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By Iwuchukwu Ezenwafor
Of late, there seem to be a gravitational tidal wave of an organic ethnic identification and cultural reawakening of people who have ancestral relationship/connection with the mainland Igbos of the South East across the landscape of Nigeria nay Africa. As much as it is happening in and around the contagious states surrounding the South East zone, it is simultaneously reverberating across the African continent, the Caribbean and the North America. And in a manner of a bandwagon effect, certain ethnic nationalities who are simply regarded as neighbours are also pressing home the fact that they are Igbo ancestral relatives. Something is interestingly playing out!
Who are the Igbo?
Over time, so many historical accounts and evidence have elaborately pointed to the fact that the Igbo race are aboriginal Israelites. In other words the present indigenous Igbos populating the South East Nigeria and beyond originally migrated from the ancient territory of Israel in the land of Palestine.
According to the transactional slave trade records, it is known that any slave merchant ship’s manifest that showed content of Hebrews attracted more attention/competitive patronage. The preference for Hebrew/Igbo slaves resulted in special demand for “onye-Igbo” which the European merchants mispronounced as “oyibo” in the course of their routine requests and transactions hence the whites are nicknamed/referred to as “oyibo” till date. And in the earliest references to the West Coast of Africa and the inhabitants that peopled the Songhai Empire before the commencement of transatlantic slave trade, the Hebrew settlers of the now Eastern Nigeria were mentioned in the referential ancient records. Before the annexation of today’s Nigeria as a colony, the official requisite report to the British Crown stated that a certain people located close to the coast have a custom of circumcision on the 8th day. The coded statement simply indicated the discovery of Hebrew settlers. Recently, in a routine official report by the National Security Adviser, Henry Kissinger to the POTUS, Richard Nixon on Biafran war in 1969, he referred to Biafrans to as the wandering Jews of West Africa. Just to make references but a few!
The aboriginal home
In order to judiciously drive the legend home, I want to painstakingly dissect the acclaimed account of the Igbo ancestral origin as descendants of the Biblical Jacob. From the authority of the Biblical record (Gen. 30:11), it is established that Jacob begat Gad as his seventh son. Consequently Gad begat seven sons (Gen. 46:16) including Eri, Arodi and Areli who were in the company that sojourned with the Patriarch in the land of Egypt in Africa.
Going by the special consideration and mutual understanding (Numbers 32:1-36), the house of Gad was among the three tribes that dwelt in their allotments way before the River Jordan. In other words, the tribe of Gad inhabited the outskirts of the Promise Land towards the border and the route to the land of Ham (Africa). It was therefore very natural that their proximity and connection to the African gateway must have incidentally necessitated their eventual migration as refugees down to the hinterland of the continent.
It is obvious that during one of the series of fierce battles that raged on around 8th century BC ( 11 Kings 17:18-24 ) culminating in the unprecedented massive dislocation, dispersion and migration of several tribes (including the tribe of Gad ) of Israel, critically affected the dwellers beyond Jordan.
Indigenous ancestral home
The legend had it that members of three out of the seven families of the tribe of Gad namely: Eri, Arodi and Areli bypassed the way to Egypt and embarked on an unusual distressed flight deep down to the West Coast and made it together to the present day Igbo Land. The landmark evidence of this exclusive account is the relic of a monument left in the memory of their Progenitor, Gad (OBU GAD) in line with the ancient Hebrew tradition of being identified with their genealogical name and the common practice/ordinance of setting up a symbolic monument for posterity. It is worthy of note that till date, in regard to genealogy, there is yet no such evidence of historical significance in the whole of Igbo land nay Nigeria as found in the said Obu Gad in Enugwu Aguleri of Anambra State. There is therefore no gain-saying the fact that there is no reasonable doubt against the confirmed discovery of the legitimate and credible ancestral home of the Igbo race. Beside certain physical evidence like the ancient bronze star of David, ancient Hebrew art/writing that was interpreted by visiting Israeli anthropologists in 1997 etcetera are some tangible rare landmarks. As a matter of fact, several local and foreign independent researches and investigations conducted so far at different times are all in affirmation with the veritable claim.
