Christians Watch And Pray” – A Review Of The Book “Ijaw Cultural Practices And Preservation Of Christian Heritage”

Book: Ijaw Cultural Practices And Preservation Of Christian Heritage

Author: Rt. Rev. Emmanuel O. Oko-Jaja, Bishop of Niger Delta West Anglican Communion.

Reviewer: Amb. Godknows Igali, PhD, OON, FHSN, FNAH, FNIM

Pages: 258
Publisher: Plom, Rivers State 

 INTRODUCTION   

The book ‘Ijaw Cultural Practices and Preservation of Christian Heritage’ is a multi-disciplinary study that covers Sociology, Anthropology, History, Religion and other related disciplines. The study is a periscopic overview of the entire culture and way of life of the Ijaw people seen from the prism of a Christian Theologian and Missioner. While the initial intention appears to have been an exercise in weighing the way of life of the people in the sections of the Ijaw ethnic nationality of Nigeria under the purview of the author’s ecclesiastic jurisdiction vis-à-vis their conformity with Christian dogma and teachings. The ultimate outcome is an eclectic overview of how these people have lived for centuries. 

Interesting enough, the studies on the cultures of the Ijaw people in the areas which includes Yenagoa, Nembe, Brass, Sagbama, Ogbia, Ekeremor, Kolokuma/Opokuma, Bomo, Apoi, Bassan is a microcosm of the cultures and traditions of the rest of Ijaw people. By the way, the Ijaws, who are found as indigenous people in six states in Niger Delta of Nigeria (Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Edo, Ondo and Rivers States) are the fourth largest ethnic group in Nigeria; coming after the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. Indeed, most recent studies contained in the recent publication “The Ijaws of the Niger Delta” led by E. J. Alagoa, J. P. Clark and Tekena Tamuno have further clarified the fact that the iterant nature of Ijaws, who are predominantly fishermen has led to their presence all around countries in the Gulf of Guinea such as Cameroon, Gabon, Ghana or even as far as the Caribbean. These factors are also well alluded to by Oko-Jaja in his work. From historical linguistic studies, carried out by Prof. K. Williamson, the Ijaw language is a distinct branch of the Niger-Congo family and might have separated from almost all other groups in West Africa as far back as about 5-7 thousand years ago. Indeed, Joseph Greenberg, the renowned American linguist, therefore, in his studies stated clearly that the Ijaw language would have split very early from all others. It is based on this that other scholars such as Gerrit Dimmendaal was bold enough to reason that the Ijaw language group should indeed be an independent family and not joined with Niger-Congo. 

 Arising from the above, it is clear that Bishop Oko-Jaja’s study, I must say, was about one of the oldest ethnic nationalities not only in the Niger Delta or Nigeria but in all of West Africa. As rightly prefaced in the work by Prof. E. J. Alagoa, Oko-Jaja continues on the trajectory of the grandfather of the Church in Nigeria, Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther. As adumbrated by Dr Boladei Igali in his recent seminal study titled “The Church, National Development and the man Archbishop Nicholas Oko”. Ajayi Crowther, the first African to be ordained a Bishop, designated as “Bishop of the Niger” focused his early missionary work in the heart of Ijaw land. He established Churches in Akassa (1861),  Bonny (1864), Brass (1868), Nembe (1871), Elim Kalabari (1875), Okrika (1880) etc. from the reports which Bishop Crowther, and later his son Archdeacon Dandeson Crowther sent back to the church missionary society in England. The scenarios which are depicted in Bishop Oko-jaja’s study are analogous, though they are about 150 years apart. In the 1860’s and 1870’s when the church planting was taking place in these areas, the various kings of the area vacillated between the new monotheist Christian faith and the cultures of their people. King Kien, Mingi VI, who ruled from 1846-1863 and his successor Joshua Constantine Ockiya, Mingi VII, who ruled from 1863-1879 were classic cases in this respect. 

SCOPE OF THE STUDY  

This book covers a very broad scope. These includes such areas as:

• The theoretical concept and definitions on the concept of culture and its inter relationship with Christian faith. 

• The impact of morals, values and beliefs and its impact on their Christian faith.  

• The role of such institutions as marriage, procreation and rights of passage on the individual Christian faith.  

• The place of culture and traditions especially festivals and cultic activities on the effort at consolidation of Christian faith. 

