| 1 |
Author(s):
Adetunbi Richard Ogunleye (Ph.D).
Page No : 1-9
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African Traditions and the Modern Healthcare Delivery System in the Contemporary Nigerian Society
Abstract
Some existing literature on healthcare were of the opinion that living in good health is the desire of everybody. Consequent upon this, the various ethnic groups in Nigeria have traditional means of handling their health challenges. However, since the arrival of orthodox medicine that accompanied Christianity to Nigeria, traditional healthcare has been facing existential challenges. This study sets to examine the relevance of traditional healthcare system to the health benefit of the contemporary Nigerian society. The study employs qualitative method of data collection and adopts historical and sociological approaches to analyse the data collected. Findings revealed that traditional healing is not against modern healthcare but supplementary to it as the World Health Organization approves its usage to cure illness. Also, studies in nursing science show that the tradition of the patients under the care of medical personnel must not be suppressed; more so as the traditional therapy is pushing forward in the global healthcare delivery system. The paper concludes that African tradition on healthcare system has sustained Nigerians over many generations. It therefore recommends that government at all levels should rally round traditional methods of healing so as to address the cases of sicknesses that are now defying orthodox medications.
| 2 |
Author(s):
Chukwuma Emeka Godson (Ph.D), Eze Okorie Igodo (Ph.D).
Page No : 10-17
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Socio-Religious Imperatives in a Name: Traditional Religious Perspective of the Igbo of Nigeria, West Africa
Abstract
A name is not just a label but an instrument for identification, communication and expression. Beyond these, it is a religious instrument, among the Igbo people of South East Nigeria, meant for the enhancement, prediction and control of man’s life not just in the physical world but also in the world of the ancestors. In recent times, some people give their children foreign names that their meanings do not reflect the world views of the Igbo, but rather portend ills. World systems theory which posit that nations relate with each other in a hegemonic order according to the quantum of technology they have developed, thereby wielding controlling and dominating influence over others that are not equally endowed for their own benefit. The paper used the method of discourse analysis to review names among the Igbo people of Nigeria, aimed at unraveling the categories of names, sources of names among the Igbo, symbolic nature of names and characteristics of symbols, expressed in Igbo names. The paper revealed that Igbo names are not just tags or convenient identification badges but rather repositories of historical archives, semantically condensed with meanings expressive of the peoples hopes, aspirations, promise, threat, praise, reviles, satires, sympathies and prayers, imbued with their world view that is religious. It recommended that foreign names that may sound sweet to the ear but means little or nothing to the people should be discarded for the rich meaning laden Igbo names.
| 3 |
Author(s):
Eze Okorie Igodo (PhD).
Page No : 18-27
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An Appraisal of Traditional Marriage Rites in Onicha Sub Culture Area, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
Abstract
Marriage is not just a union between a man and a woman, it is a tie between two families and one in which traditional gifts are exchanged between the two families concerned. Although universally accepted, there is the problem of uniformity in the way marriage rites are conducted. This varies from community to community and even from country to country. In some communities, it is simple while in some others, it is complex. The purpose of this study is to find out the structure and peculiarity of betrothal or marriage rites in Onicha subculture area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Interview and observation methods were employed for this study. The tomcat theory was used to analyze the concept of marriage. This study will apart from significantly adding to our rich cultural heritage, educate and encourage suitors from other parts of the world to engage in intertribal marriage which will assist to a large extent in fostering peace and unity among the people of Nigeria. It was found that the marriage structure in Onicha subculture area has remained basically the same. What differ are the rites and rituals involved in the marriage process. Novelties imported from other cultures also have both social and economic implications for young men of marriageable age. Government at all levels should legislate on what should be the standard marriage procedure to make marriage less expensive and more affordable to persons of marriageable age.
| 4 |
Author(s):
Odji Ebenezer.
Page No : 28-49
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Identifying Notable Threats to the Sustainability of African Art and Culture
Abstract
Studies relating to African cultures and sustainability have increased patently over the last few decades - a trend that has not yielded much for the sustainability of the African cultural identity and Art. This mounting unsustainability of African culture is partly due to the methods and perspectives adopted as many of the studies approached the sustainability challenge from the colonial, post-colonial or westernised viewpoints which considerably subtly exclude vital aspects of the pre-modernised African culture. Therefore, this study approached the sustainability of the African culture via a proposed Traits-Threats-Sustainability (TTS) theory view point in which specific threats to shared cultural traits/values (of the pre-modernised African culture) were identified. The neutralisation of the threats, the theory proposed, will ensure the sustainability of the shared cultural traits. 12 core threats to 11 shared African cultural traits were identified as derived from a review of relevant literatures, genealogical tales and direct observations. This study therefore recommended an unbiased neutralisation of the identified and other related threats as a means of ensuring the sustainability of African Art and culture without hindering the sustainable development of Africa.
