One of the pillars which held Igbo Culture standing tall for centuries is the slogan: "Ezi afa ka ego" which in English reads something like " A good name is more precious than wealth/Gold" Some children were even given the name Eziafa and it meant just that. Then, wealth and status came to town all over Igboland with the oil boom and Eziafa was thrown out the window across the land. The consequences are evident today glaring both in the youth and adults. I will not even attempt to start listing examples of the consequences of abandoning "EZI AFA KA EGO" and the adoption of "ANA ENWE OBODO ENWE" solely based on wealth and influence, genuine or illicit, no problem. In the past, nobody owned Obodo, maybe their compound, but nobody owned any town. A good name was worth a fortune even if the individual was very poor in money and property ownership. The good name was good enough, and was guarded with passion.
Even Shakespeare, who wrote a lot on virtues such as love, pride, mercy had something to say about REPUTATION ( EZI AFA) in one of his great works---Othello.
In this great play, reputation was the centerpiece.
To be continued.
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