The history of Ukwa/Ngwa people Volume 1 represents the ultimate in-depth data of Ukwa/Ngwa people long walk to freedom nay, to capture political power in their political space. A factual inside account of the events and circumstances which had made this journey a tortuous one and brought it to scorn and despise mostly in its citadel commercial town of Aba. This is rendered in a vivid detail by the author blazing a trail which would, sooner or later, provoke reactions conveying confirmation, disputation, clarification or expansion of information as contained herein. In the potpourri of endless books written on Ukwa/Ngwa history, this book is no doubt unique in its most illuminating treatment of privileged information recapturing the historical genesis of the Ukwa/Ngwa origin, long trek to Aba and its attendant development which had elicited disproportionate feelings among sojourners.

A Tale of Two Neighbours offers the most comprehensive and up-to-date history of the Ukwa and Ngwa people of present-day Abia State in Southeastern Nigeria. The Ukwas and Ngwas are indigenous to the famous city of Aba, regarded as the birthplace of Nigeria's anti-colonial movement following the Aba women's riot of 1929. Drawing from extensive interviews and archival research, the book offers a distinct account of the origin, cultural history and how the shared socio-political aspiration towards Aba State creation has transformed both nations into a unified identity within the Nigerian State. For centuries, the Ukwas and Ngwas lived as neighbours until the colonial reforms of the late 19th century merged both countries into a single administrative unit. Though this merger may be considered insignificant in describing Ukwa and Ngwa's cultural history, it has come to define its socioeconomic and political significance of Ukwa-Ngwa in Igboland and Nigeria. Presently, with a combined population of 2.1 million people, the Ukwa-Ngwa nation emerges as one of the largest cultural and political groups in West Africa when considered as a single constituent.

This book analyzes the history of the Ngwa-Igbo of Southeastern Nigeria in time perspective. It begins with an evaluation of the methodologies used in studying the so-called stateless societies and goes on to discuss the origin of the Ngwa and their socio-political organization. Subsequent chapters examine local and regional trade networks as well as the roles Okonko title society, the Aro and other oracular specialists played during slavery and legitimate commerce. Also discussed are the production and marketing of palm produce and the sequence of events that contributed to the Aba Women's Revolt of 1929. The final chapter uses the Ngwa example to highlight the diverse changes that occurred in Igbo mini states during the periods under review.

"Readership: Historians and social anthropologists of Africa and India and all those interested in modern intellectual history, in the interactions between orality and literacy, and in local/global and local/state relationships."--BOOK JACKET.

The Igbo people and their unique culture represents a mercurial bridge of time, with potentials of linking the contemporary mind to the mystic realms from whence original knowledge can be profoundly grasped and brought down to earth for practical applications of many vital interests. In this work, Nwafor, a reincarnated Eze Dibia of Ururo-Umunze descent, distills the knowledge, wisdom and experiences of nine life-times of intense spiritual work, culminating in a unique exegesis of Igbo reality and cultural phenomenon.