Ethics of Care Inherent in Igbo Traditional Practices

Keyword : Igbo ethos, Care ethics, Feminist ethics, Respect, and Human beings.

Author(s) : MARIE PAULINE EBOH And MARAIZU ELECHI

Abstract :

Ethics is the philosophical appraisal of moral values, a system of moral principles which regulates befitting human conduct and gives directives on how to behave with propriety. In every polity, there are conducts adjudged appropriate or inappropriate depending on the ethical code of the society. Igbo traditional way of life (hospitality, gratuitous assistance rendered to the aged, communal commitment and support given in times of bereavement, etc.) is empathy driven. Its ethics is, to an extent,
compassion-based just like feminist ethics of care. However, a faulty understanding of justice-based ethics prevails in most communities, especially in gender relations as patriarchy dominates in Igbo land irrespective of the coexistence of matriarchy. For
tradition and customs tend to be flexible and mutable, except in matters concerning women where the staff of authority of the ancestors is brought to bear with full force. Given this background, this paper focuses on Igbo people and draws mostly from their traditional moral values and the lived experience of their communal ethos. This is similar to what Ramose would refer to as presenting “African philosophy through the voice from within.” We shall critically reflect on some care-oriented praxis, especially respect for, and care of the elderly, with the conclusion that ethics of care defines and conveys the fulcrum of communality, the African mode of being and living, especially in Igbo land.

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