Much Ado About Eze Ndi Igbo in South Africa and Beyond -By Leo Igwe

Because I am ‘involved’, I have been reluctant to write about this topic. As an Igbo person, I have been hesitant to comment on the issue of Eze Ndi Igbo. But after reading about recent protests in South Africa, and all the hateful and misguided messages circulating on social media, I have been forced to break my silence and weigh in on the matter. I cannot stand by and watch people legitimize hate, ignorance, bigotry, and a lack of cultural understanding. The controversy over “Igbo King”, or better “Igbo king”, both in Nigeria and overseas, is unnecessary. The protest is a testament to opinionation and prejudice. Let’s face it, Igbos and non-Igbos, Nigerians and non-Nigerians, Africans and non-Africans display cultural ignorance and misunderstanding. This protest against the ‘Igbo King’ in South Africa is one among many. I am using the controversy over Eze Ndi Igbo as a case in point. My argument is that the No-Igbo-King protest is a pointless fuss, a much ado about nothing, and a pretext for xenophobic attacks.

For this piece, I translate Eze Ndi Igbo as “Igbo king,” not “Igbo King,” as one might find elsewhere. The ‘k’ in king is a small, not a capital letter. People who are protesting in South Africa, like those who have protested in Ghana and Nigeria, think that the k in the Igbo king is a capital letter; it is not.
I am an Igbo person from Imo state, as my surname indicates. Who could be more Igbo than one who bears the name, Igwe? And who could be associated with kingship and royalty more than an Igwe? Having said that, I left ‘Igboland’ when I was 23 and have spent most years traveling and living in other places. I am culturally mixed. I have had decades of encounters with Igbo cultural outsiders, as friends, colleagues, bosses, co-tenants, landlords and landladies, teachers, students, and staff.

I have lived and traveled to different parts of Nigeria and Africa. I have been to all continents of the world except Antarctica. I lived and studied in Germany for six years with colleagues from different parts of Nigeria, Africa, and the world. As one who ethnically identifies as Igbo, I am shocked at how we all are culturally ignorant and readily display an acute lack of cultural understanding and sensitivity.

Before addressing the issue of Eze Ndi Igbo, let me share this experience. As I earlier stated, my surname is Igwe. While growing up in my village in south-eastern Nigeria, I was socialised to bear Igwe as a surname and nothing more, no royal strings attached. But for most Nigerians/ Africans, including those protesting in the Eastern Cape, this is not the case. There is more in the name Igwe. Igwe signifies royalty or a King.

That means as I started traveling and living outside Igboland, my life became miserable. Things changed because I am constantly harassed and embarrassed. Non-Igbo Nigerians and Africans do not know, and cannot make a distinction between Igwe as a surname and Igwe as a traditional title. Look, there is a significant cultural difference between Igwe Linus Osita and Linus Igwe. The two names bear Igwe, but with different meanings. In one case, Igwe is a traditional title; in another, it is a surname. Igbo cultural insiders understand this distinction, but most outsiders do not. Even when one tries to educate them, many refuse to learn or unlearn. They stick to their mistaken idea that whenever an Igbo person bears Igwe, the person is a “King”. The person is not. Whenever I tell non-Igbo Nigerians and Africans my name, the next thing is “Ahh, Igwe, so you are a King? I always reply in the negative. I have lost count of the times I have to answer this question.

In other cases, as soon as I introduce myself, some people start hailing and saying: “Igweeeeee”. Sometimes they do this in the middle of a serious discussion or transaction. They hail me while bowing their heads. Some years ago, I was at a bank in Swaziland, and the bank officer asked for my means of identification. I gave her my passport, and she immediately exclaimed, ” Ahh, so you are an Igwee!” She bowed slightly and said, “I wish my daughter were here, I would have loved to show her an Igwee”. Am I an Igwee? Of course not. I was looking at her, embarrassed. I managed to smile while saying in my mind: “Please attend to me, let me go”.

So wherever I go or travel to, Ibadan, Lagos, Kano, or Jos, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, or Liberia, it is the same thing. Non ethnic Igbo Nigerian and African people call me a chief. They confront me with their lack of understanding of the cultural meanings of Igwe and kingship. While I find this mischaracterization irritating and distracting, in many cases, I oblige them. I patiently explain to them that I am not a king. That I am Igwe, not Igweee, to no avail.

