ANATOMY OF KOLANUT: THE HIGHEST-VALUED KOLANUT IS THE CREAM-COLORED IKENGA KNOWN AS EZE OJI. - Prof. Nwosu
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The kolanut (cola acuminata) plays a central role in the cultural practice of Ndiigbo. The plant that bears these nuts is well-adapted to the tropical rainforest zone of West and Central Africa. Cola nitada, a dicotyledonous variant, flourishes in Western Nigeria where the trees are grown in groves to shield young cocoa trees. Biochemically, the kolanut has a mild stimulatory function and has been used medicinally for fighting sleepiness and lethargy. But beyond all these attributes and potential uses, the Igbo break the kolanut. Therein lies the intricate nexus linking cola acuminata and the Igbo cultural practice.
Every generation must, therefore, have access to a sound understanding of how the archetypal Igbo regards the kolanut and the import of observances related to the ritual of breaking the kola. Nearly two decades ago, Prof. Uchenna Nwosu had led a session where his extended family reunion in the US Diaspora was used to provide a workshop training on the Igbo kolanut ritual. The young folks mentored at that time have now become parents and established homesteads. It is now time to pass the crucial cultural message to the next generation. The teachings given to the parents are now refocused on the young adolescent population.
The kolanut ritual is a very important cultural knowledge that every Igbo must have. In fact, the understanding of the kolanut should be seen as the beginning of wisdom for the Igbo upstart. The challenges of global demographic spread and domiciliary preferences afforded by this modern era make it less likely that the typical Igbo kid can pick up facts about the kolanut just by paying attention every now and then. Unfortunately, some Igbo are becoming parents today without ample understanding or appreciation of what the kolanut means to the Igbo worldview. Parents cannot teach their offspring what they don’t know in the first place. That is why this lecture by Prof. Nwosu is very important.
The male-gender exclusivity of everything kolanut can be blamed mostly on the patrilineal society evolved by the contemporary Igbo. But for the more crucial aspects of the kolanut phenomenon to endure, a dispassionate review must be taken, sooner than later, to amend future practices to allow a reasonable role for the feminine gender in public kolanut rituals. This move shall reinforce the essence of Igbo culture, not detract from it.
To read the written lecture on Kolanut by Prof. Uchenna Nwosu, go to the LNC USA website homepage and scroll toward the bottom. Share widely with your social media contacts as usual.
Okenwa.
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