 • The value attached to rights of passage Birth, adolescent, initiation rights into adulthood, death and burial rights vis-à-vis Christian faith. 

ORGANISATION OF THE WORK  

The work is divided into four main sections.

These are as follows: 

1. Culture and Christianity: this section dwells on defining the role of culture in the growth of any people. Adopting various tools of Anthropology with sufficient references to both national and international scholars, the author concludes the fact that culture is an authentic mirror of any society. It provides a panoramic view of who they are, where they are coming from and can give a glimpse into where they are going to. In this same chapter one which is about 19 pages, he also lays bare how culture and Christianity are related in Nigeria. From this pedestal, he continues in chapter 2, 3 and 4 to show how Christianity has been able to exist between the ambit of diverse cultural and traditional practices in Africa, Nigeria and South-South area in particular. Perhaps with insight on his own spirituality, in what Robin Horton (1975) described as “Rationality of Conversion ” in his duel with Kenyan Christian philosopher, John Mibiti and also with Nigerian ethno theologist, Prof. Bolaji Idowu. The author in our judgment follows the trajectory of these spiritual/intellectual forebears.  Indeed,  Oko-Jaja concluded in this section that Christian mission has created sufficient impact in the areas under study, but has not totally brought about an eclipse of traditional dots.  

2. Section B covers what the author calls the Anglican Christian heritage, which is from page 69-103. This section begins by defining what Anglicanism is all about, and its origins. The author adumbrated his clerical credentials by spelling out the various victuals and lethogical paraphernalia of the Anglican Church. It is of great interest that much asset is placed on the book of common prayers and the peculiar nature of Anglican worship, and little mention is made of the bible which the prophet Joshua described in Joshua chapter 1 as “this book of the law”. Indeed, some Christian writers have insisted that the bible is the fullness of God’s revelation to mankind as well stated in John chapter 1, verses 1-5. And besides, “all scripture is given to us for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work 2Timothy 3:16-17. In the rest of this section, the author touches essentially on how the church penetrated Ijaw land, particularly Bayelsa State. He was also diligent in recognizing that Christianity had earlier made an incursion into the Benin Empire by the Portuguese during the beginning of the 1550’s and the subsequent entry into Warri area by the Spanish. Although the focus of church growth in both areas was on the Bini and Itsekiri people, the mention of this point was important because the Ijaw population are commingled with both other groups so some level of influence could have occurred. Thereafter, they focused on church planting in the Nembe area in the late 19th century. In a unique research, not much available in many literature, he traced the gradual move of the church upland to the Ogbia and the Epie area, to the Kolokuma area and the Ekeremor area. This was mostly tied to the work of the likes of H. Proctor and T. R. C. Wilson and locals such as Rev. D. O. Ockiya and G. I. Amangala. Again, the historical account is brought to the fore by providing data on the origin of the Diocese of the Niger Delta West which came into being as a branch of the Diocese of Niger Delta in 1999. Its cathedral remains at St. Luke, Nembe. It is important to mention that some of the details in this book regarding the consolidation of the church in this particular part of Ijaw land are being published for the first time.

These have been written from an insider perspective and may therefore form the basis for further research into specific aspects.  

3. Section C which contains chapters 8, 9 and 10 of the book is a work of great ethnological worth for historiography and ethnological work. In the beginning of this section relying on the rich work of E. J. Alagoa, author joins the debate on the origin of the Ijaw. He also sources facts from other published data and some surviving aspects of oral tradition to add to the body of knowledge on the subject matter.  Perhaps to stay out of trouble, Oko-Jaja adopted a scissors and paste in this section and ended stating the various accounts as received. He therefore ends the section without a conclusion which could have been expected from any scientific work. After all, many experts argue about the scientific credentials of the study of history (Please see Godknows Igali “Historical Hypothesis, the Historian of the man E. J. Alagoa, 2021). This section, in chapter 9 touches on Geography and political divisions of the Ijaws. Despite the widespread presence of a people covering almost the entire landmass of the Niger Delta, he was able to apply linguistic cognate studies to trace some common traditions and practices. This is particularly with respect to what he refers to as “the religiously sanctioned traditional political system which is still intact. Page 127”. The closing part of that section focuses on the religion and worship system of the people. Again relying on existing studies and raw data, he has demonstrated the polytheist nature of the Ijaw world view. He lays great emphasis on the fact that this notwithstanding there was a consciousness of one single God who was Deified and recognized as supreme. And added to this is the fact that this study also emphasizes the matriarchal nature of the Ijaw concept of divinity where the personal names of God are female and described with female pronouns. These include such names as Ayiba, Tamara, Woyingi. The rest focuses on issues on sociology and social Anthropology covering the various rights of passage on religious festivals, sociocultural etc. 

