Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Igbo
The Igbo (also known as Ibo) occupy densely settled farming areas in southeastern Nigeria.
They form Nigeria's third-largest ethnic group with around 25 million Igbos in Nigeria
alone. Their proximity to the Gulf of Guinea saw them devastated by slavery, while more
than one million Igbo died during the Biafran War (1967-70). The Igbo have a reputation
for hard work, ambition and a love of education.
Although predominantly Christian, many Igbo still practise the traditional religion of
Odinani. An Igbo receives his destiny or
chi
directly from Chukwu, the benign god or
'great spirit' of creation. At death, a person returns his
chi
and joins the world of ancestors
and spirits. From this spirit world, the deceased watches over living descendants, perhaps
returning one day with a different
chi
. A traditionalist's daily preoccupation is to please
and appease the
alusa,
the lesser spirits, who can blight a person's life if offended and be-
stow rewards if pleased.
