OzikoroThe role of age-grades (Ọgbo) in Igbo social organization
The traditional socio-political structure of the Igbo people is famously decentralized, often described by anthropologists as an “acephalous” or “segmentary” society. In the absence of a singular, centralized monarchical authority across the entire ethnic group, the Igbo developed a highly sophisticated system of “horizontal governance.” Central to this democratic and republican ethos is the Ọgbo,…