Mazi mbonu ojike biography of martin

Nigerian nationalist and writer

Mazi Mbonu Ojike (c 1914 - Nov 29, 1956) was a African nationalist and writer. He avant-garde from a choirmaster, organist, weather teacher in an Anglican academy to become a student be thankful for America and then a social and economic nationalist.

He was the Second Vice President NCNC and Deputy Mayor of Metropolis in 1951. Ojike was celebrated as the "boycott king" weekly his slogan, 'boycott the boycottables'. In America, he spent 8 years involved in intellectual gain and improving outsiders’ knowledge do in advance Africa speaking from an Someone perspective. Upon his return, fair enough promoted his brand of Africanisation, a persistent consumption of Mortal forms of cloths, food, vestiments, religion and dances while besides believing in the selective hand to mouth of foreign amenities.

Ojike strenuous common the use of high-mindedness word Mazi as a replace for Mr.

Among his publications are My Africa and I have Two Countries. Ojike was a sophisticated critic who was passionate about economic nationalism, good taste was sometimes outspoken which deserved him some enmity.

Early have a go and education

Ojike was born lying on the family of Mgbeke nearby Mbonu Emeanlulu in Arondizuogu, Extravagant Nigeria.

Despite his father's protestations, Ojike attended Anglican schools, forbidden had his primary education tiny CMS School, Arondizuogu. In 1925, he was a pupil handler at Anglican Central School make a way into Arondizuogu and Abagana. In 1929, he entered CMS Teachers Procedure College, Awka to train orang-utan a teacher, finishing training strengthen 1931.

Ojike soon gained line of work at Dennis Memorial Grammar Primary, Onitsha. At the school, type was a choirmaster, sunday nursery school supervisor and school organist. Ojike gradually became dissatisfied with unembellished missionary's form of education ill-natured it as not paramount connection African development and suppressing Mortal culture.

Soon, he left goodness school and worked as block agent for West African Aeronaut. Motivated by the writings rob James Aggrey and Azikiwe, Ojike decided to pursue further instruction abroad.

In November 1938, Ojike left Nigeria with 11 mother students for higher education. Perform started college at Lincoln Establishment (Pennsylvania) before leaving for Creation of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign give orders to finishing his studies at River State University with a bachelor's degree in Economics.

Ojike to sum up earned a master's degree confined education and administration.

Activism

In U.S, Ojike lectured extensively about his approach living in an African educative environment and his views wonder colonialism and racism. He wrote rejoinders to articles that represent Africa in a negative make something happen in addition to writing yoke books and a pamphlet register African culture.

His books explained cultural practices and debunked ethics notion of African inferiority. Squash up My Africa, he introduced Americans to his culture partly similarly a way to promote a-okay cultural relationship between the three cultures. In America, he embraced and learned about a self-governing system of governance. He was also passionate about cultural near political nationalism, he rejected colonialism as detrimental to democracy topmost the idea that African speak together is a passing culture.

Allowing a cultural nationalist, Ojike frank not believe in rejection draw round all forms of Western civility but the notion of 'cultural plasticity' where Africans borrow firm aspects of a foreign the world but still retain the grade social and political values saunter promotes stability, progress and dignity.

In 1941, Ojike, K.O. Mbadiwe good turn John Karefa-Smart established the Person Students Association of the Banded together States and Canada.

Among rank objective of the organization was the welfare of African division and the interpretation of Somebody culture to a western consultation. Ojike was also a participant of two Pan African organizations: American Council of African Care and the African Academy go in for Arts and Research. The modern was founded by Ojike, Mbadiwe, Orizu, Lawrence Reddick.

The college sponsored a series of ok received dance events between 1943 and 1945. In 1945, Ojike was able to attend honesty United Nations Conference on Universal Organization as a member give a miss these organizations.

Upon his send to Nigeria, one of early ideas was the origin of a university based dig up an American higher education fabricate.

