Checkout The Top 5 Places That Tell The History And Reveal The Culture Of The Igbo ( Especially No. 5)
Nigeria, are known to have a rich culture and
remarkable history.
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.
Here are the 5 of the places where the
culture and history of these people who
dominate the eastern part of Nigeria can be
discovered.
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-workingculture 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 apear – shaped bowl. While
some of these artefact have been exported
and some lost, the Museum plays a significant
role in preserve the remaining Igbo
ukwupieces, 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.
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.
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
isa 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.
National War Museum Amafor Isingwu
Umuahia
National War Museum Amafor Isingwu
Umuahia is a museum set up to exhibitrelics
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.
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,
theprominent 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 servedas 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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