Omenala bu isi mmiri

11/10/2025

THE UNBENDING SPIRIT OF THE IGBO MAN

By Belive Chibuzo

The Igbo man is not an easy man to break. His spirit does not bow to fear or oppression. He stands firm — bold, confident, and guided by truth. You can’t twist his mind with power or pressure, because he doesn’t move by intimidation; he moves by conviction.
You may use money or influence to force his silence, but that’s like covering alligator pepper with sand — it may seem buried, yet in time, it rises again.
Even death cannot stop the Igbo spirit. You may silence one man with power, but when you silence one man with truth, others rise to carry that same truth forward. Because truth, once awakened, multiplies — it does not die.
You can end a man, but you can’t kill a people. Ana egbu achara achara, ana eto — cut the grass, and it grows again.

That is why anyone who chooses to fight that spirit must keep sharpening their knife forever, because achara will always grow back. The only real way to win the heart of an Igbo man is not by fear, but by truth, fairness, and equity.
Create a space where every voice counts, where justice is not selective, and you’ll see how quickly an Igbo man’s heart opens. The same man who resists oppression will defend you with his life once he believes you are sincere.

That is why the Igbo thrive wherever they go — in business, in ideas, in leadership. They work with faith and fairness, giving their best where they see honesty and justice.
So if you want peace with an Igbo man, come with truth. Come with fairness. Come with equity.
But if you come with intimidation, be ready to fight forever — because ana egbu achara achara, ana eto. Udo dịrị ndi chọrọ udo.

I call upon the Almighty Creator —
to clothe our minds with peace,
to calm every storm within our homes,
to bless our land with abundance and progress,
so that even neighboring communities will call our name with respect.

May truth never die in our mouths,
may courage never fade in our hearts,
and may unity be the shield that guards our people.

Iseeeee!

09/10/2025

Faith Before the Missionaries: How Our Ancestors Knew God
By Mazi Chibuzo

When the white missionaries came, a lot changed. They didn’t just bring religion — they came with schools, trade, and new ways of living. And to get those things, many people had to accept their faith. They also told us that what our fathers believed in was evil. Little by little, people started to turn away — some out of fear, some out of curiosity, and some because they truly believed what they heard.

Before then, our people already had a way of knowing God. The Arusi were not strange or dark to them. They were part of life — spiritual forces that helped explain things and connect man to the unseen world. Some Arusi were protectors, like Ala, the spirit of the earth, or Amadioha, who stood for truth and justice. Some could turn bad if offended, but that didn’t mean they were evil. The power itself depended on the heart of the person using it.

Our fathers didn’t take Arusi as the Almighty. They already knew Chukwu, Chineke — the Supreme Creator. They saw the Arusi as channels, as ways through which His power worked: healing, peace, justice, fertility, protection. They might not have called it “religion,” but they lived in deep respect for life, nature, and the unseen forces around them.

Everything they did carried meaning. Planting, childbirth, marriage, judgment, war — all done with prayer and belief. People lived with a sense of balance. They feared to offend both man and spirit. That was morality — not from fear of hellfire, but from knowing that life was connected.

Then Christianity came and shifted everything. It drew a line between what was sacred and what was not. The shrines, songs, and gatherings that once kept people united began to fade. But the old spirit didn’t die. You can still hear it in our proverbs, in the way we respect life, in the quiet way we still say “Chukwu adịghị ezu ohi.”

Our ancestors didn’t live in darkness. They knew God — in their own way, through their own path. Their faith wasn’t ignorance; it was wisdom born from experience. They walked with God before anyone told them how to.

And no matter how we try to bury this truth, it always finds a way to rise again. Our people need to remember — not to throw away what we have now, but to reconnect with where we came from.
Because faith didn’t start with the missionaries.
It started with us.

01/09/2025