It is also very important to note that the emigration into Africa by the refugee Hebrews of the time in reference was not only to the eastern part of the present day Nigeria. It is evidently proven that several bands of distressed Hebrews settled down in several locations within the African hinterland. The situation was so bad then that the majority population of the Hebrew nation (10 tribes) excluding the tribes of Judah and Benjamin reportedly scattered to the nooks and crannies of the globe!
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The twist of fate syndromes
It is not just good enough to ascertain our root but as a matter of necessity to discover and at same time appreciate the corresponding heritage. As the saying goes: nothing goes for nothing, so it is in the case of life destiny as an act of God, influenced and affected by the inherent state and conditions of one’s root, background or foundation.
It is interestingly revealing to note that the root or foundation of Jacob has an unusual attribute predicated on the peculiar Abrahamic covenant of the old. As the inheritor or custodian of the first substantial communion deal for mutual relationship with the Creator after Adam, he (Jacob) carried a stupendous grace with a highly distinguished status as the progenitor of the nation of Israel. This touch of the Divine translated to the exceptional destiny and placement of all that has part in the Hebrew ancestry till date!
Now, it is a matter of an unusual situation where it is very obvious that there has been inexplicable challenges encountered by all the bands of Hebrew migrants that sojourned in the sub-saharan Africa. Unlike what happened in every other place, the same people migrated to the world over, their awful experience in the African soil leaves much to desire. Whereas the Hebrew settlers turned out to become the catalysts that impacted on the fortunes of their hosts across Europe, America, Asia etcetera, the reverse is the case in the whole of Africa. It seemed Africa shut them in and devoured their enviable heritage as a covenant people. Empirically the light of Jacob unfortunately dimmed in Africa!
Till date, within all the locations that hosted the Hebrew settlers, the light of Jacob translated into celebrated commerce/industry, technological advancement, innovations/inventions, and the remarkable state of wellbeing are strongly manifest. They are yet the significant agents of transformation and excellence the world had ever known. In almost all the facets of human endeavour, they have arguably no rival in the whole wide world!
The reasons for the two opposite pictures are crystal clear. Whereas the settlers in every other places maintained/held tight to their ancestral covenant and values, the bands that sojourned in Africa were incidentally overwhelmed and disinherited by the forces of abominable tradition of idolatry. The whole lot of African Hebrews including the Igbo were down the ages regrettably stripped off their covenant grace and the enviable ancestral Godly heritage!
Restoring the covenant heritage/light of Jacob
One underlying dividend of the dispersion of the ten tribes of Israel is the massive exportation of the knowledge of the only true God (YAHWEH ) as it were. That was what was curiously missing generally in the whole of the settlement locations across the black continent without exception! Of course Africa has never recovered from that singular abuse of an uncommon privilege till date. Generally-speaking, the pitiable backwardness and ironical twist from being the most endowed territory/continent on the face of the earth to becoming a proverb as the face of human decadence and extreme poverty is legendary. As such it remains the eighth wonder of all times since no human knowledge can comprehend or demystify the puzzle!
Here comes the unlocking knowledge in form of a rare divine revelation by His enabling priceless grace. As a matter of fact, no mortal would have unravelled or proffered answer to the ridicule of a geographical space known as sub-saharan Africa. From Cape of Good Hope to the Central up to the Horn, rising up north and descending westward to the ECOWAS region, the black continent is a mere caricature waiting till date on the threshold of redemption and redefinition!
The singular mission of the Igbo and the likes that have the privilege of carrying Jacob’s DNA thereby sharing unfettered natural access to the deep well of his grace and light is to take up the mantle to surmount Africa’s enormous challenges. The timing is accurately now, and the prime location is Igbo land in Nigeria for the earnest ignition. Everything about Nigeria to be or not to be is embedded or subsumed in this capital assignment/calling!
•(To be continued)
•Evang Iwuchukwu Ezenwafor is of the Igbo Re-invention Movement (IRM)
