NAME:IGWURUBE JEREMIAH CHISOM

MOBILE NO: 08146747871

E-MAIL: ecstasy5450@gmail.com

RACISM VS TRIBALISM

The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion, Thomas Paine
once said. But over the years, as human's evolution continues to grow primarily from small groups that
has led to the birth of many languages, customs, and beliefs; the opposite of this statement is seen in
our daily lives today, as tribalism and racism obscures human's rationality.

A Tribe can be defined to mean an extended kin group or clan with a common ancestor, or can also be
described as a group with shared interests, lifestyles and habits, as defined by wikipedia. The strong
relationship and closeness of members of a tribe brings about the feeling of identity, loyalty, strong
sense of unity and love among members of a tribe. Which invariably leads to tribalism and or racism.

Tribalism according to Merriam Webster Dictionary, is the loyalty to a tribe or other social group
especially when combined with strong negative feelings for people outside the group.

Tribalism sets our mind deeply into seeing right about everything concerning our own tribe and see
other things about other tribes as being wrong, or even a threat.

On the other hand, Racism is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and
capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. In other
words, if you use tribalism or ethnicity to determine whether or not you are better than someone, you
are a racist.

Racism sadly flows directly from tribalism, but what really helps tribalism and racism stay ingrained in
our fractured society, is the fear and threat accompanied with diversity in culture, dominance by other
tribes or ethnic groups, marginalisation, inferiority complex, discrimination and lots more.
However, racism still goes way deeper than tribalism. Racism deals with hate, prejudice, cruelty,
discrimination by a person or ethnic group to another person or ethnic group or race on the basis of
color of skin, social life, ethnicity etc.

For these reasons, racism becomes a greater evil when compared with tribalism. For while racism seeks
to oppress and dominate, tribalism seeks to be impartial and grant unmerited favours to members of
same tribe or ethnic group against other tribes and ethnic groups. Like the killing of six million Jews by
Adolf Hitler during the second world war, the holocaust, slave trade of blacks and lots more. Are all evil
associated with racism.

Nigeria is a country with many divers tribes and ethnic groups. Many families and persons in Nigeria
today exhibit tribalism in their daily lives.

Stories of parents disowning children for finding love outside their tribe and going ahead to marry their
found lover have grown to become a way of life, or the rejection that accompanies finding a job or
admission in a state owned establishment even when the requirements have been met has equally
become what everyone has come to accept. Yet regardless of these, Nigerians still coexist peacefully
amongst each other for many years now, despite the difference in tribes and ethnic groups, reason
being that tribalism never cuts deep like racism.

Thus, racism is the fruit of tribalism. They are both linked together, used by ignorants and exploited by
those that want to divide and cause chaos for their selfishness.

Therefore, it is important to note that we are all one under the sun. Racism and tribalism is only a lie,
and there's but only one race which is the human race. The divers in skin colour is as a result of the
divers climate we have and that beauty lies in uniqueness.

Chisom Igwurube.