Different ethnic groups in Nigeria Essay Example for Free

Different ethnic groups in Nigeria Essay Nigeria is very rich in culture. Various ethnic groups in Nigeria have their own culture. The Durbar festival in the various emirates of the North of Nigeria symbolizes strength and dexterous skills in riding of horses. Durbars are called up during religious festivals like Id el Fitri and Id el Kabir. They are also called up during installation ceremonies of the Emirs. They are also called up during installation ceremonies of the Emirs. The Durbars serve as entertainment for very important visitors. Durbars are also called up during the anniversary of the birth of Prophet Mohammed (Id el Maulud). The horses are colorfully adorned and the horse riders are in procession. The riders are dressed in aristocratic regalia blowing bugles and trumpets accompanied by drumming and dancing. They make displays in riding the horses and come to abrupt halt to salute and pledge loyalty to Emirs. Also in Kano and Katsina, there is the Kalankwa Festival, which usually comes at the end of the harvest season. At the Kalankwa Festival, traditional boxing, wrestling, music and dances of different types are performed. In Benue State the Eje Alekwu Festival is an annual festival celebrated to relate with the ancestral gods of Idoma land. Before the Eje Alekwu masquerades appear, sacrifices are offered to the gods to appease them and appeal for protection for the future. The festival is celebrated by different masquerades to represent various ancestral characters and spirits of the ancestors. The Tiv Day is a national day for the Tiv all over the country. During the festival the people send delegates from ever town to converge at the Tor Tivs palace for deliberations on developments strategy among the Tiv local government areas. At the same time old and offensive laws are abrogated and new ones made for the people for peace and progress. New traditional titles are conferred on deserving sons and daughters of the land. It is held annually on the 19th of September to coincide with the day the first Tor Tiv was installed in 1946. In Nigeria, boat regattas are part of the socio-cultural life of the riverine people in the Niger Delta. The boats do not have engines but they are rowed manually with traditional paddles by over twenty to fifty people on board depending on the size of the boat. Boat regattas are special festival to celebrate attachment of the people to water, as fishing is their dominant occupation. When there is a bountiful catch and sea yields boat regattas are held that year. In Bonny, River State we have the masquerade group known as Owogbo. Each of the major houses in the Bonny Kingdom has their end of the fishing season locally known as Fungu. The masquerade is the traditional way of paying homage to the sea gods. They carry a carved shellfish. The masquerade is usually brightly colored with locally made fabrics. Both men and women take part in the dancing. Among the Efik and some Ibibio tribes of Cross River and Akwa Ibom States of Nigeria the Ekpe Secret Society occupies a significant position and functional as an instrument for law and order. Mention of Ekpe brings fear and terror to the uninitiated. The word Epke literally means leopard and its masquerade are so named for its multi-colored costume. Membership of Ekpe Society is seen as a status symbol. The Ekemini Theatre Troupe of Akwa Ibom State captivates local and international audiences through a galaxy of choreographed dance drama. Traditional instruments are used. The group has fused many of the folk tale and culture of Akwa Ibom and neighboring states with contemporary dance styles. The star performer of the group is Ofonine Felix Essien popularly known as Udo Maryam who at the age of four started playing many traditional instruments. Among the Ibos, festivals play an important role in the social cohesion. There are such festivals as the Ofala and the new yam festival. The spices of these festivals are cultural dances and drama while masquerades add mythical splendor. The Atilogu dances are a very popular form of cultural display in Igoland. It comprised of series of systematic acrobatic dance  actions like twisting, somersaulting and building of human pyramids. During joyful occasions the dancers dress in bright colors but on sorrowful occasion they dress in dark attires and their movements are slow and mournful. Because of the rich mix of ethnic groups in Ondo state. It presents a wide variety of culture and festivals. Prominent among them are the Bata Dance, the Ititum Maiden Dance, Ajabore, Igogo, Oluwa and Ogun festivals. Animals such as dogs are offered to the god of iron, Ogun during the celebration. The Akoo and Ekiti areas are well known for cloth weaving while Owo is popular for its special cloth or royalty. In Lagos State, the eyo masquerade is of traditional importance and it has a historical background. It is the pride of the Oba, Chiefs and people of Lagos. It was first performed in Ikoyi in the 18th century as a traditional play. It now features during special ceremonies. Eyo is hooded and robed in flowing white gowns. These cover his hands and feet. It carries a special staff known as the Opabata. The Eyo is barefooted and spectators who want to see the Eyo must be barefooted in order not t incur the anger of the masquerade. The offender is beaten with Opabata. The Benin Kingdom, the best-known center of civilization in the pre-colonial days, has the oba as the traditional head. The Igu festival is celebrated annually in December for the Oba and his subjects. It is a combination of nine principal ceremonies during which animals especially goats are sacrificed. The celebrants dress in their finest attires and join in songs and dances. I find Nigeria culture interesting in that it unites the people and also leads to progress.

Henry James The Art of Fiction Essay -- Henry James The Art of Fictio

Henry James' The Art of Fiction In an essay written in response to an essay written by Walter Besant, both titled "The Art of Fiction", Henry James provides both a new understanding of fiction and greater understand of his own works. James analyses, however briefly, the process of creation of a work of fiction, readers' responses to it, and the requirements of the work and the author. James' language within this essay may be in need of some levity, but he does occasionally break through the haze to make a very strong and effective point: "[T]he only condition that I can think of attaching to the composition of a novel is†¦that it be sincere" (161) There is point in which over-analysis takes away from the intention, the point in which talk of theory wanders away from the actual work of art. This is as true today in the critique of fiction as it was in James' time. In analysis we often place requirements of a piece of work. We state that for something to be this, it must then have that. These restrictions and guidelines can hardly be placed on fiction. We cannot presuppose the c...

