Once Upon a Kingdom: Myth, Hegemony, and Identity

The old West African kingdom of Benin continues to hold a powerful sway on the imagination of many. Today, the communities that once lived in the pale of Benin's power still tell stories that show traces of their ingrained resentment of the kingdom. Using stories he collected from narrators in some of these communities, the west-Niger Igbo of the present Delta State of Nigeria, Okpewho reveals an effort by marginalized peoples to defend themselves and their place in an uneven socio-political landscape. For these communities, in other words, the present mirrors the past in both folklore and political reality. Okpewho goes on to suggest that the political crises facing several countries today may be traced to their failure to create a level playing field for the plural identities within them.