CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Interest in women and conflict management in Africa traditional society. Conflict is the pursuit of incompatible interests and goal by different groups. It is a global trend that does not limit its existence on any class of persons, communities, states, nation states, region. No matter your status in life or region, gender group etc, all is subject to facing conflict situation anytime.
Research and writing on the place of women hood in Africa Literacy world. Indeed documenting the field in this direction are Igbo female no novelists.
Nwapa (1999 entails) and Buchi Emecheta all of whom write from the Africa feminist perspective. Emecheta (2003, 2004 and 2006) focus purely on the oppression of patriarchy in traditional Africa societies and therefore the discourses of protest against cultural injustices on the child in traditional societies.
Emecheta wilting in either world draw serious attention to the brutalities subordination and other oppressive realities and manifestation of the trammels of tradition on women in Igbo land particularly Nwapa”s (2000 entrails ) work and commitment in the other hand try to expose the women situation within the traditional prica societies Njoku(1995) observed that conflict its really feeling to develop critical phenomena on the basis of totality and contradictions.
Mathew Bimbo (2004) sees conflict as an escalated dispute which aim to gain advantage of disadvantage of some kind power resources interest value.
Njoku (1995 – 40 – 43) observed that conflict is really recognized as helping one to express one”s feeling. According to unaka(2001: 51) the conflict theory is essentially a conceptualization of development as a product of interaction of opposing forces. According to Acholonu (1995.24-26) she conceived the gender women as been very instrumental to some possible areas were conflict can erupt like matrimonial home, home of birth, the community and society.
Nwapa”s (1996 and 1997) high light in the importance of attached to having children and thereby stress the inevitable lot of childlessness or barren women within the community. Her wilting as mentioned aimed at showing that women have multiple capacity. Igbo women particularly the women of Eziudo in Ezinihitte L.G.A had always been confronted with despute or the other in conflict transformation in Africa Igbo Communities , their activities which are mainly carried out within the frame-work of assertion among others include the development of survival strategies at community level the reconstruction of communities that have been devastated by conflict lob being belligerents to lay down their weapons for example in the case of land dispute between umuorie community in Eziudo Ezinihitte local Government and Ehime Mabno all in Imo state, the rehabilitations social re-integration of combatants and awareness raising campaigns aims at promoting women”s participation in decision making process relation to peace through conflict resolution or management.
Finally women in Eziudo communities are generally industrious business like economically independent pursuing with seriousness of purpose determination in whatever they have set their mind up. The modern marriage motherland which as it constitutes only an option for women being in contemporary African.
Brief history of the study organization Eziudo is one of the seventh communities in Ezinihhitte local Government in Imo State Nigeria.
Eziudo community is made up of sixteen villages including Amakan Eziudo it has a flat land the people of Eziudo have since then identified as people operating under a common identity one Igbo language and religion (i.e Christianity ) It is a part of an ethic nationality.
Ezeanyika (1997 – 8 – 2010)
The villages which constitute Eziudo as common boundaries are:
1. ITU
2. 2. IFE NA OWUTU
3. AMUMARA
4. CHOKONEZE
5. IHITTE
6. EZEGBUOGU
7. OBIZI
8. ONICHA
9. UDO
The origin and development of Eziudo. Eziudo people were known to be energetic and industries their unity didn”t lack the adventure a split of other people and the common identify in them paved way for absence of turbulence chars or any form of social violent resulting from their boundaries despites or any other conflict among the communities with Eziudo.
They are thoroughly imbibed with the split of self resistance and self – sufficiency and they do not feel indisposed to share their abundance with others. Eziudo people are hospitable and ever welcomed with an open arms this is observed in the accommodation tenants fee. The constitute the good stand of versatile common sense and unique capacity of improving.
The local administration of Eziudo is designated with (3) (N.E.C) political words these words constitute the basic unit of information dissemination and gathering as well as the distribution of levels etc just as it generally believed that every community has a traceable origin that is how every village that make up Eziudo has its origin.
ECONOMIC LIFE
Eziudo people came into existence as a rural agricultural community. The inhabitants were mainly peasant farmers from their origin and after the independence of Nigeria even till date the economy is farming and in the single items of cash crops namely: Oil palm produce, and maize in large quantity.
Again Eziudo people produce melon, okoro, yam, cassava, garri and vegetable etc. The farmers are also friends to their neighbors in economic exchange. Another activity that occupied the economic vocation of Eziudo people in palm wine tapping and palm fruit cultivation. The raffia name for all palm trees and raffia climbers is NDI OCHI. The palms tapped from the palm trees is called “Mmanya Ukwu” while the one tapped from raffia is known as “Mmanya Ngwo”. They are also a source of income to children in school and also a source of feeding for families. NDI OCHI use rope (Akp) or (Ete) to climb and cutting down the roped head of palm fruits the young ones help themselves by climbing the palm tree and harvesting the fruits for large number of clients and they will be paid some amount of money. The importance of these oil palm and cassava is incurable. The oil, yam and cassava which they produce in large quintiles are necessary for items which when sold are used to pay levies of all kinds.
