Nigeria's Diverse Peoples : A Reference Sourcebook

Exploring the history of ethnic, regional, and religious diversity in Nigeria, this volume traces most of the country's current problems to its colonial exploitation. Plagued by ethnic divisions, economic inequality, and corruption, Nigeria appears to conform to the stereotypical view that Africa's problems are mostly the result of primitive tribalism. But as Nigeria's Diverse Peoples demonstrates, most of Nigeria's problems today were set in motion by Europeans during the slave trade and colonial eras. Focusing on three main ethnic groups (Hausa-Falani, Yoruba, and Igbo) and ranging from precolonial times to independence in 1960 to the present, this breakthrough study portrays a Nigeria now striving to make a unified nation of itself. Offering a fresh understanding not just of Nigeria but of Africa as well, readers will enter the richly complex world of Nigeria's ethnic history. Includes sections at the end of each chapter that highlight key people and events, with background information on past and present ethnic, regional, religious, and political affairs Primary documents, including those from the Biafra civil war, give students and general readers a better understanding of the reality of Nigeria, and photographs and maps illustrate the development, dynamics, and impact of Nigerian diversity