| 1 |
Author(s):
Emmanuel Foster Asamoah, Ebenezer Tetteh Kpalam (Ph.D).
Page No : 1-15
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Towards Developing African Christianity: An Overview on how the Christian Faith was Handed Down by Western Missionaries to Africans
Abstract
The Christian faith continues to enter different cultures and finds its clothing in the new land it enters. This has resulted in what is known as Jewish Christianity, Greco-Roman Christianity, and European Christianity. It does so by re-interpreting and transforming the culture and traditions of the new environment in the light of the Christian faith towards a “home-grown” Christianity. However, it is observed that African Christianity is yet to critically engage with the culture and traditional values of the African environment in order to develop an indigenous African Christianity. This could be due to the fact that Christianity was introduced into Africa by Western missionaries, who perceived African religion and traditional practices as demonic. Consequently, Christianity in Africa presents Christ as a European rather than an African, thereby creating Christianity in Africa, instead of developing an African Christianity. Using historical studies approaches, the paper posits that Africans could develop an indigenous Africa Christianity when the gospel critically engages and transforms the traditional beliefs, myths, stories, idioms and cultural life of the African people.
| 2 |
Author(s):
Victor Obinna Chukwuma.
Page No : 16-45
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A Legal Analysis of the Pre-Colonial Igbo Peoples’ Perspective to Criminal Justice
Abstract
Research shows that whereas the intuition against criminality is of universal human nature, the approach of a particular society to criminal justice administration may differ from that of other societies. According to the legal pragmatism theory, the customs, beliefs and historical circumstances of a people are relevant to judicial reasoning as well as judicial approach to crime resolution. Against this background, this research carefully examines the pre-colonial Igbo society and finds that the society had its own peculiar criminal justice system by which criminal disputes were resolved. This article therefore seeks to analyze the Igbo people’s mindset on the twin issues of crime and justice. In aid of this analysis, the researcher will discuss the Igbo customary judicial procedures, such as mediation, criminal arbitration, oath taking, and trial by ordeal as well as important customary practices such as igba afa (divination), igba ndu (covenant/bonds) and ikpu aru (purification). Notwithstanding the criticism of some of these practices in terms of human rights issues, procedural accountability, etc, the researcher argues that Igbo criminal justice procedures and practices are characterized by social harmony, flexibility, social pressure, and strong religious beliefs.
| 3 |
Author(s):
Abednego Audu Datsau.
Page No : 46-62
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Curbing the Menaces of Rape and Sexual Violence in Contemporary Nigerian Societies
Abstract
The aim of this research work is to curb the menace of rape and sexual violence in contemporary Nigerian societies. This became necessary because rape and sexual violence are some of the challenges which many suffered from in contemporary Nigerian societies. These vices have gradually become a serious threat to vulnerable people in the country. It is no longer safe for female children and women to walk alone in some places because of the fear of being raped or sexually abused. The findings of the research have shown that there are alarming rate of rape and sexual violence in Nigerian society. For there are many instances in which children, especially female children have been raped on their way to or from school or at home when their parents left for works. Therefore, this problem has done a lot of damage to many female children and women alike. It has also shattered the life of many people, who have been victims of this evil menace. Although people who have been affected by the evil of rape and sexual violence are suffering from the trauma of what happened to them, yet little is being done to curb this menace. This research has shown that this is a pathetic situation that requires urgent attention from all concerned and well-meaning citizens. The major question which this research paper has answered is that: What is it that should be done in order to curb the menace of rape and sexual violence against those who are vulnerable to these inhuman acts in Nigerian societies? While the method that was used in this research is “Random surveys” of cases of rape and sexual violence in Nigeria. The researcher finds it necessary to adopt this method because it is suitable for an objective generalization of the findings. Meanwhile, the theory on which this research hangs is the “Holistic Approach Theory”. The premise of this theory is that curbing the menace of rape and sexual violence in contemporary Nigerian societies requires the collective efforts of the community, the church, the government, civil society/NGOs, mass media and that of the concern citizens. The research presupposes that unless all efforts are collectively put together, it will be difficult to fight these evils that have ravaged our societies.
| 4 |
Author(s):
Cyril Osilama Adamu (Ph.D).
