CULTURAL RE-ENGINEERING: THE WAY OUT OF HUMAN RIGHTS SUBVERSION IN SUB SAHARAN AFRICA, NIGERIA A CASE STUDY (Published)
The importance of culture need not be over emphasized in the life of a community, as it is a sign of their identity. Cultural practices reflect the fundamental values of the community which are geared towards protecting members of the community. These practices are good where they fulfil these functions. But sometimes traditional cultural practices are harmful, with negative consequences, violating human rights. This work asserts that cultural belief is one of the major reasons why human rights are violated. The world is not stagnant, but continues to evolve. With new discoveries and philosophies, world’s systems change and the world adjusts to the demands of the changing times. Cultures and traditions are no exceptions. Cultural rites are human rights, insofar as they relate to and affect human beings. The aim of this work is to identify some of these harmful traditional cultural practices that violate human rights and suggest ways in which they can be re-engineered to bring cultural practices in consonance with the human rights system, within the traditional setting
Keywords: Culture, Human Rights, Re-Engineering, sub-Saharan Africa
THE LEGAL ANATOMY OF CULTURAL WIDOWHOOD PRACTICES IN SOUTH EASTERN NIGERIA: THE NEED FOR A PANACEA (Published)
Nigeria is a patriarchal society, thus women are regarded as less human beings, especially among the Igbos of South Eastern Nigeria. Against this backdrop women are discriminated against, degraded and dehumanized despite the provisions of our local statutes such as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and various other International Human Rights Instruments which Nigeria ratified. The widow is the fulcrum of this debased treatment. Widows are subjected to agonizing, painful and dehumanizing treatments during their mourning rites and thereafter. This impact negatively on their social, psychological and physical wellbeing. Surprisingly some of these obnoxious cultural practices are tacitly accepted and implemented by fellow women called the ‘Umuadas’. Hence, this paper examines the Igbo widowhood practices in South Eastern Nigeria and how the harmful widowhood rites can be eradicated.
Keywords: Culture, National Laws, Nigeria, Panacea, South-East, Widowhood Practices
Clash of Cultures: The Interface between Islam and the West (Published)
The struggle for cultural supremacy is not only a fact of history but also an observable phenomenon of social existence. Perhaps, the frenzied defence of cultural identity is second only to the expression of territorial nationalism. Contemporary cultures of which Islam is a resilient part are engaged in a ceaseless war of survival. Following the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre in New York, Islam has come under intense scrutiny. What has followed is a feverish commitment to the obliteration of Islamic values at home and abroad and the intensification of the scheme to enthrone western culture. This raises many legal, constitutional and sociological questions as well as questions relating to the place of Islamic culture both on the international arena and within the Nigerian jurisdiction. The paper is dedicated both to defining the place of Islamic culture vis-a-vis freedom of conscience and the constitutional safeguards in place against the prejudices that confront Islamic civilisation.
Keywords: Civilisation, Culture, Democracy, Government, Ideology, Law, Religion.