The African Scholar

31/08/2025

Igbo Pseudo-tradition of Naming

There's a growing culture I have noticed among our people recently,about the names we give our children.

The new generation of Igbo families now drop their surnames and give their children their first name as surnames.
For instance,if a father's family name is Odo or Ogbodo and his first name is Godwin,he will give his children his first name Godwin as surname, dropping Odo or Ogbodo.
If the kid's name is Favour,she will become Favour Godwin.

I think this is a new normal that is not normal for me.Why are we gradually erasing our family histories and roots through naming and names?
Is it because of religion or what?

Does someone have the right to drop his family name (surname ) like that in Igbo culture?

This development goes to show how shallow our education system is,in building rounded and authentic African mindset and sensibility in the new generation that has emerged.

Poor attention to Igbo cosmology,values system and world view have started manifesting in our own time, through people who don't believe in themselves anymore.

They think there's something spiritually wrong with their family name.But someone answers Bush and was the President of America,the most powerful man on earth.

Why will you bear your family name but will not allow your kids after you to bear it?
Why will you speak the Igbo language but will not allow your kids after you to speak it?

In the future we may become a people who have lost the only thing that makes us unique and authentic -- our language, both in naming and speaking.
©James Onyebuchi Nnaji

31/08/2025

𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚, 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐃𝐆𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬

The World Sustainable Development Goals Organisation has ranked Africa and Nigeria below average in the actualisation of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Full story in the comments

27/08/2025

02/07/2025

Our poetry contest is open! 1st prize: $1000 + publication, 2nd & 3rd: $500 + publication. Submit up to 5 poems in a single document online at hudsonreview.com/submissions or by mail to 33 W 67th St, NY, NY 10023. Ends July 31, 2025. More info: https://tinyurl.com/53wketha

Text in image:
The Hudson Review Poetry Contest
First prize: $1,000 + publication
Second &Third Prizes: $500 + publication
No submission fee.
Limited to five poems. Contest open to poets making their first appearance in The Hudson Review. No simultaneous submissions.
www.hudsonreview.com/submissions
July 1–July 31, 2025

20/06/2025

The proclamation praised the Igbos’ impact in sectors like education, medicine, law, IT, and the arts, as well as their charitable and civic activities.

18/06/2025

15/06/2025

03/06/2025

"Upon his release, Ngũgĩ went into exile, eventually settling into a teaching career in the United States. It was there that he developed his philosophy in greater detail, through books such as Decolonising the Mind (1986). Building upon arguments that had first been made in Makerere more than two-and-a-half decades ago, Decolonising the Mind made the case for abandoning English in order to achieve true decolonisation. Three decades later, in Secure the Base (2016), Ngũgĩ would develop this argument further, noting that “each language, no matter how small, carries its memory of the world”. Suppressing language, thus, meant suppressing memory."

"However, in this, Ngũgĩ’s views were not without controversy. His Kenyan compatriot, Binyavanga Wainaina, made gentle fun of Ngũgĩ puritanism in his own memoir, One Day I Will Write About This Place (2011). The Zimbabwean writer, Dambudzo Marechera, whose own decision to write was inspired by Ngũgĩ, clashed bitterly with him over the question of writing in English. Ngũgĩ’s views about decolonisation were powerful — but they were never uncontested."

"Ngũgĩ’s suffering at the hands of both the colonial and the post-colonial Kenyan regimes came together in what many people (including this writer) believe to be his masterpiece, Wizard of the Crow (2006). Set in an unnamed African country, the novel takes an unsparing, sarcastic, and darkly humorous scalpel to the cruelties, banalities, and venalities of the “Independence” government, which masks its own failures and justifies its repression by blaming both colonialism and neo-colonialism — even as that same government is economically and militarily propped up by Western powers as a front against communism. To read Wizard of the Crow is to rage, to laugh, and to weep, all at the same time — a testament not just to Ngũgĩ’s mastery as a writer, but to the life he lived and which informed his work, a life of defiance."

"In the twilight of his life, Ngũgĩ’s legacy was marred by allegations of domestic abuse. In a context in which towering literary figures are often treated as moral authorities — and Ngũgĩ certainly was — an obituary would be incomplete without acknowledging this, and noting the culture of silence that surrounds debates on literary legacy. For an honest assessment, we must hold these contradictions in balance, even as we celebrate the rich corpus of work that Ngũgĩ has left to us."

Gautam Batia, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o: a life of defiance

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o's journey from English to Gikuyu literature, decolonisation, and legacy in African literature.

01/06/2025

31/10/2024

WHY NATIONS FAIL: LESSONS FOR NIGERIA
Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson argues that the success or failure of nations is primarily due to the nature of their political and economic institutions. Here are seven key lessons from the book:

1. Inclusive Institutions Drive Prosperity

Inclusive political and economic institutions are crucial for sustained economic growth. These institutions allow broad participation in economic and political life, encourage innovation, and create opportunities for people from all walks of life.

2. Extractive Institutions Lead to Poverty

In contrast, extractive institutions concentrate power and wealth in the hands of a few. These institutions limit opportunities for most people, stifle innovation, and lead to stagnation and poverty.

3. Political Power Shapes Economic Outcomes

Economic institutions are shaped by political power. When political institutions are inclusive, they create economic systems that benefit the majority. When power is concentrated in the hands of elites, the economy is structured to serve their interests.

4. Historical Contingency Matters

The authors argue that historical events and “critical junctures” (e.g., wars, revolutions, colonization) can set nations on different trajectories by altering their institutions, for better or worse.

5. The Role of Innovation and Technology

Nations thrive when they embrace technological and institutional innovation. Extractive regimes, however, often resist change to maintain the status quo, which can lead to economic decline.

6. Persistence of Institutions

Institutions tend to persist over time. Countries with extractive institutions often remain trapped in a cycle of poverty and corruption because elites resist reforms that would diminish their power.

7. Geography and Culture Are Less Important

While geography and culture can play a role, Acemoglu and Robinson argue that they are not the primary determinants of a nation’s success or failure. Instead, political and economic institutions are the key drivers.

The book emphasizes that for nations to succeed, they must develop inclusive institutions that distribute power and wealth more broadly and encourage innovation and growth.

Summarised by -joint.

This is recommended for all elites and Nigerian leaders.

Get The Book Here: https://amzn.to/3BJ7vqA

You can also get the audio book for FREE using the same link. Use the link to register for the audio book on Audible and start enjoying it.

Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty