Can an Oba End Human Trafficking?

Using Tradition to Combat Human Trafficking

Angus McBride's illustration showing Oba meeting Portuguese ambassadors

Angus McBride’s illustration showing the Oba meeting Portuguese ambassadors

Benin was a powerful West African kingdom centuries before Europeans arrived in what is now Nigeria. Portuguese explorers came in the late 15th century. Trade developed between the Edo people of Benin and the Portuguese. The trade would have included African slaves taken by the Europeans, early days of human trafficking.

The first British explorers came a century later. Over the next two centuries the British made inroads in  the West African territory. Benin declined in importance during these years. Finally Benin was conquered by the British.

The importance of the Oba of Benin, the traditional ruler, has lasted. The New York Times had an opinion piece by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani recently about the Oba’s effort to use his power against human trafficking.

Human Trafficking from Edo State

In recent years Edo State, with the capital Benin, “has gained notoriety as a hub of sexual exploitation.” The writer says that “according to the United Nations, over 90 percent of the thousands of women taken from Nigeria to Europe to work as prostitutes are coming from Edo.”

Oba of Benin, Ewuere II

Oba of Benin, Ewuare II

What did the Oba do? He “put a voodoo curse on anyone who abets illegal migration from within his domain.” But it was not enough just to curse those who traffic in the women.

Girls and women have signed contracts with the traffickers, promising to pay thousands of dollars for the chance to get to Europe. The traffickers seal the contracts with a ritual involving “juju,” or voodoo. The women are then afraid to come forward to testify when they are mistreated.

The Oba was probably angry at a CNN series on trafficking that focused on his kingdom. The director of Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons visited him at the time. She told him it was difficult to get victims to testify. They were concerned about breaking their oaths.

So the second part of his action was to revoke those curses that have frightened victims. The Oba can do this: he has authority “over all the spiritual priests in the Benin kingdom.”

“The agency’s appeal to the Oba is an example of using African solutions to solve African problems,” the writer says. “Well-meaning foreign governments and groups can continue to inject millions of dollars into Africa to fix our problems, but those interventions would be much more effective if local people and customs were more deeply considered.”

The Nigerian media also had news about the Oba’s actions with more explicit language on his targets.

My Own Concern

I worry when I share a story like this. I don’t want people to assume that all Nigerians believe in the effectiveness of these curses.

My guess is that the majority of girls and young women who are enticed by the opportunity of travel are not well-educated. They do not have many opportunities for careers apart from trading as their mothers have done. But they have seen the images of life in Europe.

Agreeing to the “contract” does not concern them until they want to break away. Then they are reminded of their oath and their debt. I suspect they are told stories of what has happened to other girls who have not paid the money.

I hope that Oba Ewuare II’s decrees will have an effect and make it more likely that girls and women who are exploited will report their abuse.

African Classical Pianist Playing African Music

My “go-to” blog for news of African literature, posted this recently. The pianist made it into Ainehi Edoro’s “Brittle Paper” blog because he is a poet as well as a musician!

She said, “Nigerian poet and pianist Echezonachukwu Nduka, whose writing has appeared in Brittle Paper, will be performing a selection of African classical music at the 2018 Transformation Spring Recital. The selected pieces—including works by Ghana’s Fred Onovwerosuoke, and Nigeria’s Peter Sylvanus, Chijioke Ngobili, and Christian Onyeji—are part of a collection titled Choreowaves.”

I was intrigued to hear him play music by current African composers. It evokes the rhythms and sounds of traditional instruments.

The Transformation Spring Recital is on 29 April. We’re busy on the April date, but I’ve marked the July 14 date on my calendar!

You can check his website for his schedule of concerts. There is one more listed for September.

Place, Land, and Patriarchy

Today’s Lifetime Learners class, 4th in the series of 6, about Nigerian Culture and Customs, was on place, land, and patriarchy.

Clem surrounded by tall men at his birthday party. More pics coming next time.

Clem surrounded by taller men at his birthday party. More pics coming next time.

For an Igbo man like my husband, his hometown, his place, is a defining characteristic. He is from the town of Nanka, as were his ancestors, and as his descendants will be. He can never be “from” somewhere else, though he may live somewhere else for most of his life. The land he owns gives him status.

Land is passed down, father to son or sons. When a father neglects to designate how his land should be shared, there can be quarrels between brothers, as there were in our family.

I enjoyed sharing stories about the land and the family. The questions are wonderful and make the class more interesting.

Notre Dame wins. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

Notre Dame wins. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

Women’s Basketball Winners

Notre Dame won the women’s basketball championship.

I only noticed because I saw the name of the woman who scored the winning basket in the semifinals and again in the final game.

Do you know her name? Can you tell where she is from? Or at least where her family is from?

Author: Catherine Onyemelukwe

Author, blogger, speaker. Born in New York, grew up in mid west United States, lived in Nigeria for 24 years, back in U.S. since 1986. Advocate for racial justice.