There were multiple ways the Igbo Resisted Colonnization.
WHO: The Ekumeku Movement was a secret resistance organization in Nigeria. WHEN: 1883 – 1914 (during British colonization) WHAT: A guerrilla resistance movement, organized in secret cells using surprise attacks, ambushes, and sabotage, making them hard to defeat. OUTCOME: The British defeated them with superior weapons and tactics.
WHY IT MATTERS: Shows that Igbo society was not passive in the face of colonialism. Illustrates how secret networks and local alliances helped resist imperial power.
WHO: thousands of Igbo women in southeastern Nigeria WHEN: November 1929 – March 1930 WHAT: A mass protest and rebellion by women when the colonial government tried to impose new taxes on women. HOW: They used a method called “sitting on a man” — surrounding officials’ homes, dancing, singing protest songs, banging on doors, and shaming corrupt leaders until they backed down
OUTCOME: Over 50 women were killed, but the British government canceled the planned tax on women and added women to local councils. WHY IT MATTERS: The war became a symbol of women’s power, unity, and anti-colonial resistance