. One can choose one’s friends but the same cannot
apply to one’s mother, father, sister or brother. The relationship that
obtains in the family is a relationship based on love and not solely
on legislation. There are values and principles that guide the Igbo
family. Ezi-na-ulo and umunna operate on the principles of dialogue
and consensus. The metaphysics of the Igbo and African family
further informs and enhances this sense of dialogue and communal
communication. In Igbo ontology, man is not an isolated being. He
is a “being- with”.He is in communication not only with his fellow
human beings but also with gods, ancestors and other visible and
invisible beings that are existent in Igbo world view.
In ezi-na-ulo and umunna, there is basically recognition of
common responsibilities, reciprocal assistance pattern and joint
economic activities either on production or consumption or both.
There is also maintenance of expressive relations among extended
family members through visits and support at crisis periods.
Extended family is found everywhere but it is emphasized in some
societies more than in others. In the societies it is emphasized like
Igbo societies it could sometimes not only lead to undue parasitism
102 Anthony Ufearoh

but also adversely affect the individual freedom. Some other

principles that underlie the Igbo family include:

Integrity: Every ezi-na-ulo and umunna has a name to protect.

Members strive hard not to defame the family. Hence the Igbo say
Ezi afa ka ego, meaning that good name is better than wealth.

Consensus: Life in ezi-na-ulo and umunna operates more at the level

of mutual understanding and consensus than at the level of
legislation. This does not mean that there are no guiding laws. There
are guiding laws. Far beyond the rule of law, there is the rule of love
and mutual understanding. When conflicts and misunderstanding
occurs, brotherly love guarantees reconciliation.

Equality Before the Law: Equality has remained one of the most
controversial wordS in politics. For some equality seems to lack a
place in Igbo cultural setting where women seem to be subjugated
by men. Prima facie, this seems to hold true but on a closer look and
examination the situation is not as it is presented. One is now left in
a dilemma as to who subjugates who? But we must make the
distinction between functional equality, ontological equality and
equality before the law. Being homo sapiens all human beings are
equal for the fact that they possesses rationality which distinguishes
man from other lower animals. But functionally all human beings
are not equal. This was radically presented by Aristotle when he
argued that some are born to be masters whereas others slaves.
People are differently gifted. All fingers are not equal and can never
be equal. Equality before the law applies to all. Nobody is above the
law. In Igbo setting, not even the king is above the law.

Ezi-na-Ulo and Umunna: A Model for African Democracy

It is these values found in ezi-na-ulo and umunna, as have been x-
rayed that made Izunwa conclude that ‘the democratic spirit is easily
discernible in Igbo land through the forms of government which we
find within her organization viz: the family (ezi-na-ulo), the
compound (obi), the village (obodo)…’ etc. All political thinking
Ezi-na-Ulo and Umunna: In Search of Democratic Ideals 103

transcends individual domains into these vast conglomerates…11This

is a democracy that is authentically African. It is a democracy that is
people-oriented and open to dialogue. It is participatory and
consultative in its process of decision-making.
Western liberal democracy is faulted on its emphasis on
aggregate of votes which overlooks the dichotomy that exists
between the majority and the minority. One of the classic complaints
against majority voting is the risk of ‘majority tyranny'. There is a
dire need to reconcile this dichotomy through dialogue and
consensus. In multi-ethnic African states consultative democracy
finds a way of somehow circumscribing the authority of majorities.
Here voting is not the “be-all and end-all” to the legitimating of the
decision. There is room for dialogue and consensus.
Consultative democracy calls for compromise (if not literal
consensus), in place of overt conflict. There is bargaining, but its
tone should be accommodative rather than adversarial. The political
style is 'inclusionary' rather than ‘exclusionary’. Representation
becomes proportional rather than majoritarian. There is no doubt that
consultation functions to generate inputs into the policy process.
Consultative democracy may seem clumsy and at times the
consultation itself may be toothless. Yet we notice that the toothless
consultation just has exactly the same structure as the 'right to free
speech' — which is something we ordinarily (and rightly) regard as
absolutely central to democratic politics. The practice of rotational
presidency in Nigeria is an example of an outcome of consultative
democracy.

Conclusion
This paper has x-rayed the fundamental principles underlying the
Igbo family. A hermeneutical analysis of ezi-na-ulo gives rise to a
family characterized by dialogue, consensus, freedom and mutual
understanding. A look at the metaphysics of the Igbo family shows
that the Igbo family has tripartite membership: the living, the dead
and the unborn. These interact, forming a web-like structure. This
underscores the place of unity in Igbo family setting. There is unity
in diversity. The above principles are essential characteristics of any
stable and efficient society.
104 Anthony Ufearoh

Some prominent African thinkers have as such tried to use the

African valuable concept of extended family as basis for modern
socio-political and economic theories and action. The family model
is particularly noted for its compatibility with some fundamental,
cultural and anthropological dispositions of Africans. One easily
remembers Nyerere’s philosophy of Ujamaa. In Okolo’s book,
African Social and Political Philosophy, one reads that Nyerere used
the concept of Ujamaa (family) to outline the type of socialism he
thought would be suitable for Africans. This suggests that the Igbo-
African family can also serve as a model for authentic African
democracy. Sequel to the community -oriented and elastic nature of
Igbo family, a democracy that accrues from it necessarily becomes
people-oriented. It is participatory and consultative in decision
making.
Ezi-na-Ulo and Umunna: In Search of Democratic Ideals 105

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2. Iwuchukwu, O. “Democracy and Regional Ontologies” in J.

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3. www.springerlink.com/index/5327081t62500512.pdf

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1993).83.

5. Iroegbu, P. Appropriate Ecclesiology. Owerri: International University

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6. Odimegwu, I. “From Our Past to Our Present: In Search of Responsible

Leadership” in Ike Odimegwu (ed.) Philosophy, Democracy and Conflicts
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Educational Book. 293.

7. Ibid., 293.

8. Achebe, C. Things Fall Apart. Ibadan: Heinemann Educational

Books,1958, p. 70.

9. Uchendu, V. 1995 Ahajioku Lecture: “Ezi na Ulo: The ExtendedFamily in

Igbo Civilization”, www.springerlink. com/index/ 5327081 t62500512.pdf.

10. Mbiti, J. African Religion and Philosophy, London: Heinemann,

1975. 107.

11. Izunwa, O. ‘Utilitarianism, Democracy and Conflict Resolution in

Igbo African Subregion’ in I. Odimegwu, Philosophy and Africa, Vol.1,
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