Nigerian Cultural Heritage Preservation Challenges
Nigerian Cultural Heritage Preservation Challenges
Nigerian Cultural Heritage Preservation Challenges
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Abstract
Nigerian is a country endowed with a lot of cultural heritages
sourced from its multicultural communities. Contemporary status of
most Nigerian cultural heritages (both material and non-material) is
best described as endangered. This paper derives from a functionalist
perspective which descriptively presents a historical,
anthropological, and archaeological account of the Nigerian cultural
heritage. Efforts at preserving these heritages are obstructed with
daunting challenges, particularly human activities such as trafficking
and exportation of Nigerian arts, thefts and looting of museums,
vandalism, iconoclasm, Christianity, civilization, commerce, change,
and developmental projects among others. Hence, the clarion call for
its preservation due to avalanche of prospects derived from an
adequately preserved cultural heritage.
Introduction
Globally the importance of heritages to countries and even in
developing nations like Nigeria cannot be over-emphasized. This is
due to its economic, historical, tourist, aesthetic, educational and
research significance. For a critical and comprehensive
understanding of Nigerian Cultural heritages, the approach adopted
in this chapter is anthropological, archaeological, and historical and
the pattern of presentation is purely descriptive. Heritages are
cherished characteristic features of a society passed down from
generation to generation through conscious preservation. Heritages
refer to the riches of extinct and extant societies which are of
historic, educational, recreational, and economic importance,
preserved and handed over from one generation to another. Put
differently, heritages are significant endowments emanating from
man and nature. Following from the above, heritages could be
categorized into two, based on their sources namely:
ecological/natural heritages and cultural heritages. Nigeria is
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Theoretical Explanations
The need to preserve Nigerian cultural heritage is best explained
through the functionalist perspective as enunciated by Bronislaw
Malinowski (1884-1942). Functionalist emphasize that society
consist of inter related parts which work for the integration and
stability of the whole system. Malinowski’s functionalism assumes
that all cultural traits are useful parts of the society they occur, in
other words; all customary patterns of behavior, belief attitudes, and
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(a) Peoples of the western forest belt whose major ethnic groups
are the Yoruba, Edo, Urhobo, Itshekiri, etc.
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(b) People of the eastern forest belt: are Igbo, Efik, Ijaw, Ibibio,
Ogoni, ogoja, etc.
(a) People of the middle belt: They are the Tiv, Nupe, Igbira, Jukun,
Idoma, Igala, etc.
(b) Peoples of the far North belt: They are the Hausa, Fulani and
Kanuri etc.
Northern Nigeria
1. Annual Argungu festivals in Kebbi state.
2. Annual Sallah Durbar in Katsina State
3. Gidan Hausa in Kano state
4. Farribachama Annual festival of Adamawa state
Southern Nigeria
1. Eyo masquerade of Lagos state
2. The Bakor Yam festival in Cross River state and others
3. Osun – Oshogbo festival in Osun state
4. Imo Awka masquerade ceremony in Awka, Anambra state.
Apart from the above, Nigerian societies are known for their
unique new yam festivals celebrated in almost all communities in
Nigeria. New yam festivals depict the agricultural prowess of
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Nigerians and their cultural value for hard work. Nigerians practice
unique traditional marriage ceremonies such as the Igba-Nkwu
among the Igbo and fattening festivals that help to educate young
maidens with virtues and chastity for womanhood. Other Nigerian
indigenous festivals that need to be preserved are: Eyo festival in
Lagos, Lagos state, Fattening festival in Calabar, Cross River State.
Pategi Regatta in Niger State, Moremi Festival at offa, Awon mass
wedding at Shao in Kwara State, Epa festival at Obo Aiyegunle
Ilorin, Agemo festival Ijebu Ode, Igogo festival at Owo in Ondo
state, Boat Regatta in Rivers state, Epe Boat Regatta (Aremu, 2008).
Other Nigerian cultural heritages were the blacksmithing
industry, brass-casting, bronze works and metal-working industries
practiced across Nigeria, terracotta; wood carvers constructed
beautiful stools and doors, engravings on walls and rocks etc. All
these skills which served as good entrepreneurial and income
yielding jobs have been abandoned for foreign ones in the quest for
civilization (Anigbogu & Onyima, 2013). For instance, Aremu,
(2008) reports that after mining in traditional metal-working
industries, the spongy mass of metallic iron known as the bloom is
often sold to blacksmiths with which they fabricate several objects
ranging from farm implements, hunting and fishing materials, palm
wine tapping tools, weaving implements, household utensils, wood
carving tools, ceremonial staff, military weapons, political royal
swords, seats and scepter among others. This implies that the
blacksmithing industry permeated most sectors of the society and as
such its relevance and significance to pre-colonial Nigerians was not
in doubt. It is also evident that this local industry created an avenue
for employment and entrepreneurship beginning from the miners, to
blacksmiths, distributors and even to users of products from the
blacksmithing industry (Anigbogu & Onyima, 2013). Considering
the avalanche of benefits that could be derived from Nigerian
cultural heritages, there is need for a clarion call to consciously
preserve Nigerian heritages in spite of the daunting challenges facing
its preservation.
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Conclusion
According to Fasuyi (1973), as at 1970 Nigeria had no specific
written document known as Nigerian national cultural policy, the
federal government inherited and continued the colonial
administration policy on antiquities. This assertion has long
changed, as a cultural policy for Nigerian was approved and
launched in 1988 (Lo-Bamijoko, 2009). This cultural policy is
anchored on the following;
(a) Preservation of culture
(b) Promotion of culture
(c) Presentation of culture
(d) Establishment of administrative structure and provision
of funds for its implementation.
This paper has therefore focused on the first part of this policy by
conceptualizing Nigerian cultural heritage, narrating the historical
dimensions and efforts by Nigerians and the Nigerian government
towards preservation, challenges and prospects, if myriads of the
Nigerian cultural heritages are preserved.We therefore recommend
the following; state festivals of arts and culture should be revived as
was done previously. It should begin at the local government levels,
winners should be sent to state festivals and finally to federal
festivals of arts and culture competitions. By so doing the basic
essentials and appreciation of Nigerian cultural heritages will be
inculcated into younger generations. Media coverage of these
cultural festivals would also broadcast the nation’s cultural heritages
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