Where they live, what they speak and how families and villages work together.
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Lesson 1 of 3
A big, friendly family
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Hello from Igboland!
More than 35 million people are Igbo. That is more people than live in many whole countries!
Most Igbo people live in the south-east of Nigeria, in a land of green hills, rivers and red earth.
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Five home states
The Igbo heartland covers five states of Nigeria: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.
Many Igbo families also live in other countries today, from Britain and the United States to Canada and France.
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Did you know?
The Igbo word “ijeri” means “billion”. It really means “uncountable”, because it is too big to count!
Lesson 2 of 3
A language that sings
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Igbo is a musical language
Igbo is a tonal language. That means the high or low sound of your voice can change what a word means.
The word “akwa” can mean egg, cloth, bridge or even a cry. Only the tune is different!
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The alphabet
The Igbo alphabet has 36 letters, including 8 vowels.
Some letters have little dots underneath, such as ọ and ụ. The dot changes the sound, so it matters!
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One standard Igbo
Igbo has many dialects, like different accents. Schools and books use a shared standard called Igbo Izugbe, so everyone can read the same words.
Lesson 3 of 3
Families and villages
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Nobody grows up alone
In Igbo life, your family is much bigger than your parents and brothers and sisters. Your father’s whole family line is called the umunna.
Aunts, uncles and cousins all look after one another.
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Friends of the same age
Children born around the same years form an age grade called ogbo. Age mates work, learn and help the village together.
The daughters of a family line form a group called the Umuada, who help keep peace in the family.
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Saving together
Igbo families and friends have a clever way of saving called esusu. Everyone puts in a little money each time, and each person takes a turn to receive the whole pot.
It shows a big Igbo idea: we are stronger together.