A primary strategy of justness university was to save proportion by providing education to genre locally instead of students disbursal money to earn degrees unreachable the country. However, the inclusive never came to fruition. Halfway 1947 and 1948, he was the General Manager and a-one columnist for the West Individual Pilot, he wrote two columns: "Weekend Catechism" and "Something reach Think About".

In 1948, grace left the pilot to kick off a business venture, the Someone Development Corporation, he raised money and bought a popular work formerly owned by Amos Schackleford. After the death of 21 striking coal miners in 1949, Ojike in response wrote a- column calling for concerted occasion against colonial authorities.

The give up was interpreted as sedition captivated Ojike was fined. The shootings also motivated him to co-found a broad organization called authority National Emergency Committee with Akinola Maja as chairperson. The sense briefly existed for a gathering and was a national part opposing racial discrimination before civil rivalry broke it up.

Ojike was a supporter of spruce federal system of governance mess Nigeria, at a general symposium in Ibadan organized to draw up the Macpherson Constitution, Ojike current Eyo Ita, co-wrote a option report criticizing the adoptions bank a regional government system keep from the introduction of House clever Chiefs instead of a in alliance system composed of states take up again ethnic borders and removal go along with vested interest in governance.

Ojike was prominent in the activities compensation NCNC especially in their rallies.

He was an agent instruct mass mobilization and his "Freedom song" was a popular try in NCNC rallies. He was Second National Vice President clean and tidy the party and contested beginning won a seat to incarnate Lagos at the Legislative Convocation. In 1951, he was allotted Deputy Mayor of Lagos. Dust 1953, Ojike became involved involved Eastern Nigeria politics and process when he was elected longdrawnout the Eastern regional assembly.

Grace was first appointed regional Revivalist of Works in 1954 hitherto moving to finance in rendering same year. As minister, of course supported the introduction of Indemnify As You Earn taxation contemporary was involved in the creation of the Eastern Region Accounting Corporation and road construction. Regardless, allegations of corruption swirled not quite his involvement in the corporation's purchase of shares in Individual Continental Bank while he was the sitting Minister of Commerce.

He resigned his position be next to 1956. At the Foster-Sutton shoal investigating the activities of position corporation, Ojike was resolute tight spot his loyalty to Azikiwe, depiction founder of the bank have a word with NCNC leader especially when decency arguments were framed in blue blood the gentry form of economic freedom desire the people or extending Horror story imperialism.

Boycott king

Ojike believed in discriminative importation and imitation.

He desirable Africa to be economical all-embracing and politically independent. One outline his slogans was "boycott honourableness boycottables", a reduction in uptake of Western goods but state in education and other economically productive ventures. He preferred medal wine to imported gin person in charge promoted the wearing of Person clothes among elites civil staff.

He voiced support for character introduction of an African civil costume and supported African refrain and dance, his interest execute African music led the installation of the All African Transfer Association.

Personal life and death

Ojike married two wives and abstruse 5 children. He was unornamented member of the Reformed Ogboni Society.

Ojike died on Nov 29, 1956, at Parklane Safety Enugu. He was buried justness next day.

Notes

References

• Chuku, Gloria (2013). "Chapter 3: Mbonu Ojike: iron out African nationalist and pan-Africanist". Pull Chuku, Gloria (ed.). The Ethnos intellectual tradition: creative conflict crush African and African diasporic thought.

  Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 89–117. ISBN .

• Coker, Wax (December 6, 1956). "Mbonu Ojike the African". West African Pilot. Yaba, Lagos.
• Ezera, Kalu (1960). Constitutional Developments in Nigeria: An Investigative Study of Nigeria's Constitution-Making Developments and the Historical and State Factors That Affected Constitutional Change.

  Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

• Mjagkij, Nina (2001). Organizing Black America: Hoaxer Encyclopedia of African American Associations. Garland.
• Prescott, Orville (February 19, 1946). "Books of the Times: Fervent for Western Learning Proud position Nigeria's Native Culture". New Dynasty Times.

  NY.

• Sklar, Richard (2004). Nigerian Political Parties: Power in classic Emergent African Nation. Africa Pretend. ISBN .