WHAT IS IN A (SUR)NAME? IGBOS AND THE GRADUAL OBLITERATION OF THEIR IDENTITY: A CAUSE FOR CONCERN

Résumé

For the Igbo, globalization is one significant event that is considerably changing his/her values, culture, language, and practices. Time was when an Igbo could easily be identified by his cultural values and language. Today, the Igbo spirit of adaptation and adoption of the values and cultures of his/her place of birth and growth, education and residence, has been stretched to breaking point. The resultant effect is the evident loss of “some Igboness” of Igbos in diaspora and even Igbos at home in various states of Igbo land. It is the loss of ‘some Igboness’ that will lead to what we have described as the gradual obliteration of the Igbo identity. This is seen in the gradual but progressive penchant for change of Igbo ethnic surnames into foreign or Anglo-Saxon surnames. For instance, an Igbo formerly identified as ‘Okechukwu Okafo,’ accepts to be christened ‘John’ giving him the names – ‘John Okechukwu Okafo.’ When he becomes a parent, instead of bequeathing ‘Okafo’ as the surname to his children, he transmits to them ‘John.’ That makes the Igbo son born and christened ‘Michael’ to become identified as ‘Michael John.’ The new identification tag unfortunately deracinates him from his cultural heritage into Anglo-Saxon lineage of which he knows nothing about. This growing tendency poses a great danger to Igbo identity and calls for serious cause for concern. We investigated the new students in a faculty and found evidence of Igbo identity obliteration mostly by parental ignorance. Our approach is expository, educative and corrective.