Berengario Cermenati among the Igbirra (Ebira) of Nigeria

A study in colonial, missionary and local politics, 1897-1925

This book charts the careers of three significant figures in the history of the Ebira (a small ethnic group in Nigeria’s Middle belt): an Italian Missionary, a British Administrator, and the group’s young Ruler. The events described occurred in the early decades of the 20th century, at a time when Islam, Christianity and Traditional Religion were locked in deadly combat for the soul of the Ebira. The central characters are joined by an extraordinary cast of Africans and Europeans, driven by the possibilities afforded to them in the melting-pot which was Nigeria at that epoch. The denouement of this ‘fight to the finish’- which involved victory and defeat - demonstrates that while one of the great riches of the human spirit is its resilience, that capacity is not unlimited. A fascinating story unfolds in a narrative that conveys the experience of being party to an episode in history which resonates today.

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