FOREWORD
As I write I don't habour any ill against our colonialists who in the course of our history have offered us so much, but as a son or daughter of our Motherland Africa, It behoves on us to move on and live our lives after all the lessons colonialism and iperialism has taught us,and the sweetness of freedom to do our will [Independence].
CHAPTER ONE
NEGRIA, NIGGERIA, NIGERIA OR NIGGER-AREA?
nig·ger [níggər](plural nig·gers) A highly offensive term for a black personA highly offensive term for a dark-skinned person[Late 17th century. Alteration of Negro1 ] See insult.
Is it that one of the greatest “Black Most Populous Nation on Earth” is preoccupied with the business of nation-building that it has not bothered about the name it bears?
A “baptismal name” we have since 1914, more than 90years of our history and we have not bothered to ask whence it came or what factor(s) that may have influenced our nation been “insulted” by our Colonial Masters?
If over time we have refused that our constitution should not read “We the people...” is it not also proper that we critically look at the name we bear as a nation?
What if the land and people called Nigeria today was actually a derivative of two words; Nigger and Area? (my hypothesis).
What if we can prove beyond reasonable doubt that there was nothing like River “Niger” in the 16th Century, before the Colonialist gave it that name and want us to believe that the name Nigeria was derived from “River Niger”?
What if we have all been deceived and we have being living a generational insult as trade-mark of British Colonialism around the world.
What if it can be proven that the name Nigeria was an insult on the sensibility of all those people who are known and called by that name?
What if this article is capable of shedding light on some of the hidden connotation in our National Name Nigeria?
What will you do if wherever you go people “insult” you with a name your parents gave you and you came to realize it someday?
There exits various pointers and suggestions for all of these questions because I have spent a considerable part of my life experimenting on which names to call myself.
I hereby present my first evidence on the true character of British colonialist from the colonisation of Australia. This is taken from Encarta definition of the English word, “Insulter”:
-in·sult·er, , noun Insults
“English has insulting words for most races and cultures with which its speakers have come into extended contact, and for so-called minority groups within English-speaking societies, even though such groups can and do constitute demographic majorities in many regions. When the people insulted are English speakers, the insulting words can and often do become part of their own vocabulary. Those insulted will generally avoid using these terms in interaction with their insulters, since to do so would be to endorse the insulters' view of them. However, among themselves they may well deliberately adopt an insult in order to subvert it or rob it of its power. For instance, Australian Aboriginals reportedly are not averse to using terms like Abo and blackfella when talking with one another, even though they are highly offensive when applied to them by non-Aboriginals. Similarly, other groups may defy their detractors by adopting the insults directed at them: gay people may refer to themselves, polemically, as queer, as in Queer Nation; and some feminists have struck back against ageist putdowns by reclaiming crone and making it their own.”
Even the word Negro by thesame dictionary definition is not a respite maybe a suggestion that the massive land and people be called “Negria” a derivative from the word Negro, could not pass the “First Reading” of Lord Frederick Lugard Kitchen Cabinet because the educated blacks (not much at the time) might decipher sooner than later that the word is an insult as is defined:
“Ne·gro [ngrō]
(plural Ne·groes)
noun
[Mid-16th century. < Spanish and Portuguese < Latin nigr- "black"]
Though Negro is still used in certain restricted formulaic expressions, it is not the preferred term for people of color such as African Americans. Use instead African American, woman of color, man of color, or people of color.”
It is true that before the middle of the 16th Century (1745 AD), less than 400years ago there was no such word as Negro in the English usage as this explanation suggests:
“Negro, Spanish and Portuguese word for “black,” adopted into English in the 16th century to refer to dark-skinned peoples indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa. In Europe and North America, the descendants of African slaves have been referred to as Negroes; however, most people now consider the term a pejorative and prefer the terms black or African American.”
So from whence did the name became such a beautiful connotation less than 220years ago that today we now have “River Niger”, “Republic of Niger”, “Niger State”. This next explanation, shed light on the fact that the word “Niger” was unknown before the European explorers,
“Europeans had long known that a massive river flowed through the West African savannah, but its course remained a mystery.”
It will be appropriate to state that “River Niger” was romanticed as “... a massive river flowed through the West African savannah”. The question is when did this massive river become “river Niger”?
The answer is provided:
The expedition of Scottish explorer Mungo Park from 1795 to 1798 proved the Niger flowed eastward, .... The Niger mystery was finally solved through expeditions headed by Scottish explorer Hugh Clapperton from 1823 to 1825 and by British explorer Richard Lemon Lander in 1830. French explorers, most importantly René-Auguste Caillié, also visited parts of the upper and middle Niger during the 19th century.
The naming of “River Niger” is suggested to be less than 211years. This is because the information Mungo Park set out to clarify between 1795 to 1798 was, which way and from whence did the “massive river” flow?
He discovered that this “massive river”, Nigger (river), a river in western Africa, flows primarily from west to east, through Guinea, Mali, Niger, Benin, and Nigeria to the Gulf of Guinea. All areas occupied by “Niggers”, black people.
It is apt to report to his home government that the river flows from east to west in an “Area” primarily occupied by Niggers. To call this “massive river”, “River Nigger” will be saying the obvious.
The word Negroid is also defined as “offensive” because unlike Caucasoid it denotes primitives.
Ne·groid [n gròyd]
adjective
adjective
“...an offensive term meaning belonging or relating to a group, in a former classification of humankind, that originated in Africa (dated)”
On the other hand a Caucasian is thus defined:
“...of former ethnic group: belonging to the light-skinned peoples of Europe, northern Africa, and western and southern Asia, formerly considered a distinct ethnic group.”
(See Microsoft® Encarta® 2006. © 1993-2005 Microsoft Corporation for all quotations made here.)
Long, long time ago the people and land space called Nigeria today, have been variously ruled by other civilisations of African origin known by different names with seat of administration in different part of the country.
For another day and time, we will take a look at two great civilizations, the Kush and the Nok that exerted very heavy influence in today land mass and people called Nigeria. It will be with a view to adopt a name that reflects our true identity.
Till then I look forward to a robust discussion on the viability or otherwise of opening discussion on the desirability for a new name for this great country.
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