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ABSTRACT
Fattening, which means Mbopo in Annang culture in AkwaIbom State of Southern Nigeria, is a period of transition from adolescence to womanhood prior to marriage and child birth. The process involves the seclusion of female adolescents for a period of three months. During this period of confinement the female adolescent is taught the womanly arts of pleasing her husband and other feminine requirements such as how to be of good conduct or to maintain proper behavior with her husband and above all how to prepare good meals. This important culture of the Annang people has been negatively influenced by westernization and acculturation; hence it is no longer popular among the people especially the city dwellers.The study draws on the three theories: evolutionary theory, social learning theory and diffusion theory of change.
This thesis, therefore, examines the effect of westernization and acculturation on the fattening room culture of the Annang people of southern Nigeria using both primary and secondary data such as FGD, IDI, and KII as the source of data collection. The sample size for the study was 44 respondents of the selected LGA to participate in the study. Findings revealed that education has exposed the adolescence to western culture and also the adolescence are been influenced by the western lifestyle which had made them to abandon their unique culture. The study recommends that the people should have the right cultural desire that will help to promote Annang fattening room practice and also the people should have proper enlightenment on the impact of cultural values of the Annang people.
Keywords: Fattening room, Annang, Westernization, Acculturation
