BIBILOGRAPHY

The onwe is for the Igbo anthroplogists, the basic unit of personhood. We shall dwell more on the idea of the onwe in our chapter five. According to Nwala, ―the traditional Igbo believe that man or a person is both spirit and non-spirit. A person possesses two main parts- mmuo (spirit) and ahu (body) Mmuo- this is the spiritual part of man and it incorporates the elements of spirit, intelligence, feeling, emotion, conscience⁵¹ There are also other ontological characteristics of a person which are recognized in every personal identity. They are present in every person before you are described as a person. We have Obi or mkpuruobi which is located in the heart not just biologically, but as part of the invisible constitutive elements of the person and is the seat of the life-giving force, ndu. Ndu is understood as a life giving force, with an existence in which a

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person still functions in his or her natural mode. At this stage, the social realities and identity is not made reference to because these metaphysical constituents can exist without the social identity. It is important to note that among Igbo scholars, mmadu (person) is seen as both material and immaterial (mmuo) In the words of Nze,

among the Igbo, in whose culture, the person Mmadu is conceived as integrally composed of a material element Ahu- the body and immaterial spiritual element mmuo, nkpurobi, obi- the heart which is often spoken of as a tripartite or could be casually and interchangeably labeled obi, the heart nkpuruobi, the seed and mmuo, the spirit. ……, we are not going into this ontological or metaphysical aspect of man in Igbo perspective⁵².

Nze is not alone in this thought. Madu agrees with Nze and Nwala that the latter sense speaks of mmadu as being (ndu) the activating principle sustaining all existence⁵³. If we analyze these claims closely, we shall see that it is a case that any notion that qualifies as metaphysical ought to be free of communal considerations as primary constituents of the nature of person. It has to articulate the notion from a constitutive elements perspective that is non social. Although all persons can be said to be social by nature; what makes them persons is the mere possession of these key metaphysical elements as opposed to sociality of any form. Naturally, a key question that arises is whether these elements are sufficient for the constitution of persons without bringing in moral considerations. We seek to show that it is possible to articulate such a concept without violating any cardinal principle of African identity. In our view, most communitarians are content with articulating their communitarian position without paying attention to the metaphysical implications of their statements.

In Igbo cosmology for instance, children are recognized and by birth enjoins the metaphysics of personal identity. This is why the Igbo say, nwata kwozie aka, osoro okenye re nri- that a child

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that washes his/her hands neatly and who is hard working, dines with the elderly. This though might sound literary, but philosophically, it is significant in matters of personal identity because a child shares same metaphysical components of personal identity with the elderly. Ordinary or ontological usage of the word ―it‘ does not lend credence to that idea which denies children of their relevance in matters of personal identity.

However, even though most Igbo scholars would agree that the idea of personhood can be summed-up in two categories, ahu (body) and mmuo (spirit), we should note that this dualism is different from the Cartesian or same in Western categories. This according to Agulanna suggests that within the gamut of Igbo traditional thought system, there is a belief in some kind of dualism in the conception of the human person-a dualism that has both epistemological as well as metaphysical implications⁵⁴. This difference lies in the way most empiricist philosophers would present a person as tabularasa at conception. The Igbo duality sees these components as ontologically imbedded with knowledge. There is this believe among the Igbo, says Nwala that,

man is not only regarded as the most important aspect of creation, he is also regarded as being superior in natural intelligence to other beings, even the spirits (except Chukwu himself who knows everything). The spirits are more powerful than men but like human beings they can exhibit some foolish attitude and calousness⁵⁵.

According to Agulanna,

what this desiderata of personhood above shows is that to the Igbo

‗ahu‟ and ‗mmuo‟ are the major divisions of the person. However, when the Igbo talk of ‗ahu‟, they mean by it not just the bodily frame of a person but also included in the notion is the whole of the material constituents of a person. On its part, ‗mmuo‟ (spirit) is that aspect of a person that is reborn into the world. But it does more than this- it is also able to live on in the spiritual world after the disintegration of the body at death⁵⁶.

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We need to now reiterate on some points made earlier in this chapter. First is that the Igbo believe in the duality of the human person in which the onwe is the fundamental element. It is important to note that while the ahu (body) comprises of all the physical and quasi-physical components of the ontological elements of a person, the mmuo (spirit) or onwe is the immaterial, yet ontologically linked with the physical constitutive elements of a person. Again, we should note that contrary to the Western understanding or notion of the duality and individuality of the ontological person, the Igbo recognizes the community as part of the social aspects of the person that helps in the actualization and existence of the person. But again, contrary to the communitarians view that the community determines the dignity of the person, however, contemporary experience has shown the community as very useful in the attainment of personhood in matters of social reality. This is because they believe that communal rules are made by man and for man‘s harmony in the sociality and not man made for these rules.

Personhood therefore starts from conception. A person enjoins and is accorded some respect as soon as s/he is born. According to Anumihe, in a lecture he delivered at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, he says, … that the rebranding project must start as a personal thing, an individual conviction and decision that will influence others and impact positively on the society⁵⁷. Therefore, in matters of personal identity, it is the creative, intelligent, ontological individual that recourse is made to and not the community.