BNW

Cultural diversity is, I find, an absolutely fascinating subject. As I go through my daily routines, I encounter all types of different and interesting practices. Like everything, these practices that I have come across can be grouped in terms of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

For example, the three dominant ethnic groups in Nigeria, the Hausa-Fulani, the Yoruba and the Igbo, have some very interesting and diverse practices. Which of these practices are good, which ones are bad, and which ones are ugly? That, fortunately for all concerned, is not a question for me to answer, but for you to decide.

Nigeria, more so than most other countries in Africa, is a smorgasbord of cultural diversity. I look at a country like Nigeria and wonder how so many different ethnic groups are able to co-exist in one country, but yet manage to maintain their diversity, their ethnicity.

At one level, some might say that these groups manage to live together because arguably, they comprise one nation. Therefore, they share the same principles and ideals, as well as the same vision for Nigeria.

Some may even compare Nigeria to the United States, where the northern and southern states have traditions which are as different as night and day, but all the people are still Americans when it comes down to the nitty-gritty. So must all Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo be Nigerians at the core of their beings. Thus, in no particular order, the good, the bad and the ugly come together to make the whole.

For me personally, having encountered some of the good, the bad and the ugly, I must state that I cannot, in good conscience, subscribe to the theory that when it comes down to the wire, the Hausa-Fulani, the Yoruba, and the Igbo are, at their core, the same people. Let me give you three very brief and distinct examples of cultural practices from each group, and then you can decide whether the good, the bad and the ugly are really the same people.

In Nigeria, I have observed that the Hausa-Fulani man is wrapped up in the Islamic phenomenon known as Sharia. Islam is interesting because it is not simply a religion. It is a way of life too - weird one at that. The Hausa-Fulani man who is embroiled in the whole Sharia business is comfortable with amputations of necessary body parts, stoning women to death, and public floggings of children. Ouch! For myself, I think I'll stay away from that part of the country when I have occasion to visit Nigeria again.

The Yoruba man, on the other hand, practices something which I find rather puzzling. In my interactions with Nigerians in general, I have received dire warning to be careful of the Yoruba man, because he is a "dirty" man. Mind you, when one tells you that someone is "dirty," perhaps you envision, as I did, a messy house or taking a bath three times a week, or something along those lines. To my eternal shock, I have, in my observations, discovered the meaning of the word "dirty" as applied to the Yoruba man. Imagine, if you will, the following scenario. The Yoruba man has a practice of using the same pot that he uses for cooking food, as a chamber pot. For those of you who do not catch my meaning, I will explain. When the Yoruba man goes to bed at night, he takes with him a pot from the kitchen. During the course of the night, if he should feel the need to relieve himself (number one or number two), he simply uses the pot. In the morning, he empties the pot and then uses the same pot to cook his breakfast, lunch or dinner. Yikes! For myself, I think I'll stay away from that part of the country when I have occasion to visit Nigeria again.

Last, but certainly not least, is the Igbo man. Now, the Igbo man will regal you with tales, real and imagined, about his beloved Biafra. Hail Biafra!

He will fight for Igbo independence and for Biafra. He is so steeped in his Igbo culture and his Igbo heritage that you wonder how he functions in everyday life. Now, to me, this is an interesting cultural bent because once the Igbo man leaves his beloved Biafra and comes to any point in the West, something happens to him.

Yes, he still espouses sentiments of Biafra and Igbo independence bordering on the fanatical. He talks about it constantly, and even goes so far as to spend his hard earned money in pursuit of these ideals. I find it puzzling, therefore, that such a man, when he has decided that it is time to settle down and breed the next generation of fanatical Biafrans and Nd'Igbo, he does not marry an Igbo girl. In fact, he marries anyone but another Igbo. Things that make you go "hmmm". For myself, I think I'll stay away from the Igbo when they have occasion to visit my country.

After having just scratched the surface of these ethnic practices, I hesitate to go further. But even this limited encounter has provided me with a glimpse of inhumanity, grossness and obsession. Depending on your point of view, all or none of it may be good, bad or ugly. You decide.

But certainly, you must admit that just these three examples expose the extent to which these three major groups are different from one another. In the fullness of time, these differences may be the glue that holds Nigeria together, or they may be the catalyst for its disintegration. As I await your final determination, these cultural tendencies remain, as always, fascinating.

Cultural Diversity in Nigeria: Perspective:: of Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo