This web platform is meant to serve as a meeting spot for all Kalabari people. The vision of this platform is to represent a virtual “common room” where people from all works of life will gather to share stories, news, history and traditions of the Kalabari people and thereby learn from each other. This site does not claim to be a repository of knowledge of the history of the Kalabaris, but will rather serve as a start point for many Kalabari people to gain some interest and/or insight into the History, cultoms and traditions of our fathers and our ancestors. In greetings and references to readers on this blogspot, you will find that we address our readers as Kalabari people and other readers. This is just to recognise and encourage other readers who may not be Kalabari in origin or otherwise but are drawn to this and other Kalabari events because of their interest in our history, customs and traditions or for any other reasons. Kalabari people are implored to indulge us in our use of such greetings and references.
Why The Creation of This Platform
I come from Abonnema in the Akuku Toru Local Government Area (AKULGA) of Rivers State. I was born in Port-Harcourt, spent my early years in Lagos, returned to Port-Harcourt to do my secondary education before spending about 30 or so odd years of my adult life in the UK.
On returning to Nigeria and of course Rivers state, I discovered that a lot of the elements that bonded us together as a people had somehow (gradually or suddenly) vanished. As kalabari people, we had prided ourselves with being able to live self sufficiently with our natural surroundings. Our fishing ports and fishing business had somehow vanished into thin air. The playing of masquerades events, albeit still there has all but become by the way (a shadow of itself). How about gathering our kit and kin under the moonlight to tell them stories about the tortoise, the lion, hare etc. Where have all these things gone. It suddenly made me aware that I did not teach my children and if my children did not know these things, how many children did know them or how many of my peers did tell their children these stories and events and culture. I was alarmed!!!
If our children did not know our cultures and traditions, how will children in 100 years know even the little my peers and I know of the cultures and traditions of the Kalabari people? Our people. It now became clear to me that I must start something which, in its own small way, will help to ensure that our history, culture, customs and traditions did not die with my generation.
In the 1970s and 1980s, my father, Chief Alaye Fubara-Manuel wrote extensively about the History, customs and traditions of the Kalabari Kingdom and I helped with the original manuscripts – proof reading, corrections, printing and delivering to customers for sale. You will expect me to have a good (if not vast) knowledge of the contents of this books or materials since I was so instrumental to their production but I will disappoint everyone here and say shamefully that I don’t remember one single line of the contents of those books. You see, I was just a boy whose dad forced him to sit with him for up to five or six hours a day reading stuff that I didn’t think would help anybody. History of Kalabari… So what. I wanted to go out and play. My peers at that time were the Boss Niggers and the Shafts of Club Road. (If you don’t know them, me I no know wetin I go tell you oo (LOL)), and I needed to go and join them in whatever mischief they and the rest of the boys were up to at the time.
So, I ended up not remembering anything that the old man had written.
Before my dad passed on to the great beyond in 2005, I asked if I could have a copy of some of his books so I can make soft copies of them and have them secured for posterity but in those days, money was not exactly a luxury that my family could afford and as such the old man sold everything. Even his own personal last copies. So he promised to get a few from some of his friends and customers but I procrastinated until the old man passed away.
Anyway, back to what I now see as the bane of our History and traditions as Kalabari people and the awareness that something needed to be done to prevent the looming sorry tale. I started out to get some of these books wherever they may be and from whomever.
So, I will start the activities on this blog by fist of all posting all five books that I have found on this site (one at a time). I will encourage Kalabari people and other readers to create a debate here about the veracity of the stories I will post. If they do have alternative histories, I will encourage them to refer readers to such facts and histories. Let us make it an intelligent discussion, without insults or hurling abuses. Let us, on this site, try and produce an authentic History, Customs and Traditions of our people for the future generations of Kalabari people. Let us refer other people onto this site to join our conversations. Let us begin the culture of telling these stories to our children so they can tell their own children and so on. If you have pictures you wish to share with us, please be kind enough to do so, especially pictures of our great grandfathers and ancestors. Pictures of the Amachrees, Omekwe Horsefall, pictures of Owukoriye Ekine, Young Briggs e.t.c. Also pictures and videos of traditional displays like the Iya ceremony, masquerade displays, boat and war canoe displays are particularly welcome. You may send any items you are unable to post to [email protected] and I will make sure Kalabari sees it. Please we would ask that visitors to this blogspot be kind enough to “like” our website. It will tell us how well we are serving our community.