11-02-2017, 10:11 PM
*** 3-Nov-17 World View -- Violence in Nigeria grows over clashes between herders and farmers
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Violence in Nigeria grows over clashes between herders and farmers
****
![[Image: g171102b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g171102b.jpg)
Fulani herders in Nigeria (royaltimes.net)
I've written many times that many ethnic wars are based on fundamental
clashes between farmer tribes and herder tribes. in country after
country, there a classic and recurring battle between herders and
farmers, I've described in Central African Republic, Rwanda, Burundi,
Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, and even America in the 1800s. The farmers
accuse the herders of letting the cattle eat their crops, while the
herders accuse the farmers of planting on land that's meant for
grazing. If the farmers put up fences, then the herders knock them
down.
In Nigeria, it's estimated that 2,500 people were killed and move than
62,000 people lost their homes in 2016 in just four provinces, Kaduna,
Plateau, Nasarawa and Benue states. The federal government lost $13.7
billion in revenue as a result of these conflicts. According to
former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar: "There is a
breakdown of communal trust, conflict resolution mechanisms and these
conflicts have become deadly," and "the current situation is
threatening the fragile peace in the nation."
A report last month from the International Crisis Group describes how
the clashes have been getting more widespread and violent, and are
becoming sectarian, as the herders are mostly Faluni Muslims from
northern Nigeria, and the farmers are most Christians from southern
Nigeria:
<QUOTE>"Violent conflicts between nomadic herders from
northern Nigeria and sedentary agrarian communities in the central
and southern zones have escalated in recent years and are
spreading southward, threatening the country’s security and
stability. With an estimated death toll of approximately 2,500
people in 2016, these clashes are becoming as potentially
dangerous as the Boko Haram insurgency in the north east. ...
Familiar problems – relating to land and water use, obstruction of
traditional migration routes, livestock theft and crop damage –
tend to trigger these disputes. But their roots run
deeper. Drought and desertification have degraded pastures, dried
up many natural water sources across Nigeria’s far-northern
Sahelian belt and forced large numbers of herders to migrate south
in search of grassland and water for their herds. Insecurity in
many northern states (a consequence of the Boko Haram insurgency
in the north east and of less-well-reported rural banditry and
cattle rustling in the north-west and north-central zones) also
prompts increasing numbers of herdsmen to migrate south. The
growth of human settlements, expansion of public infrastructure
and acquisition of land by large-scale farmers and other private
commercial interests, have deprived herders of grazing reserves
designated by the post-independence government of the former
Northern region (now split into nineteen states). ...
The spread of conflict into southern states is aggravating already
fragile relations among the country’s major regional, ethnic and
religious groups. The south’s majority Christian communities
resent the influx of predominantly Muslim herders, portrayed in
some narratives as an “Islamisation force”. Herders are mostly
Fulani, lending an ethnic dimension to strife. Insofar as the
Fulani spread across many West and Central African countries, any
major confrontation between them and other Nigerian groups could
have regional repercussions, drawing in fighters from neighboring
countries."<END QUOTE>
The Fulani herders are now sometimes equated to terror groups like
Boko Haram as a consequence of their attacks on farmers. The Fulani
herders are also playing a big part in the generational crisis civil
war in Central African Republic, as we've described in the past.
Nigeria's president, Muhammadu Buhari, is a Fulani and owns large
herds of cattle. He has been accused of complicity about the Fulani
attacks on farmers.
In order to protect farmers, Benue State, which is in Nigeria's middle
belt separating the north from the south, passed an "Anti-Grazing Law.
The law was passed in May, but only came into effect on Wednesday.
The law prohibits open grazing of cattle, and requires herders to
maintain their herds of cattle on ranches. The law is being
accompanied by a training program to teach herders modern methods of
ranching.
However, the new law is somewhat laughable, as there's no way that it
will stop Fulani herder attacks on farmers. On Thursday, an attack by
suspected Fulani herdsmen on a village in Benue State resulted in one
death and many others missing. Daily Trust (Abuja)
and International Crisis Group and Vanguard (Nigeria) and The Nation (Nigeria) and Daily Post (Nigeria)
Related Articles
****
**** Oklahoma! - The farmer and the cowboy should be friends
****
Violent clashes between farmers and herders are not unique to Africa.
They occur in any country that has a growing population and has both
farmers and herders. In particular, there were many bloody battles
between farmers and herders in 1800s and early 1900s America.
In 1941, those battles were still fresh in the lives of many alive at
that time, and they were a sub-plot of the great Rodgers and
Hammerstein Broadway musical Oklahoma!.
One of the most festive song and dance production numbers in the show
was "The farmer and the cowboy should be friends."
The number is instructive to today's audience's because it provides
hints of just how bitter the fight was between farmers and cowboys.
The play takes place around 1900, just as Oklahoma was becoming a
state. The lyrics begin:
<QUOTE>"Oh, the farmer and the cowboy should be friends,
Oh, the farmer and the cowboy should be friends.
One man likes to push a plough,
The other likes to chase a cow,
But that's no reason why they cain't be friends.
Territory folks should stick together,
Territory folks should all be pals.
Cowboys dance with farmer's daughters,
Farmers dance with the ranchers' gals."<END QUOTE>
However, as the music and dancing continue, the farmers and
cowboys start sniping at each other:
<QUOTE>"Eller:
The farmer should be sociable with the cowboy
If he rides by and ask for food and water
Don't treat him like a louse
Make him welcome in your house
Ike:
But be sure that you locked up your wife and daughters"<END QUOTE>
The ensuing mass brawl is fully choreographed, as farmers and cowboys
take swings at each other in time to the music.
If you'd like to enjoy five minutes of music and fun, then check out
the Youtube video of the number from the 1955 film. YouTube
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, Fulani,
herders, farmers, Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue,
General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Central African Republic,
Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan,
Rodgers and Hammerstein, Oklahoma!
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Violence in Nigeria grows over clashes between herders and farmers
- Oklahoma! - The farmer and the cowboy should be friends
****
**** Violence in Nigeria grows over clashes between herders and farmers
****
Fulani herders in Nigeria (royaltimes.net)
I've written many times that many ethnic wars are based on fundamental
clashes between farmer tribes and herder tribes. in country after
country, there a classic and recurring battle between herders and
farmers, I've described in Central African Republic, Rwanda, Burundi,
Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, and even America in the 1800s. The farmers
accuse the herders of letting the cattle eat their crops, while the
herders accuse the farmers of planting on land that's meant for
grazing. If the farmers put up fences, then the herders knock them
down.
In Nigeria, it's estimated that 2,500 people were killed and move than
62,000 people lost their homes in 2016 in just four provinces, Kaduna,
Plateau, Nasarawa and Benue states. The federal government lost $13.7
billion in revenue as a result of these conflicts. According to
former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar: "There is a
breakdown of communal trust, conflict resolution mechanisms and these
conflicts have become deadly," and "the current situation is
threatening the fragile peace in the nation."
A report last month from the International Crisis Group describes how
the clashes have been getting more widespread and violent, and are
becoming sectarian, as the herders are mostly Faluni Muslims from
northern Nigeria, and the farmers are most Christians from southern
Nigeria:
<QUOTE>"Violent conflicts between nomadic herders from
northern Nigeria and sedentary agrarian communities in the central
and southern zones have escalated in recent years and are
spreading southward, threatening the country’s security and
stability. With an estimated death toll of approximately 2,500
people in 2016, these clashes are becoming as potentially
dangerous as the Boko Haram insurgency in the north east. ...
Familiar problems – relating to land and water use, obstruction of
traditional migration routes, livestock theft and crop damage –
tend to trigger these disputes. But their roots run
deeper. Drought and desertification have degraded pastures, dried
up many natural water sources across Nigeria’s far-northern
Sahelian belt and forced large numbers of herders to migrate south
in search of grassland and water for their herds. Insecurity in
many northern states (a consequence of the Boko Haram insurgency
in the north east and of less-well-reported rural banditry and
cattle rustling in the north-west and north-central zones) also
prompts increasing numbers of herdsmen to migrate south. The
growth of human settlements, expansion of public infrastructure
and acquisition of land by large-scale farmers and other private
commercial interests, have deprived herders of grazing reserves
designated by the post-independence government of the former
Northern region (now split into nineteen states). ...
The spread of conflict into southern states is aggravating already
fragile relations among the country’s major regional, ethnic and
religious groups. The south’s majority Christian communities
resent the influx of predominantly Muslim herders, portrayed in
some narratives as an “Islamisation force”. Herders are mostly
Fulani, lending an ethnic dimension to strife. Insofar as the
Fulani spread across many West and Central African countries, any
major confrontation between them and other Nigerian groups could
have regional repercussions, drawing in fighters from neighboring
countries."<END QUOTE>
The Fulani herders are now sometimes equated to terror groups like
Boko Haram as a consequence of their attacks on farmers. The Fulani
herders are also playing a big part in the generational crisis civil
war in Central African Republic, as we've described in the past.
Nigeria's president, Muhammadu Buhari, is a Fulani and owns large
herds of cattle. He has been accused of complicity about the Fulani
attacks on farmers.
In order to protect farmers, Benue State, which is in Nigeria's middle
belt separating the north from the south, passed an "Anti-Grazing Law.
The law was passed in May, but only came into effect on Wednesday.
The law prohibits open grazing of cattle, and requires herders to
maintain their herds of cattle on ranches. The law is being
accompanied by a training program to teach herders modern methods of
ranching.
However, the new law is somewhat laughable, as there's no way that it
will stop Fulani herder attacks on farmers. On Thursday, an attack by
suspected Fulani herdsmen on a village in Benue State resulted in one
death and many others missing. Daily Trust (Abuja)
and International Crisis Group and Vanguard (Nigeria) and The Nation (Nigeria) and Daily Post (Nigeria)
Related Articles
- UN Secretary-General in Central African Republic begs for more funding (26-Oct-2017)
- Kenya's herders attack well-known conservationist, stoking tribal tensions (24-Apr-2017)
- Ban Ki Moon blames Darfur genocide on global warming (19-Jun-2007)
****
**** Oklahoma! - The farmer and the cowboy should be friends
****
Violent clashes between farmers and herders are not unique to Africa.
They occur in any country that has a growing population and has both
farmers and herders. In particular, there were many bloody battles
between farmers and herders in 1800s and early 1900s America.
In 1941, those battles were still fresh in the lives of many alive at
that time, and they were a sub-plot of the great Rodgers and
Hammerstein Broadway musical Oklahoma!.
One of the most festive song and dance production numbers in the show
was "The farmer and the cowboy should be friends."
The number is instructive to today's audience's because it provides
hints of just how bitter the fight was between farmers and cowboys.
The play takes place around 1900, just as Oklahoma was becoming a
state. The lyrics begin:
<QUOTE>"Oh, the farmer and the cowboy should be friends,
Oh, the farmer and the cowboy should be friends.
One man likes to push a plough,
The other likes to chase a cow,
But that's no reason why they cain't be friends.
Territory folks should stick together,
Territory folks should all be pals.
Cowboys dance with farmer's daughters,
Farmers dance with the ranchers' gals."<END QUOTE>
However, as the music and dancing continue, the farmers and
cowboys start sniping at each other:
<QUOTE>"Eller:
The farmer should be sociable with the cowboy
If he rides by and ask for food and water
Don't treat him like a louse
Make him welcome in your house
Ike:
But be sure that you locked up your wife and daughters"<END QUOTE>
The ensuing mass brawl is fully choreographed, as farmers and cowboys
take swings at each other in time to the music.
If you'd like to enjoy five minutes of music and fun, then check out
the Youtube video of the number from the 1955 film. YouTube
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, Fulani,
herders, farmers, Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue,
General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Central African Republic,
Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan,
Rodgers and Hammerstein, Oklahoma!
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