Page No : 63-80
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Commercial Gestational Surrogacy and Afrocentrism: A Determination of the Nigerian Disposition
Abstract
This study surveys the disposition of Nigerians to commercial gestational surrogacy. It also examines the moral dilemma created by the fragmentation of motherhood into biological, gestational, and social motherhood that has created enormous conflicts over who should be considered a ‘mother’ and the concomitant parental rights and responsibilities for a child. The debates surrounding gestational surrogacy and its implications on existing reproductive rights raises most profound issues on the maternal roles which historically resided in one mother, and how this phenomenon can be situated within the African cultural milieu. While legislations exist in many countries on the permissibility or otherwise of commercial gestational surrogacy, there are no meaningful legislation specific to commercial gestational surrogacy in Nigeria. Therefore, the overall objective of this research is to determine the Nigerian disposition to commercial gestational surrogacy. To achieve this objective, a total sample size of two thousand (2000) questionnaires containing thirty items, aimed at capturing the subjectivity and phenomenology of this study, were randomly distributed amongst some selected Nigerians, and responses were collected and analyzed using simple percentages. Data collected indicates that 89.2% of the respondents were negatively disposed to commercial gestational surrogacy. Findings further show that gestational surrogacy presents challenges with some ethical and Afrocentric objections and unfavourable disposition. In conclusion, this study recognizes that gestational surrogacy has the potentials to adversely impact the value of human dignity and the family unit, and therefore a problem of public ethos. This study recommends that an authentic Afrocentric ethics should drive any legislation that might emanate from Nigeria concerning commercial gestational surrogacy, that Afrocentrism should be of paramount consideration in all gestational surrogacy engagements. Therefore, the Afrocentric import of gestational surrogacy should form a starting point of all engagements and actionable programmes in this novel emerging moral dilemma called “gestational surrogacy.”
| 5 |
Author(s):
Elochukwu A. Nwankwo, Pamela I. Eze-Uzomaka, Uche J. Ngonadi.
Page No : 81-96
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Heritage Narratives and Continuity in the Era of Pandemic: The Rural Nigeria Experience
Abstract
Literature has it that heritage resources have not felt better with the series of previous global pandemics. These pandemics have created a lot of discontinuities in the life of these resources. However, this study was aimed at interrogating how COVID-19 pandemic has created hiatus (discontinuity) in heritage narratives in rural Nigeria. The study engaged key informant interviews, focus group discussion and observations, and data collated were analyzed descriptively. Multi-stage sampling was used in the sampling of 12 communities and 36 key informants for the study. At the end, aspects of heritage narratives as it concerns various traditional communities in Nigeria were interrogated. This includes heritage preservation, heritage transfer, heritage identity and promotion, heritage making and authenticity, heritage tourism, and heritage studies. From the discussions, it was deduced that the hiatus (discontinuity) that was induced by Covid-19 lockdown order, has monumental effects on cultural heritage resources in rural Nigeria with implications on their use and sustainability. The study further recommended stakeholders collaboration, registration and digitization of these cultural heritage resources.
| 6 |
Author(s):
Yasin Abubakar (Ph.D), Abubakar Samaila (Ph.D).
Page No : 97-104
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Traditional Economy in Northern Nigeria: Pre-1968 Economic Activities of the Gungawa of Yauri and Borgu Emirates
Abstract
This paper examines what some scholars of Economic History such as A.G. Hopkins described as ‘Domestic Economy’ or what others like T.B. Ingawa and G.O. Ogunremi referred to as ‘Pre-Colonial Economy’ of African people. The Economic History of a people is an account of how the people in a particular place or a community earned their living in the past. The primary focus of this paper is an examination of economic activities of the Gungawa before their forceful resettlement from their traditional homeland on the numerous islands and banks of River Niger in Yauri and Borgu Emirates to the eastern and western banks of the river as a result of the construction of Kainji Dam. Although discussions in the paper centre on the pre-colonial period, the scope of the paper is extended to almost two decades after colonial period because the resettlement in 1968 produced everlasting consequences on the pre-1968 economic activities of the Gungawa.
| 7 |
Author(s):
Innocent Paschal Ihechu (Ph.D), Don Christian Afulike, Udochukwu Emmanuel Ndukwe.
Page No : 105-124
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Promoting Human Rights Awareness Initiatives: Perspectives on Media Framing and Community Actions to Eradicate Cultural Practices against Women in South East Nigeria
Abstract
This study set out to investigate the perspectives of journalists in south-east Nigeria on the framing and community actions towards promoting human rights awareness initiatives for eradicating cultural practices against women. Relying on the above problem, objectives were set to determine journalists' awareness of the cultural practices against women in south-east Nigeria, ascertain the level of audience exposure to framed stories in the media about cultural practices against women; and thus evaluate journalists' perspectives on promoting human rights awareness initiatives through framing of the practices. Using the survey method, a sample of 276 journalists and a sample of 384 members of the media audiences were studied using the questionnaire as an instrument for data collection. In the end, it was found that the journalists were adequately aware of the practices under study. It was also found that the audiences were well exposed to media frames on the practices. Finally, findings revealed two perspectives on the subject matter which included approaches to framing the practices including (highlighting the negative implications of practices, co-opting NGOs, interpreting contents, among others) and community actions to eradicate the actions (employing innovative methods to shift share beliefs about the practices, enthroning educated leaders, infusing enlightenment into school curricula, and so on). It was therefore recommended that the media, policy makers, NGOs, community leaders, among others should make efforts to sustain the present advocacy to change all cultures that demean the dignity of women and other members of the society.
