Why Edo - African History?

By Uwagboe Ogieva

“A race is like an individual man. Until it uses its own talents, takes pride in its own history, and loves its own memories, it can never fulfil itself completely.”-"History is a people's memory, and without a memory, man is demoted to the lower animals." Malcolm X

 “We are because they were ” - Prof Iyi Eweka

True knowledge of own history, common cultural and moral values of a people do form basic catalyst of unity among them. The study of history does not in anyway prevent anyone or people from approaching current problems, making future plans and achievements but rather enlightened and strengthen their minds and visions for challenges ahead, history is a light into the future.

The importance of Edo – African history is to sharpen the cultural and national identity problems of the people. Teach them how well they can use their own talents, take pride in their own history and love their own memories. Edo history is part of African history that must be studied and learned  not only in the schools, but also in the home.

 
Dr. Henry Clarke once stated that in the twenty-first century there will be over one billion African people in the world, and there will be high demand for proper knowledge and education of true African history and Identity. And that history includes Great Benin-Edo history. 

Dr. Clarke also defined history as a clock that people use to tell their political time of day. A compass that people use to find themselves on the map of human geography. History tells a people where they are and what they are. Most importantly, history tells a people where they still must go and what they still must be.

Heritage, in essence, is how a people have used their talent to create a history that gives them memories that they can respect, and use to command the respect of other people. The ultimate purpose of history and history teaching is to use a people's talent to develop an awareness and a pride in themselves so that they can create better instruments for living together with other people. This sense of identity is the stimulation for all of a people's honest and creative efforts. A people's relationship to their heritage is the same as the relationship of a child to its mother .  

Contrary to a misconception which still lingers today that Africans (precisely Black Africans) never had a civilizations of impressive scientific innovation and administrations, the Benin -.Edo people were familiar with sciencific arts, architectural works, literature and administrative excellence many years before their contact with the Portuguese and later British. Up to the challenges of their time in science and technology, Agriculture and political administrations. To claim that there was no structural way of writing and communication is false and unrealistic because language and grammatical compositions are developed with time and across ages. Before the breaking-up of the social structure by the Western imperialist Europeans with their politics, religion, language and education, basically the Portuguese and Britain, Benin had a sophisticated civilization and legacy well documented to the text. What you have today is a product of the colonial (British) structure and mission: “Nigeria a mere geographical expression” as described by Obafemi Awolowo.  Composition of ethnic nations yet unliberated to ethnic national rights where people of common values, culture, history and language are allowed to exist  within their national government  policies.

The Great Benin-Edo history is very important as its relate to African American and Diaspora history. Many researchers today, are looking for valuable informations and data to correct the erroneous views of early European scholars and explorers, who initially didn't include most African history and civilizations as part of world civilization with crucial influence on   western and current world civilizations [much in modern science and technology]. This can be observed on Dr. John henry Clarke statements:

“The Founding Fathers revered by historians for over a century and a half, did not conceive of the Negro as part of the body of politics. Theoretically, these men found it hard to imagine a society where Negroes were of equal status to whites. Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States, who was far more liberal than the run of his contemporaries, was never the less certain that "the two races, equally free, cannot live in the same government. I have been referring to the African origin of African American literature and history. This preface is essential to every meaningful discussion of the role of the African American in every aspect of American life, past and present. I want to make it clear that the Black race did not come to the United States culturally empty-handed. To understand fully any aspect of African American life one must realize that the African American is not without a cultural past, though he was many generations removed from it before his achievements in American literature and art commanded any appreciable attention. "

Most African scholars, precisely Nigerian writers of other ethnic groups who wrote early history of the Benin - Edo people  were either bias and driven by ethnic sentiment, presented false explanations and lazy research works as to how her influence affects most southern states of Nigeria. and to set that record straight, it is therefore imperative to allow the proper lesson and  true historic facts through blogs and forums including the communication media for proper education.

Learning Edo -African history is to correct and ameliorate errors and mistakes of the pasted. A people who have no proper knowledge of  what went wrong in their past and how they fell to slavery, mental and spiritual colonization are bound to repeat or fall prey to same, again. History  should be the lens they use to watch their present and future occurrences. It is discover to recover. Can't cure a sickness without proper knowledge of it root and causes.

Awareness and proper education of self and own history for diaspora Africans born or emigrated to the western world, who have lost touch with reality of their true identity and language. Most Benin-Edo family: descendants and children born in Europe and America are not exposed to their own history, language  and ATR in their various educational institutes, except now that the internet is exposing most muted knowledge of World realities.  For in stance, children born in Germany are only taught to learn and take German history, language, religion and culture. Same applies to France, Spain, Holland, Italy, Denmark, etc. 

Conclution:

Yes, “There are three periods in the life of a people or in the life of a country. The three periods are yesterday, today and tomorrow. Yesterday belongs to the dead and to chroniclers; today belongs to current functionaries and operatives and you will find them all over the place. Tomorrow belongs to visionaries and idealists, without whom you cannot build a new society”. --Pa Anthony Enahoro

And those visionaries and idealist must have good knowledge of what and who they dealing with to make any successful achievement

Again, will like to refer to the statements of Prof Eghosa Osagie at the Edo Okpamakhian symposium Benin City April 2006:

“It is necessary for the Edo nation to retreat from recent enchantment with new negative values that are alien to our way of life.  These attitudes are so negative that they have the potential of destroying the society.  These attitudes were developed in the recent past when politicians suddenly had easy access to unprecedented wealth, no matter how acquired.  The process of globalization, satellite television, the Internet and ability to travel to other parts of the world have created a social monster in Edo society.  People readily discard their cultural values in order to conform to the emerging dominant values on the global scene. A combination of money politics, clannishness and greed easily ensures that the interests of the people are easily compromised for personal financial gain.  Political leaders from other Nigerian political zones easily take control of the political fortunes of the people through local proxies that readily perform as errand boys. A return to old Edo moral values is indispensable for the survival of the Edo nation.  We need to honour our past in this way if indeed we are to have a future.”

Edos  are tomorrow's people. But, of course, Edos  were yesterday's people too, and with the  understanding of their new importance they can change the world, if first they change themselves.

Of course, how they use what they have learned to make their tomorrow better without living in yesterday is what challenges of the time demands from their scholars, politicians, religious and traditional leaders-

source: http://ihuanedo.ning.com/profiles/blogs/why-edo-african-history