Now to the issue of Eze Ndi Igbo. It is pertinent to inform Igbo cultural outsiders that there is a saying among Igbos that: “Igbo enweghi Eze”. That means the Igbos have no King. Look, Igbos have kings, but the Igbos do not have a King. The idea must sink. Most Igbo cultural outsiders, including those protesting in South Africa, and their counterparts in Ghana and Nigeria, must understand this. They have a wrong notion of the Igbo king in their minds. Many Africans don’t get it. Ndi Igbo enweghi Eze. Igbos have no King. Igbos have kings. Other Africans should know this and know peace. Igbos do not attach the same kind of reverence and respect to their kings as other cultural groups in Nigeria or Africa do. Other ethnic constituents treat their Kings almost like Gods, or as next to God. Other cultures literally worship their Kings. This habit does not apply to the Igbos. Most non-Igbos have not realized this peculiar attitude to kingship among the Igbos, hence the much ado about Eze Ndi Igbo in different parts of the region.

It may interest you to know that when my father was alive, he took the then Eze or king of my community to court and got him to revisit and revise an unfair traditional appointment that he had made. In many parts of Nigeria and Africa, people cannot take their King to court. When the Eze of my community died, some family members went and confiscated the corpse. Someone took the staff and started parading himself as the heir to the throne. On the day of king’s burial, people could not find the corpse. A later date was fixed, and he was finally buried. In many parts of Nigeria and Africa, the body of a late king cannot be treated this way. In my part of Imo state, they say kingship is not in the blood. It does not run in the family. Kingship is not inherited. In other words, anybody can become an Eze or a king. Like the Nigerian presidency, kingship is rotational. It is zoned.

So, Nigerians and Africans, the problem is in your understanding of the Eze or the Igbo king. The Igbos do not share that understanding.

In southeastern Nigeria, governors arbitrarily create new autonomous communities and appoint new Ezes or kings. I was told that the newly appointed Eze of my community is yet to be coronated due to some local politics and opposition. Other ethnic regions in Nigeria and Africa have different kingship traditions. Africans should understand the Igbo-specific kingship culture. Igbos should understand others’ too. Despite what is portrayed on home movies and Nollywood films, Igbos do not take the king’s office as seriously as other Nigerians and Africans do. So the fear, panic, and protest are misplaced. It seems that people are looking for any opportunity to vent their anger, frustration, irrational hatred, and fear of the Igbos.

Now, let me zoom in on the title, Eze Ndi Igbo. Take a critical look at the term. It is Eze Ndi Igbo, the king of the Igbos. Let me put it better. It means the king of those Igbos who agree that Eze X or Y is their king. Those who lead Igbo communities bear the title in many places across the world. Hence, there is a plethora of Igbo kings worldwide. In the city where I live, I was told there are some of them heading different factions of the Igbo community. I don’t know them, and I do not care about them. So why do you? Why should you? What is your problem if you are not Igbo? Why the fuss? Eze Ndi Igbo is not your Eze. Is he? So what is your business? Leaders of other cultural groups bear their traditional titles, like Sariki this and that. They go around with oversized clothes, garments, and caps looking for contracts and recognition. So what is all the commotion about?

Look, ‘Eze Ndi Igbo Na Lagos’ means the king of Igbos in Lagos, not the King of Lagos. There is no basis for the people and the King of Lagos to panic, fear, hate, or attack Igbos. Eze Ndi Igbo Na Limpopo means the king of Igbos in Limpopo, not the King of Limpopo. South Africans should realize this. Eze Ndi Igbo Na Ghana means the king of Igbos in Ghana, not the King of Ghana. Just as most non Igbo Africans cannot differentiate between Igwe the surname and Igwe the royal title, they are unable uncouple the king of Igbos in Cape Town (Eze Ndi Igbo Na Cape Town) from the King of Cape Town(Eze Ndi Cape Town), the King of Igbos in Limpopo(Eze Ndi Na Limpopo) from Eze Ndi Limpopo(Eze Ndi Limpopo), the king of Igbos in Akure, from the King of Akure, the king of Igbos in Ghana from the King of Ghana.

So Eze Ndi Igbo is Eze Ndi Igbo, not your Eze. Enough of the hate, ignorance, and intolerance!

Leo Igwe is a humanist from Nigeria.