Discuss the varying roles of the promotion Essay

This would increase the quality of life to the families living at home dramatically, from living of just one dollar a day to the minimum wage of an employee in an MEDC. Some people believe that you can put large amount of aid into a country, or even create a neo-liberastic situation – however, the countries that are currently regarded as LDCs or even LEDCs will always be in that situation and it’ll never change. This is due to their geographical location, and how so many external factors are taken into consideration such as the climate, the droughts and the inability to grow many things within the climate. Biologist Jared Diamond in his book ‘guns germs and steal’ wrote heavily on this point, in this he effectively believed that the development of a country is completely reliant on their location rather than the people within it. To an extent this is true, 33 out of the 50 countries are just below the Sahara desert in terrible conditions. They have little crops that are able to grow on their land, which used to be the first stage of development many years ago – the animals that graze are few in terms of species and overall are on a complete natural disadvantage. Arguably geography created the countries into what they are today. For example, the harsh conditions led to people unable to make many by selling their crops – this led to crime, as people needed more money to survive. This endless struggle continued and the crime, corruption and civil wars just became out of control. Similarly, economists agree that these countries have too many problems to be able to compete on a global market, such as internal conflicts/ HIV and AIDs. These huge problems all contribute to the unrest of the countries in question. Many companies may disagree with moving their factories to Africa, not only would they have to adapt their designs to fit with the harsh environment. Also with 22. 5 million adults and children who have HIV/ AIDs in sub Saharan Africa, would also contribute to the potentially weak workforce – making the productivity of those factories less. This is mainly why many economists believe there is no way that they will be competitive within the workforce. In many developing countries around the world aid is directly given to the government and the public sector. With the increase in trade, it can directly add to the successfulness of exportesr within the private sector. Many governments have seemed to prefer aid, however it does not necessarily mean this is the best way of improving the quality of life for the people within it. Many LDCs struggle to receive a large amount tax from their people, and having a weak private sector reduces their chances even further in developing – which is why governments of LDCs prefer aid to support their infrastructure. Tony Blair believed that we needed a $25 billion increase, doubling the annual aid, to countries within Africa by 2010 – and an even further $25 billion by 2015. However, this aid only improves the country in the short term – for example Japan’s recent natural disaster of an 8. 9 earthquake on the Richter scale, may need for external aid which may be essential to get them back on their feat. But too much aid and it could lead to a dependency culture, in which countries are just merely reliant on aid without trying to achieve a goal for their country or to increase their countries quality of life. The argument comes into the idea that â€Å"if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. But if you give him a fishing rod, you feed him for a lifetime†; aid is simply just a means to get by it is not a good enough plan for the future. While trade can effectively set you up for the future, and hopefully increase the revenue of that country and thus increasing the quality of life. I believe that the most important provision is trade, however for the trade to be optimized there are many problems which need to be addressed – such as political stability. If a country does not rid itself of some of its problems, the trade that a LDC does will just go straight back into the corrupt leader.

Sophocles Antigone And MLK Letter From Birmingham Jail

The fight for the good life begins with a single event. A word out of turn, an act of protest and overall, a continuous support of ones’ morals. Throughout their life, one is ingrained with morals up until the final breath they take. Antigone violates Creon’s edict and fights for the rights of her brother Polyneices and goes against the word of the law. Martin Luther King Junior (MLK) fights against racial inequality and lobbies racial views with acts of civil disobediences. Both Antigone and MLK acted against laws they believed to be unjust. Their own life experiences and the morals they grew up with influenced where the fine line of right and wrong stands. In Sophocles Antigone and MLK’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail, I am going to†¦show more content†¦Within Letter from a Birmingham Jail, MLK describes the four-step plan one must follow to carry on a nonviolent campaign. Antigone’s actions throughout Antigone carefully mimic those steps. Throu ghout the story you can consider Antigone’s actions to be part of a nonviolent campaign. MLK says that, â€Å"In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action† (paragraph six). Antigone determined there was an injustice committed when Creon’s edict decreed that no one would be able to bury her brother Polyneices or they face a punishment by death. Antigone finds this to be an injustice, when she asks for help from her sister Ismene she says, â€Å"†¦And now you can prove what you are: A true sister, or a traitor to your family.† (Antigone 26-27). Once captured by the Sentry she negotiates with Creon, attempting to appeal to him so he is able to understand her reverence for the dead is what god wants (lines 355-420). Within self-purification Antigone undergoes strong emotions that could be alluded to feelings of suicide and depression . All she wants is to bury Polyneices and not let this injustice go unnoticed. She is willing to go to great lengths to fight for what she believes in and the extent she goes to stand up for what she believes is the act of self-purification MLK talks about. Her direct action isShow MoreRelatedCivil Disobedience And Martin Luther King s Letter From Birmingham Jail1236 Words   |  5 Pagescommit actions that may not be looked upon lightly such as committing civil disobedience. In Sophocles s â€Å"Antigone† and Martin Luther King’s â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail†, both, King and Antigone, were supporters and activist of civil disobedience. However, both, Antigone and Martin Luther King had different methods of conducting civil disobedience and viewed civil disobedience differently. Furthermore, Antigone and Martin Luther King were both steadfast in what they believed in and used civil disobedienceRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr.s Letter From A Birmingham Jai l And Antigone1004 Words   |  5 PagesThe â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham Jail† by Martin Luther King and the play of â€Å"Antigone†, both demonstrate ways in which civil disobedience is used to challenge unfair laws. Although Martin Luther King and Antigone both go against the unjust law, however, they go about it in different ways. For instance, Antigone acts in civil disobedience in order to accomplish a family obligation, meanwhile, Martin Luther King Jr. visions civil disobedience as a method to obtain equality for the sake of his community