Preserving the Past, Shaping the Future
Introduction & Background When one speaks of Old Calabar in the 19th century, images of palm oil wealth, bustling markets, and trading ships anchored along the Cross River come to mind. But beneath this economic dynamism lay a society deeply rooted in tradition, where law, order, and spirituality were enforced not by kings alone, but … Read more
Introduction The history of African peoples is often told through their cultures, oral traditions, folklores, and the subtle ways communities borrow from one another while still retaining unique identities. Among the many fascinating cultural intersections in West and Central Africa, the relationship between the Efik people of Cross River State, Nigeria, and the Ejagham clans, … Read more
Setting the Stage – Efik Elegance and the Onyonyo There is a certain magic that lingers in Calabar weddings, a kind of aura that makes them stand apart from many other cultural ceremonies in Nigeria. Step into the courtyard of an Efik home on the day of a bride’s traditional wedding, and you will see … Read more
Introduction The Niger Delta, a labyrinth of rivers, creeks, mangrove swamps, and fertile uplands, has for centuries been home to diverse communities who made the waters their highways and the land their sustenance. Long before the intrusion of Europeans and the rise of colonial administration, the peoples of the Delta—Urhobo, Itsekiri, Ijaw, Isoko, Anioma, Ndokwa, … Read more
The Ikeji Arochukwu Festival is one of the most important cultural celebrations in Igbo land. It is unique to the Arochukwu Kingdom in Abia State, Nigeria, and is celebrated annually with a series of rituals, dances, thanksgiving ceremonies, and ancestral communions. The Ikeji Festival 2025 has been officially approved by His Majesty, Eze Mazi Godwin … Read more
Foundations of a Port City — The Colonial Blueprint When people today drive down the bustling Aba Road or pass the elegant glass towers of GRA Phase 2 in Port Harcourt, it is easy to forget that the city did not emerge organically like most Nigerian towns. Unlike Aba, which began as a market town, … Read more
Before the White Man’s Medicine – Healing in the Delta The Niger Delta, long before the sails of European ships cut across its creeks, was a world of mangroves, river spirits, and communities bound together by traditions. Health and healing here were not separate from daily life; they were woven into the fabric of society. … Read more
Introduction & Early Boom If you walk through many towns in the Niger Delta today, you’ll find traces of wealth and struggle written in the land itself: the ruins of ancient houses, aging family shrines built with imported stone, or oral songs sung by elders about chiefs who once “ate with kings across the sea.” … Read more
When we talk about the history of governance in Africa, our minds often run to chiefs, kings, councils of elders, or colonial administrators. But in many communities, real power and order were enforced not by men sitting on carved stools, but by societies that operated from behind the veil of secrecy. Among the Annang and … Read more
Introduction Across the sweeping savannahs and river valleys of Central Nigeria lies one of the most fascinating stories of kingship, priesthood, and confederacy in African history. The Jukun people, heirs of the legendary Kwararafa Confederacy, embody a cultural tradition where politics and spirituality are inseparable, where kings are priests, and where divine legitimacy fuels human … Read more