The Continuity of Traditional Values in the African Society

The Igbò of Nigeria

In this stimulating book, an experienced professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology of Africa and a missionary discovers in the Igb of Nigeria some very positive pre-colonial African philosophy of life and system of thought which blended so well with Christianity that it helped the ancestors survive some of the unwanted colonial upheaval of their days, and are still relevant to our day.
The Continuity of Traditional Values in the African Society is a comprehensive work that digs deep and guides us to the essential factors that could help a human group to sustain and preserve its values in the midst of various upheavals through the centuries. In this typical example used, the book penetrates into the fabric of the culture of the ancestors of the Igb people, their cultural ethos and ideologies and how they fought to defend their culture and traditions in the midst of aggressive and sustained colonial invasion. It gives an overview of the family, lineage and demographic structures, socialization patterns and traits, the socio-economic institution and industry, and the famous direct democracy political setup that would have earned them a particular recognition in the present modern world avid hunger for democracy. The book points dwells also on the religious beliefs, language, concepts and philosophy of life, which were behind their openness to Western possibilities while at the same time they preserved their essential values.