The System of Slavery in Bakor, South-Eastern Nigeria 1850-1960 (Published)
The subject of slavery, especially the status of slaves in African societies, has understandably attracted scholarly attention. Using Bakor society in south-eastern Nigeria as a case study, this paper seeks to contribute to existing knowledge about slave systems in Nigeria. On the basis of fieldwork carried out in Mfom, an Ekajuk community in Bakor area, in conjunction with relevant written sources, it has been established that a sizable percentage of Bakor population is of slave origin. These slaves were originally recruited from outside Bakorland and the primary reason for the purchase of slaves was to augment the population of matrilineages which appeared to be declining during the period covered by this study. It was for this reason that female slaves were preferred. The study also shows that there existed an efficient traditional method of intergrating slaves into the society. This, in addition to the fact that slaves never suffered any form of discrimination made it difficult to distinguish between slave and free born.
Keywords: Bansara, Cross River, Mfom, Nigeria, Slavery
Cross River Tourism, History and Environment: A Marriage Contracted In the Womb of Time (Published)
Today, it can be safely argued that Cross River State is noted more for its tourism enterprise than for anything else. Since 1999 to date, there have been sustained efforts by successive administrations to re-engineer and rebrand the State as a tourism spectacle and hub not just in the Cross River Region but in Nigeria and indeed, the West Africa Sub-region at large. This paper seeks to show that there is an organic and inescapable relationship between Cross River’s current tourism efforts and its history and environment. Put differently, we would attempt to demonstrate that the foundation of Cross River tourism is embedded in its history and environment and it is from these pristine bowels that the current initiatives can truly find rhythm, momentum and relevance.
Keywords: Cross River, Environment, Nigeria, Tourism, history
The System of Slavery in Bakor, South-Eastern Nigeria, 1850-1960 (Published)
The subject of slavery, especially the status of slaves in African societies, has understandably attracted scholarly attention. Using Bakor society in south-eastern Nigeria as a case study, this paper seeks to contribute to existing knowledge about slave systems in Nigeria. On the basis of fieldwork carried out in Mfom, an Ekajuk community in Bakor area, in conjunction with relevant written sources, it has been established that a sizable percentage of Bakor population is of slave origin. These slaves were originally recruited from outside Bakorland and the primary reason for the purchase of slaves was to augment the population of matrilineages which appeared to be declining during the period covered by this study. It was for this reason that female slaves were preferred. The study also shows that there existed an efficient traditional method of intergrating slaves into the society. This, in addition to the fact that slaves never suffered any form of discrimination made it difficult to distinguish between slave and free born.
Keywords: Bansara, Cross River, Mfom, Nigeria, Slavery