The biennial celebration of Ekpe festival has just been successfully held by the people of Umuode community in Nsulu north LGA, Abia State.
The procession for the festival started off at Jaja’s compound where the Ekpe suddenly emerged from the ant holes, lead by its polic. She was directed safely to the village square (a large area of land all cleaned up for the special event). Here, the climax of the event, which is also the point at which everyone can now say that the event was successful or was even done at all, took place.
At the squar, we witnessed the elegant cutting of the goat head with one strike of the cutlass by the Ekpe. As the people cheered for the success of this act, a woman carried about the goat's head on her own head, moving around, showing everyone the symbolism of a good year to come for the community and its people, both those home and those abroad bathed by the blood washing her from the goat’s head to her head down to her bosom.
While this is done, the Ekpe guarded swiftly by its police to the king’s compound where another goat met its brutal death. This act continus in every other house which has had the chance of someone from the family wear the female mask over the past years as far as could be remembered. Each of the houses reach quickly and produce a goat while the people cheer the Ekpe who dashed away the goats head in one strike, which did not matter now.
The Umuode community is one of the few communities that still celebrate this long existing ritual. As other communities have stopped due to the influx of the Christian faith which preaches vehemently against it. While we still thank God that the young can still see this feast celebrated. We have also noticed the downfall in the colorful nature and attendance to the festival.
I remember vividly my secondary school principal late Mr. Nwamkpa, a literary artist say, “it is only lack of knowledge that makes people drop such useful cultures and traditions in the name of church” and then he goes ahead to explain to us the origin of Ekpe as told to him by his grandfather , giving us reasons why it should be celebrated. One thing he said for sure was that there was no spiritual under tone as it was just a show of strength, beauty and creativity.
If the Ekpe has spiritual under tone or not, I know not but I still maintain the stand that such a feast should not be thrown way in the name of Church. We are Africans and while the blacks abroad who can no longer trace back their roots remain with their faith, we that still remain here should not forget what makes us African.
Written by
King Ugonna Ibekwe