Culture of Abuja - I

The culture of Nigeria is an amazing intricacy of traditional and recent appearance of art, dance, drama, language, literature, folklore, film, music, and all of them have been subjected to outside influences. As such, it is an electrifying and re-generative strength that has come to be acknowledged and applauded internationally. In nastiness of the variation and accessibility to varying values, its roots remain unshakable in tradition and are fundamentally religious.

The culture is pure African with strains of Islam. Most of the northern areas have come under a stronger Muslim influence and this is obvious in the construction and script, as well as in the ceremonial engravings. The southern and non- Islamic northern regions had developed their own cultural and artistic heritage even long before the arrival of the Europeans.

The influence of European colonialism has obviously left its mark on the art and culture of the region, but it has only been for the better and has never been a serious danger to the traditional values of the people.

The area insincere to the north of the Benue River, in the present state of Kaduna, is home to the village of Nok, near Kafanchan, and its people. Their prehistoric culture attained its golden era around 500 BC and 200 AD. Excavations in the region have unearthed considerable finds that include well-designed Terra Cotta sculptures, depicting the prehistoric life and spirituality of the population of the period. They had already mastered the art of iron craft and they commonly used the metal. Fragments of human and animal forms – ranging in size from about 10 cm (4 in) to more than 120 cm (47 in) – that were recovered from the area appear to have become separate from large pottery or other boat. There are also rather intricate works in clay that represent detailed hairstyles, jewelry, deity and clothing.

International and domestic tourists are haggard to these charming remnants of a prehistoric cradle of civilization. Some of the more valuable and superb Terra Cotta figurines and other objects of art from this area can now be found in renowned museum in Nigeria and other parts of the world. Colonizers actually clandestinely misappropriated many of these masterpieces, which are now lying in western museums. Efforts by the government to recover these objects, especially those taken from Benin and Nok, have not been too successful.

Prehistoric craftsmen of Ife and Benin had mastered the ability of bronze emitting, specifically the ‘cire perdue' method. Excellent examples of their work have been exposed, and archaeologists are of the estimation that though these impressive pieces may fluctuate from the Terra Cotta goods of Nok in artistic vision, they are positively consequential from the same lineage. Superior prehistoric bronze craftwork with elaborate, proportioned designs has been found in the region of Enugu State, occupied by the Igbo-Ukwu people.

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