More so, women often cut some palm fruits produce yam, coco-yam, cassava maize and melon which they sell at the large and well known market to neighboring towns and villages and the funds realized from the sell is used to enhance various community project such as construction of schools, market and town hall.
Besides this economic activity, the women in order to help their husband in the subsistence of their families engage in different forms of hair plaiting dressing including the indigo.
Eziudo has a very large and well-known market called Nkwo Eziudo and another one called orie egbe which attended from people far and near.
TRADITIONAL LIFE
Culture is the complex of value ideas attitude and other meaningful symbols created by people to shape human characteristics of that behavior transmitted.
Eziudo (people) community has a highly respected culture that every igbo society emulated. They also exhibited a very high degree of caution in marriage. Some of this culture are Ichi –ozo- Igwa, Igba – mgba na Igba –ekpe
It is a systematic unique and controversial method of marrying.
The ladies about to be married will undergo some period of fact finding while the proposed marital home were have the opportunity to watch and weigh her character. After this, she will be sent for four days with five jars of palm wine.
After clued with women organization is also involved in the celebration of chilled birth (imugwo) women as a commanding force have stringent rule any of their member who violate any of their rules will be file.
EZIUDO WOMEN AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT THE APPROACH
The women of Eziudo community are part of the whole traditional institution that runs the affairs of Igbo society they perform certain vital and indispensable roles in their role is on conflict situation.
In Eziudo community there are outstanding institution of women that exist they are:
1. The Umuada, Mgboto, Udorn
Umuada : This is an association of daughters of part lineage recognized throughout Igbo land. According to Achoconu (1995 : 6) this group of women from Eziudo operates beyond their renewed matrimonial home to their original home of birth in this their home, they are traditionally obliged to carry out some duties to ensure peace and orderliness in the society. They operate a customary law characterized by applied (appeal pending on the weight offence committed).
MGBOTO: The umu mgbotos are the first, second or third of every female married out of their home of birth. They work collaboratively with umuada to attain peace and orderliness in their respective communities.
NDOM: Ndom are the wives of Eziudo men they are married into Eziudo from their communities they have the power to carryout orderliness in Eziudo. Ndom Eziudo are also called Aladimma. Ndom Eziudo are right instrument of conflict management when any case or problem arises in their immediate home, they collaborate with their husbands to tackle any matter immediately but in the community level when there is any face off between their matrimonial community and other communities close of them. Ndom will strategically and diplomatically hold talks with members of the worrying action in order to make up peace. Ndom Eziudo have laws against extramarital relationship.
On the other side of the young ones in Eziudo the Ndom have laws that control the children any chilled that abuses any married women or beats his/her mother will be given punishment.
Among themselves they also have laws rules and regulations that bind and control their life styles against the eruption of any conflict situation.
Any mother in-law who maltreats her daughter in law while binding one female goat and also pay a penalty fee of 10,000 or any decided amount.
Any women of Umunzu who maltreats or beats up her mother and father in laws shall pay a penalty fee of 100,000 or any decided amount the Eziudo women resolved to in observing these flexible
customary laws their members not documented most of these financials penalties were represented by the carrying of valuable item like goats, hen, farm tool etc in addition Ndi Ndom Eziudo played the role of keeping watch over the community by altering the male in any noticed sign of destructives conflict between members of the community. If they noticed signs of conflict or insidious quarrels they promptly summoned the parties in order to question settle and calm the situation. All these and more are traditional life and ways of managing conflict by the women of Eziudo in general.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Igbo women particularly in Eziudo are mainly involved in peace and safety guiding the cohesions of different communities but unfortunately most of their conflict resolution and management strategies are ignored. Women managerial participation in polities in Eziudo community and lack of clear cut ideology on the party to gender unequally against women.
Women in Eziudo community and Africa which help them (women) to solve dispute and manage conflict which they has in the society one of the key problem facing women and conflict management is a s followed.
1. Lack of peace and safety guiding bring cohesion of different community.
2. Lack of clear cut ideology and gender inequality against women.
3. Lack of solving dispute and mange conflict which they has in society.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The main objectives of this study is to evaluate women and conflict management in Africa traditional society.
In view of the above this study intends to find out the following.
• To examine how women particularly in Eziudo involved in peace and safety guiding the cohesion of different communities.
• To examine how women participate in conflict management which help them to solve problem management dispute and conflict.
• To assertain how women participate in polities in Eziudo community and bring lack of clear cut ideology on the part of their hindrance in peace building and result to gender inequality against women.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
This research work shall be guided by the following research question.
i. How Does women particularly in Eziudo involved in peace building and safety guiding the cohesion of different communities.
ii. Does women participate in conflict management which help them to solve management dispute and conflict.
iii. To what extent does women participate in polities in Eziudo community bring in lack of clear cut ideology and gender inequality.
1.5 STATEMENT OF HYPOTHESIS
HYPOTHESIS ONE
Ho: women in Eziudo are significantly involved in peace building and safety guiding the cohesion of different communities.
Hi: women in Eziudo significantly do not participate in peace building and safety guiding the cohesion of different communities.
HYPOTHESIS TWO
Ho: women significantly participate in conflict management which make them not to solve their management dispute and conflict.
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