CHRISTIANITY, COLONIALISM AND THE CHALLENGE OF NKWERRE BLACKSMITHING TECHNOLOGICAL CULTURE, 1913 – 1960

Abstract

The advent of Christianity paved way for colonialism in most parts of African communities. These two external variables – Christianity and colonialism – have in no small measures, transformed the communities they traversed. The advent of missionaries and the spread of the Christian faith were accompanied by colonial manipulations. Thus, Nkwerre, a small Igbo community with tradition of blacksmithing technological culture was caught up in Christian and colonial webs. The promising doctrines of Christianity, colonial legislations and the integration of Igboland into a capitalist economy stunted Nkwerre blacksmithing technology. Therefore, the paper appraises the role of the Siamese twin of Christianity and colonialism in the gradual disintegration of Nkwerre blacksmithing technological culture. It argues that African communities should be cautious to embrace Western culture. The data for this paper are derived from primary and secondary sources which include archival materials, journal articles, books and oral traditions. The methodology is narrative, thematic and adopted multidisciplinary approach.