Africa is the premier journal devoted to studying African societies and cultures. Editorial policy encourages an interdisciplinary approach involving humanities, social, and environmental sciences. Africa aims to give increased attention to African knowledge production, highlighting the work of local African thinkers and writers, emerging social and cultural trends 'on the ground', and links between regional and national levels of society.
What is your research about, and why is it important?
The article ‘Frontiers of Belonging and Politics of Identity: The Materiality of Funeral Rituals and Festivals in Nigeria’s Urban Space’ attempts to reconstruct the growing narratives of violence as ways of asserting ethno-religious group ownership of African cities. This is crucial for research in African studies since it prioritises rituals and festivals over violence as frontiers of power, belonging, and urban space appropriation.
In the Nigerian cities of Lagos and Jos, rituals and festivals are increasingly deployed not only in memory of ancestors, in promoting a particular (ethnic) identity, or as a tourist attraction, but also as political instruments to demonstrate and express ownership of urban spaces. Nigeria is often characterised as a deeply divided state in which major political issues are forcefully or violently contested along the lines of complex ethnic, religious, and regional divisions.
Currently, the performances of festivals and funeral rituals have increasingly become the sites of struggles and contestation over claims to ‘ownership’ of urban spaces. In doing so, through festivals and other rituals, ideas are expressed about who belongs, who does not, and who ‘owns the city’ and who does not. This study shows how Nigerian urban dwellers invent and perform festivals and funeral rituals to define belonging and express ethnically based claims of ownership of cities.
What challenges do you face – specifically in your geographical area and discipline?
Conducting research around subjects of land struggles, ethno-religious struggles, and other identity and security questions can be challenging, especially when the researcher’s identity is directly or indirectly implicated in the conflicts one way or the other. Often, participants tend to keep important information away, thinking such information could be used negatively against the providers. In Africa, identity and land struggles are strongly contested. Because of these challenges, a conflict/security studies researcher has a single goal – to ensure human well-being, work to improve human security and bring peace to the human environment.
Where did your interest and passion for herder/farmer land struggles originate?
Growing up in the Middle Belt of Nigeria, I witnessed a harmonious living between local farmers and nomadic herders. They inter-married and interacted very closely. This changed suddenly, and constant farmer/herder clashes were ignited. The big question was why people who had lived peacefully for ages suddenly would be engulfed in deep-seated violence.
During each round of such conflicts, foods are affected by scarcity or inflated prices. Again, land was strongly implicated in the ways ethno-linguistic/religious groups contested for ownership of cities in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. These groups devised means to drive their points. These issues combined to motivate my interest and passion for farmer/herder conflicts and land struggles.
Why this journal, and was it easy to get published?
Africa is one of the world's most prominent journals on African studies. It is a widely read impact factor journal. I wanted a broader audience to share in the idea expressed in the paper. This is my third attempt to publish in the journal, and this one made it through. The article went through the normal process of rigorous peer review that such journals undertake. The initial comments were not very friendly, but the reviewers and the editors did a great job bringing the paper to fruition. So, it was not easy, but the process improved the paper and made me better.
What would your advice to young researchers be about publishing articles?
Be patient, go for the strong journals, pay attention to what each reviewer says and utilise the decisions of the editorial team.
What does publishing an article in a reputable international publication mean to you personally and career-wise?
I am delighted with this article. I am excited I pulled it through; this means so much for me as a researcher and my career.
Dr Onyekachi Nnabuihe has recently published two articles in leading journals. The article ‘Frontiers of Belonging and Politics of Identity: The Materiality of Funeral Rituals and Festivals in Nigeria’s Urban Space’ was published in Africa, and ‘Politics of Security Sector Reform: Violence and the Emergence of Regional Security Outfits in Nigeria’ was published in the African Studies Quarterly, a publication of the African Studies Centre, University of Florida.
Onyekachi Nnabuihe, in conversation with Heidi Sonnekus
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