Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Monday, November 01, 2010

Political integration; cultural segregation

Once again, SolomonSydelle, writing in Nigerian Curiousity, points to a valuable teaching tool and offers insightful commentary. (Thank him.) An adequate level of political integration (and that's a relativistic measure) is necessary for the functioning of any state. The question raised here is whether the level of political integration in Nigeria is adequate.

HOW DO NIGERIANS PERCEIVE EACH OTHER?

A lot of the perceptions some Nigerians have of their fellow citizens stem from stereotypes and archaic beliefs. These ideas should be long gone, but as is the case across the globe, stereotypical attitudes persist even in the face of contrary evidence.

'Perceptions' is a short documentary that interviews 3 Nigerians - a Hausa man, an Igbo woman and a Yoruba man. In the 10 minute program, these individuals share some of their thoughts about Nigeria's major ethnic groups. They explain why they dislike and like people from other tribes...

I for one think that the views expressed are reflective of attitudes held by many Nigerians. There is indeed distrust between Nigerians and it oftentimes is expressed within a tribal context… Only a concerted effort will allay those fears and stereotypes. And such an effort is needed because tribalism is a divisive element in the fabric of Nigeria and it contributes to violence and disunity.