INTRODUCTION
The power of name and its value has long been immortalized in prose, poetry and religious ceremony, every person recognizes
himself or herself by name. The only thing that separate human beings from the
animal kingdom is human mind, which has the ability to reason on a conscious
level. To think consciously one must use language, it is impossible to think
without language. Language itself is an instrument for expressing and not for
concealing or preventing thought, each word expresses what it mean or intended
to be and much about language are expressed in names; that is why names for
newborns are commonly chosen from a selection of existing names belonging to
the cultural and linguistic group of which the parents are part. In many
instances, the choice is intended to perpetuate the memory of forebears or to
honour members of the family or cultural heroes. Names were/are uniquely
created to express parental sentiments at the time of birth. It may be
gratitude to the God, as with the name of Samuel (I Sam. 1:20). It could be a
prayer for the newborn's future, as with the name Joshua, or a re-affirmation
of the parents' belief in God, as with the name Elitzur (Num. 1:5), or other
emotions predominating at that moment. In some society such as Mumuye society
names seem to represent a description of historical epochs and their
development, At times, it also have predictive connotations for example SONKPANTIROVI
and ZINGKASEWEBA. In most instances, however, it is left to the reader to
explore what is implied in the name which has been created. Often a variety of
interpretations are possible. It is true that name is what differentiate us and
gives us identity no wonder Izu M. Onyeocha once said “it is the African who
must define himself”[1]
therefore; it is the Mumuye person who
must define his society and all it practices which names are inclusive in other
to give the true picture of his society The lessons of History teach that ideas
create conditions, trends dictate the way of life, Public opinion rules, evil
institutions cannot prosper, unless a majority accept and follow corrupt views
which are seen in phenomenon. Today
zingkaseweba has become the way of life for the Mumuye people.
DUALITY OF
THOUGHT
There may be two class of thinker among
Mumuye some view Zingkaseweba just as a name while other view it as the true
identity of Mumuye person. Personal due to the happening in our society i have
come to align myself to those that believe that Zangkaseweba is not just a name
but true exposition of Mumuye Person and if you disagree proof us wrong in writing my
reasons are below
TROJAN HORSE OF ZINKASEWABA IDENTITY
The term Trojan horse comes from Greek mythology, It simple
mean somebody or something that is meant to disrupt, undermine, subvert, or
destroy an enemy or rival, especially somebody or something that operates while
concealed within an organization. Because of mental laziness among Mumuye
people, good numbers of Mumuye persons have recourse to this Trojan horse that
is why ZINGKASEWEBA has become Mumuye identity even in matters that require
rigorous scrutiny, analysis and appraisal. Paradoxically, an irrational event
has gain popularity in Mumuye land. We have today rapid proliferation of social
crisis in our society where brothers hardly see themselves as brothers because
of social differences. What are these
Trojan horse? They are
RELIGION: with the condemnation of traditional religion
Christianity and Islamic religion was presented as the alternative new
religion. The Mumuye person was told to abandon his traditional religion that
was Cosmocentric, localised within the circumference of private shrines for a
new religion that is theocentric, that demands an act of faith in GOD,
expressed through private and collective acts of worship and with a universal
orientation. Everything about the traditional religion was condemned in favour
of the new religions (Christianity and Islam). To mark the switch over from old
religion to the new, converts were made to undergo a rite of passage through
Baptism in Christianity and janabah (ritual bath) in Islam which indicates
separation from old religious modes of living to a new life, in some villages
the converts were transferred from their natural family to new religious
family. This entails among other things, a total separation, not only from the
old religious practice, but from their family and friends. Thus the imposition
of a new religion led to disintegration of Mumuye cultural set up. Families
were/are divided among themselves, and a notable conflict of division was/is
inflected between Christians and Muslims
EDUCATION: beside religion schools (both western and Arabic)
were built to impart knowledge, however, every package of education be it
western or arabic in whichever way it was designed and parcelled, was not meant
for good of the people, the school system was designed for the real
intellectual formation of the people but was motivated by a morbid interest
meant to exploit every bit of the human resources for the benefit of the
educationist.. The school became rather a sinister process of indoctrination.
Indeed, it represented a potent organ for the infusion of less realistic and
unauthentic information about reality. People were overdosed with false
opinions; false values were passed on as substitutes for real ones. The
education did not equip people with a critical framework to differentiate
between a fact and an opinion about other religious practises, or to
distinguish between established principles and debatable one rather it help the
convert to view other religion as unbeliever.
New LANGUAGE: every human society is remarkably
distinguished by its unique mode of communication manifested in its possession
of a particular linguistic system of interaction. Through education system
English and Arabic language was imposed, the ability to communicate effectively
through English or recite Quran or prayer in Arabic became more than any other
symbol of formal education, the hallmark of a learned person. Beside the fact
that the new language helped Mumuyes to understand their new religion in their
own language, it equally made many of them bilingual and as such it led the
mumuye to abandon their native language and this is leading to the extinction
of Mumuye language. For you to pray to God and for him to answer you, you must
use Arabic or English, this seems to me that the God of the new religion only
understand English or Arabic not Mumuye.
THE TRUE NATURE OF MUMUYE
SOCIETY TODAY
There is a notable crisis in Mumuye land. There is a notable
disorientation in differentiation and a clear lack of sense of direction in
different sphere, it is difficult to determine with a type of mathematical
exactitude, the diminishing rate of old mumuye societal values and the
increasing rate of the new one, this state of uncertainty gives rise to a
frustrating state of confusion, where people are overburdened by the guiding
principles of two opposing cosmological frameworks. The coming of religion
should have brought good to Mumuye instead it brought Evil and frustration. Today
Mumuye society has become a society where people have lost the basic
orientation for a meaningful existence; where evil deeds and actions have been
gradually installed as acceptable values where criminals of all ranks are
hailed and crowned for making it. It is a society where the poor are
continually being oppressed and marginalised, where poor parents who are
blessed by God with children have no means of sustenance, no means of proving
their children with a good education; where parents, even without willing it ,
starve themselves to death in order to train their children; where parent work
themselves to death in their subsistent business and trading centres in order
to provide for their children; where the majority die of malnutrition and
starvation; where funeral ceremonies have become a daily event. Where talents
and capabilities are not given due attention; where you have no means of
achieving your intellectual desires and great visions for a significant
existence; academic certificates have no meaning and systematic knowledge have
no place and the cult of mediocrity and blatant obscurantism are paraded in
stylish modes. All these anomalies are in existence largely because of
religious differences and selfish interest, today if a graduate is seeking for
job or there is any opportunity for appointment the criteria for you to get the
appointment is your religion not qualification.
LIGHT AT END OF THE TUNNEL
Hope is not completely lost now that we are starkly aware of
the fact that the good our elders never undertook is on our hands now, we are
to redefine ourselves to whoever we want to be if we want mumuye person to
advance and his community to develop a step further, we must turn over a new leaf,
we must work new concepts of our names and attitudes, we must break the coils
of the past, recreate our history. We must decide whether we shall remain
zingkaseweba and underdeveloped transcend that idea, no one can force us toward
this but there is a future world waiting for us, many futures, one is the
future of our children, not yet born or just beginning but wanting to live,
grow and become their possible best in a good and developed society. This will
not happen unless we change our perspectives.
[1] Izu M. Oyeocha, “Africa: The
question of Identity” in identity and change, ed. by Theophilius Okere
Washington D.C: Paideia Pub 1996, p38
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