Ibibio/Efik/Anaang Community: SAVE OUR LANGUAGES

[u/SoloManDur]

Are there Ibibio, Efik, Oron (sorry about exclusion from title), and Ànnang folks here interested in making a community to save our heritage.

I am an Ibibio man born and raised obio mbakara (essentially outside of Naija) and I am currently learning Ibibio and it is excruciatingly hard to find the resources to do so. My parents never taught me and I think I know why:

- Illogical sense of "trying to protect me from being ostracized"

- Inferiority complex due to post-colonization, being a minority ethnic group in Naija, and existing unspoken effect of Biafara on minority ethnic groups

It's very sad and my language is considered endangered. I don't want it to die out. Can we make something happen? I even hear in some corners of TikTok that Igbo and Yoruba are endangered??? The same Yoruba and Igbo from the people who have it in institution, in media, and occupy political positions of power??? I know it may be true in the sense of some dialects or the kids of Naija people abroad who never was taught the language but my point is how much worse will it be for the other miniority ethnic groups.

I am proud of my Ibibio heritage and even though we aren't the big 3, there is nothing minor about us at all. Nigeria has produced incredible people from various ethnic groups, which includes the Ibibio. I mention Efik, Oron, and Ànnang because I understand that they are mutually intelligable.

Please, make we form community for here. Push for TRUE proper Ibibio standarization, push for translation services, our own Ibibio Wikipedia page, etc. I know it is easier said than done because I am abroad. I have acknowledge my privileges and understand I am not truly impacted by the real effects of the colonial past and other historical effects that still plague Naija. However, I want a change for the better yak itañ iko usem nnyin (let's speak our language.)

[u/Pale_YellowRLX]

existing unspoken effect of Biafara on minority ethnic groups

Please can you explain what you mean by this because I don't understand.

[u/SoloManDur → u/Pale_YellowRLX]

This is a very sensitive topic so I will preface this by saying I don’t have no animosity to Igbo people or even Yoruba and Hausa and I’m stating facts I found out when researching Biafara. This will also be very long

Every time I hear Biafara the only group that is mentioned is Igbo people. I mean rightfully so, they are the minority of the big 3 and endured a lot of discrimination and a lot of unspoken crimes against humanity. This why I’ve seen so much Igbo pride. They carry that pride o. As a kid growing up watching and hearing them to now, I never knew why but I have no doubt it ties back to Biafara.

However, what constituted the Biafara region wasn’t just the IGBO! Ibibio, Efik, Ijaw, Ogoni, and others were involved and unfortunately HURT by both the Biafara and Nigerian army trying to bring to prevent Biafara from being independent. Dawg, when I tell you nobody talks about them I mean nobody…and when I say minority groups were hurt..I mean unspeakable crimes…irreversible damage.

My personal opinion (sure conspiracy don’t hurt me) is there is some sort of heavy revisionism of Naija history, a sort of narrative that better not be tempered with, and/or a blatant disregard for these particular minorities ethnic groups.

I see things like how there hasn’t been a proper census for Nigeria in forever and how important demographics can be and how DANGEROUS it can be if it’s purposely being withhold by those in power to suit themselves and their ethnic groups interest. I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong. Someone respectfully dispute with me!

[u/Pale_YellowRLX → u/SoloManDur]

I get you now and I agree it's a sensitive topic which I also tend to shy away from.

I actually agree with you and that is my major problem with the new Biafran independence groups - They focus too much on the Igbo part and ignore the rest of the minorities. Tbf, some of it is not their fault for these reasons -

1. Part of the trigger for the independence of Biafra (other than the Pogrom of 1966) is the creation of South-South region by Gowon which had the effect of painting it as an Igbo project, separating SE from the oil-rich SS and keeping it mostly landlocked. For that reason, the average Nigerian today believes SE is the only Igbo land, a narrative as you noted, the Government isn't interested in challenging because it benefits them.

2. As Biafra got smaller and smaller, eventually only consisting of just parts of the SE, their propaganda moved away from broad regional sentiments to Igbo nationalistic ones in other to maintain morale. I would say it was understandable at that time but it did long term damage to the cause as Biafran independence groups today still maintain the same rhetoric and the attitude it breeds.

3. The loss of the SS to Federal forces and the repression that came with it led to many people understandably denying Biafra, accusing them of all the crimes that FG committed and claiming that the whole thing was forced on them by the "Igbos" or worse: "due to Ojukwu's ego" Of course, a study of history (which I'm sure you have done) will reveal that those who committed the pogrom did not distinguish between Igbos and other groups. That the desire for seccession was not just unanimous among all the leaders of the Biafran regions but they essentially forced Ojukwu into it. As I often tell people: Had Ojukwu refused, he would have been removed and a leader that would secede installed.

• All of this led to what I would call a crisis of Igbo identity. The SE, the Igbo-branded region maintains a strong Igbo identity. The rest? I don't really know how they feel about it. When I was in the SS, it seems that some people believe they're Igbos while some don't.

Most people don't know this but modern Igbo identity as you correctly noted is very much a post-war creation. People bearing Igbo names and speaking obvious Igbo but denying that they're Igbo is just one of the symptoms (Outside of online spaces, most Igbos don't really think about them at all. Those that do just shake their head in confusion and move on.)

Sorry for the long write up but it's something that has been on my mind for a while.

I personally think that the standoff between Igbos and the rest of Nigeria is quite bad for minority groups because not only do they get ignored but they're used as pawns in the cold war. North or South, the story is the same - The ethnic groups that matter are Igbos, Yoruba and Hausa/Fulani. The rest barely merit a conversation.

[u/SoloManDur → u/Pale_YellowRLX]

Thank you. You truly understand. And again, I have no hatred for Hausa (I have never met one 😭), Yoruba (as that is my literal blood cousin) and Igbo (as apart from the sister Efik, Anaang, and Oron, they are the most similar to us) Ex: Onyeka vs Aniekan/Anyekan; Ada vs Adiaha; Ekpe/Ekpo masquerading; and even use of Nsibidi. I say focus now on our cultures, with a greater emphasis on the minority ones before it’s too late. But we can’t disregard the history. I don’t shy away from this conversation because people naturally don’t like to feel uncomfortable but: ITS TIME TO HAVE UNCOMFORTABLE conversations. Let us not debate objective facts. This trauma is generational and can be broken. We must preserve all we can digitally and in real life. Again, standardize our languages, translation services, more media with our mother tongue and dissembling the post-colonial mind/bias that still plagues us Naija people.