Church And Justice In Igbo Society An Introduction To Igbo Concept Of Justice

This book is an attempt to explore the Igbo values of social justice in terms of social relationships. The philosophical concept of justice is broadened by the Igbo worldview, the core that shows how social relationships are the web of justice, which makes social connectivity indispensable and possible. The principles of these social relationships appear as obvious values of justice among the Igbo people and are examined in the light of Christian ethical values and their relevance explored in forging Christianity in the Igbo land. This book also acknowledges the difficulties involved in inquiring into the Igbo ethical values because of the integration of religious beliefs and ethical conduct and customs. Given the Igbo example of the Igbo-integrated life, justice simply becomes that inner compulsion that motivates the human in his/her relationships with others and with God. Consequently, the traditional Igbo people were able to build a harmonious, peaceful, and social order that ensured social justice in the Igbo communal and social interconnectivity. The author argues that the Igbo example can facilitate the growth of Christianity in the Igbo land.

This book explores in depth Ikpu-ala as a social justice value in the Igbo social justice system. The traditional social justice concept of ikpu-ala provides an important conceptual framework through which adult Igbo Christians can engage in a critical and conscious theological reflections upon how they can make the Igbo Christian community fully authentic and faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is a process that will highlight the total transformation of the Igbo society, which began with the arrival of the missionaries in 1885. This reflection is based on the Igbo experience and understanding of Omenala, the Igbo moral code, in which the world of the material and the spiritual, while occupying distinct domains, nonetheless remain deeply intertwined. In this book, the author explores that for the Igbo community, the reality of theology has evolved as a distinct from of experience that is deeply connected with tradition for the sake of praxis (Don Browning, 1995). Consequently, the author not only sees Ikpu-ala as authentic Igbo social justice value but also considers it as something that can be integrated into the Christian social values without either destroying Igbos longstanding cultures or traditions. The author highlights two key lessons from the Igbo integration of ikpu-ala into Christian social justice: (1) that the Igbo Catholic Church should engage the Igbo culture and traditions in a theological interactive reflections for the incarnation of the Word among the Igbo Catholics, and (2) that Ikpu-ala, with its theological values, can assist the Igbo Catholic Church in the sacrament of reconciliation and so transform the twenty- first century Igbo Catholic into an integrated and authentic Christian.

There has existed the naÔve assumption that until the unsolicited advent of colonialism, the so-called "noble and savage" tribes had no legal system worthy of attention. The Igbo people were not exempted from this assumption. Justice itself cannot be realized outside a system of law and its institutions. It is a system in which law is a vital aspect of man's culture and social existence; embodying the collective will of the community and binding the members of that community in a unity of purpose. In all of these, the exercise of reason is essential and indispensable. In the face of the colonial and neo-colonial assumption of the non-existence of law, the evidence on the ground suggests something totally different. If anything, that evidence shows that the assumption was an essential part of the ideology of colonialism and an important psychological armour which, in conjunction with the Bible and gun-powder, helped to bring about the physical, political, economic, and mental domination of non-Europeans. In this book, an attempt is made to elucidate the logical features of some fundamental concepts and phrases related to justice, dispute settlement, and the organization of life and work in Igbo communities in Aniocha north local government area of Delta State.

Attempts to understand why African and Americans are over-represented in United States crime statistics have been made complex by the existence of a multiplicity of explanations. Every adult in the United States seems to know what causes crime, and is prepared to present some seasoned argument in support of their view. Because of the existence of this divergence, attempts to device a viable format for solving either the crime problem, the discrimination problem or the over representation problem continues to be difficult. Important aspects of authentic jurisprudence that acknowledge the need to examine a victim's contribution to the criminal event, retributive justice and collective responsibility, are essential attributes of traditional African culture. These attributes are conspicuously absent in the official social control systems that currently exist in the United States. This book suggests that to reduce or eliminate African American involvement in crime therefore, it is necessary to incorporate those attributes of equity and justice, which are essential components of the traditional legal systems of their ancestors into our official social control systems. Such incorporation will help to reconnect African Americans with their ancestral lgbo culture, reinforce their knowledge of African history, strengthen their self esteem and encourage the development of pride in their African heritage. It will also help to reduce their involvement as victims or participants in anti social behavior, and eventually solve the overreprentation problem.

The roles of the native and the foreign English-style justice systems in the administration of law and justice in Nigeria, based on data from Nigeria's Igbo, are examined here. Okereafoezeke uses case studies to look at the nature of colonially imposed justice and the relationship between informal and formal justice. He concludes that the imposed English-style justice system is incapable of dealing with Nigeria's social control problems because it does not anticipate and manage the wide range of issues that the native systems do.