Tuesday, May 12, 2015

A country with no history (addition)

Although we are not currently taught Nigerian history in our schools (see previous post), it is important that we understand our history. I recommend borrowing books that discuss our history or other significant events such as the Nigerian civil war etc.

"A History of Nigeria" was a good starting point for me. To give an overview of the country before, during, and after British colonization. Also, I enjoyed the memoir by Chinua Achebe "There was a country." It doesn't serve as an objective observation of the Nigerian civil war, but gives his own perspective of that time. Since he was prominent before the war, his account is very educational to see how his life was affected. There are many more books that we can read to familiarize ourselves with our history.

Just because we weren't taught Nigerian history in school doesn't excuse us from learning about our past. And hopefully, within the near future we can have a government that commissions books that chronicle our history from time before the amalgamation to the present day. The historians will have a lot to write, but we just need to ensure that their interpretation is as objective as it can be. Objectivity, not length, would ensure the book has the desired effect of properly educating future students.


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