The old West African kingdom of Benin continues to hold a powerful sway on the imagination of many. Today, the communities that once lived in the pale of Benin's power still tell stories that show traces of their ingrained resentment of the kingdom. Using stories he collected from narrators in some of these communities, the west-Niger Igbo of the present Delta State of Nigeria, Okpewho reveals an effort by marginalized peoples to defend themselves and their place in an uneven socio-political landscape. For these communities, in other words, the present mirrors the past in both folklore and political reality. Okpewho goes on to suggest that the political crises facing several countries today may be traced to their failure to create a level playing field for the plural identities within them.
- ISBN10 0253333962
- ISBN13 9780253333964
- Publish Date 22 March 1999 (first published 1 February 1999)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 12 March 2014
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Indiana University Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 272
- Language English