Before the Nigerian Civil war the rural dwellers hardly buy anything from the market whenever they want to prepare their local dishes. In my compound at Ojor village, Ojoto, we had ogiri tree, oha tree, onugbu, pepper tree, etc, we only went to the market for crayfish and fish - the hunters always supply bush meat for our cooking delight. It was as if we were still at the era of trade by barter - go to the market and sell the things you had in excess and buy the ones you had ran out of before going back home - it was as if there was no economic system at play - we just offer each other the best from our basket full. Life was simple and it was a celebration - a glorious enactment of our belief toward nature and the existence of God in the practice of our culture. Culture was a worship unto what we share as a community, and as a people whose survival depended on the trust we share amongst ourselves.
Then the economic system began to eat on the reserve of the people. We began to draw back on the things we shared, because even greetings is for the people you are in good terms with. We offer the best we have in our homes when a visitor calls, but today we hardly offer anything, and if offered, it may not worthy of something that will prove how we cherish the person's visit - we lack money to express love. It is a cultural thing when we indulge in the things that express how we relate to one another - money shouldn't come between us - when we offer our best to one another, we offer it to God instead. Whatever we do in total expression of our love without considering the monetary cost of what we want to offer to our fellow man, be it neighbour, a friend, a stranger, an enemy, etc, we offer it to God - such act automatically transform into ritual - when the soul of man talks, instead of the mind.
But due to lack of funds, we most of the time think it is religious when somebody goes back to such ritual - it is certainly the reenactment of the old values into a modern outlook. The outlook of things these days are based on what we are going to benefit when we do this, or do that and not what will it benefit the receiver - we only want to feed our flesh - we no longer do things that bring unusual happiness to the soul. Our soul goes hungry whenever we deny it the necessary food that it deserves - offering the best for the person next, and take the least of such services, and such is an act of God such is the way, the only way to God, and for our salvation. The human culture is the direct link unto salvation, and we are being frustrated by the economic system via economic policies in fulfilment of political policy/foundation toward the degrading of the human capacity, as established route to human incapacitation - it is what the Bible calls "mankind."
We resemble the original man but not man - we appear same, but we don't behave same - man walks without conscience, without a heart in his heart, and we work to destroy rather to build. As the environment bears polish outlook, so do the man that lives in them lives in the flesh than in the spirit. And the spirit dies before the flesh, and we operate with a container without a content - and that is why whatever we do lack substance - even though we sleep in churches, we lack God. And whoever operates without God, operates with the Devil. The culture of man is an embodiment of his belief toward the destiny of all things - it is what explains the existence of God, and we act accordingly. Culture is the hope of man - redemption is having the old values living in a modern world, as Christ is for our redemption, so is the culture is the redemption. Culture is of man, not of the Devil - you become evil when you live outside of your own culture - and you live outside of God too.
What is of man if we do not have a way to define our conduct, to measure our behaviours, separating good from bad, promoting what benefits us, and condemning what destroys us. What is of man if we do not have a culture? Who are you outside your identity? Where do you hope to end your journey when this life terminates? Who are we if not what we are? Who are you?
Share widely.