4. Section D. this is the last and final section of this rich work. Covering page 147-239. Gladly as a Christian missionary, Oko-Jaja agrees with Alagoa and some writing by Igali and other researchers that with Christian faith “numerous traditions of Ijaw people have been abandoned or altered as the population has become ‘increasingly’ Christians. Christianity” has therefore permeated the society with the majority of the population affirming to be Christians. Perhaps,  I should opine that, the majority of the people have become somewhat obedient to the Pauline doctrine “if any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things are passed away behold all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Their old ways of life therefore, have become replaced by those expected as members of their new faith as spelt out in the Christian bible. From birth to death and through the entire journey of human life, Christian heritage has become the order of human existence and for the majority of Ijaw people. Considering the early entry of the Anglican Church through the work of the Church Missionary Society (CMS), the entire area covered by the study is therefore predominantly Anglican in origin and denomination. It is however surprising that the author is very silent on the very successful incursion of the Evangelical and Pentecostal denominations as well as Roman Catholicism into this predominantly Anglican enclave in the past. Before ending this section however, the author highlights the fact that a high level of non-Christianly practices still exist despite the successful planting of the church. Some level of idolatry, syncretism, occultic tendencies especially with regards to funeral rights, polygamism and adultery, prostitution etc are rife. These are things that poke the whole doctrine of the new birth. As the metaphor of the new birth which Paul states in his letter to the in Galatians chapter 4, insists that the Christian work is a life of sacrifice with the direction of Christ likeness. 

CONCLUSION   

Arising from this detailed, bibliographic and research based study, chapter 12 brings the work to a close with a somber but hopeful conclusion that Christianity particularly through Anglicanism has become entrenched among the Ijaws. The entire work is also a wakeup call to the church to recogitate on the words of the Apostle Peter that “be sober minded and alert because the devil is moving to and fro looking who devour” (1st Peter 5:8). Indeed, we recall in the book of Job chapter 2:2 that God Almighty Himself, in His omnipotence and omniscient majesty, questioned Satan as follows: “from where have you come”. Satan answered “from going to and fro the earth and from walking up and down on it”.  

So having received the faith, this work by Oko-Jaja is a wakeup call for renewal of Christian piety, motification and sanctity. It is a deeply evangelical work as contained in Matthew 26:41 that Christians should “watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation”. This was even better stated by the song writer, Charlotte Elliot in verse one of her famous song Watch and Pray. She stated inter alia “Christian Seek not yet repose, for thy guardian angel says, thou art in the midst of foes, watch and pray”.  

If the Church must continue to withstand the attacks of non-Christian practices which are gradually coming back, the Church must rise back to studying the word, embark on massive evangelism and unending spiritual warfare of prayers because the foes of the church are not sleeping. They are still going to and fro and putting together all their arsenals. 

This notwithstanding, the Church must also find how to draw the line between what cultural practices of the  Ijaw people can be preserved and promoted.  Obviously, it is not cultural practices that are inimical to faith in Christ. On the contrary,  there are many cultural traditions that have very positive valorative content. Over the centuries such good cultural practices have seen the moral compass of society with an inbuilt reservoir of the history, identity and heritage of the people.  

 In all, the book is a great work of evangelism and is a must read for all lovers of Christ. The work speaks to us all, and pricks our hearts to guard our loins; we cannot afford to rest at this time. We must realize as the song writer says “principality and powers mustering their unseen array wait for thy unguarded hour, watch and pray”. But more than all these  we must “watch as if and that alone, hung the issue of the day, and pray that help may be sent down”. 

On behalf of my wife, children and all men of goodwill  I congratulate Bishop Oko-Jaja, his dear wife and all of us gathered here on this auspicious occasion. We congratulate you for 12 years of great apostolic work as a Bishop and wish your ministry many greatly fulfilling years ahead.  

Congratulations and God bless you continuously.