‘Dying for nothing` or ‘dying for something’? Understanding suicide in Igboland

Abstract

In the modern world, suicide is frequently attributed to various factors such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse. However, this study identified other intrinsic factors that might induce suicidal feelings. These often-neglected factors, which are more spiritual than physical, relate to the idea of ‘dying for something’ and/or ‘dying for nothing’. The study aimed to explore the understanding of suicide among the Igbo people of Nigeria. Since Igboland is a large area, the study adopted the culture area method of interpretation. The reason for this method is to avoid the error of over-generalization, hence, what obtains in one subculture may not be the same in another subculture. The area of concentration of the study is the central sub-cultural area of Igboland, which is Ugbaike Enugu-Ezike of Southeast Nigeria. Data for the study was generated from both event reviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). Following a qualitative analysis, the findings show that, first, suicide is considered a taboo topic among Igbo people. It is very clear that, traditionally, the Igbo conceptualize suicide as an abomination against the gods, meaning that taking one’s life is not permitted by any human or spiritual agents. The study also identified the reasons for suicide, which intrinsically varied according to space and time. Generally, suicide stirs up discomfort in the supernatural world and to escape from the wrath of the supernatural powers, an expiatory sacrifice must be performed.