My love for you will forever stand tall like the Iroko tree.
Before Adiaha’s marriage, she’s being fattened for six months and her body glows like that of a princess as she dresses in onyonyo. Then her husband and his people come to take her. You’ve taught me that marriage involves two families meeting and bride price paid.
Young maidens carry the bride’s things and elders wait outside their hut till dawn. In the morning, her husband shows a white clothe with blood stains to indicate her virginity and everyone rejoices at the sight of it.
Then she performs her first assignment as a wife,by cooking Afang soup for her husband and his family. She doesn’t forget the firewood as her gas and striking two stones to produce flames.
Every morning, she takes her water pot and heads for the stream, greeting elders on the way “amesiere” (good morning). Sometimes she goes to the farm with her husband (Ebe) and when her pregnancy gets to the second trimester, Ebe tells her to stay at home to avoid complications during birth or miscarriages.
Four months later, she went into labour and Abia uman(traditional birth attendant) came. when It was a boy we called him Akpan(first son) and a girl, we called her Adiaha(first daughter).People gathered to drink palm wine all night and the women danced and chant praises to abasi(God). Her mother takes her and the baby for “uman” and returned her to Ebe after three months.Ebe gave wrappers,tubers of yam and palm wine to her parents to thank them for taking care of his wife.
“Oh! African literature, you are indeed a mother.
I have known you all my life but only fell in love with you six years ago after I found out your words,norms,traditions,ethics,values,culture,heritage and tales guided my paths.
As a child I knew you as folktales, but today, I know you as my first true love and no matter how the road remains tough, I will forever run back to you because you give me inner peace and I am glad your African blood flows in my veins.”
Before Adiaha’s marriage, she’s being fattened for six months and her body glows like that of a princess as she dresses in onyonyo. Then her husband and his people come to take her. You’ve taught me that marriage involves two families meeting and bride price paid.
Young maidens carry the bride’s things and elders wait outside their hut till dawn. In the morning, her husband shows a white clothe with blood stains to indicate her virginity and everyone rejoices at the sight of it.
Then she performs her first assignment as a wife,by cooking Afang soup for her husband and his family. She doesn’t forget the firewood as her gas and striking two stones to produce flames.
Every morning, she takes her water pot and heads for the stream, greeting elders on the way “amesiere” (good morning). Sometimes she goes to the farm with her husband (Ebe) and when her pregnancy gets to the second trimester, Ebe tells her to stay at home to avoid complications during birth or miscarriages.
Four months later, she went into labour and Abia uman(traditional birth attendant) came. when It was a boy we called him Akpan(first son) and a girl, we called her Adiaha(first daughter).People gathered to drink palm wine all night and the women danced and chant praises to abasi(God). Her mother takes her and the baby for “uman” and returned her to Ebe after three months.Ebe gave wrappers,tubers of yam and palm wine to her parents to thank them for taking care of his wife.
“Oh! African literature, you are indeed a mother.
I have known you all my life but only fell in love with you six years ago after I found out your words,norms,traditions,ethics,values,culture,heritage and tales guided my paths.
As a child I knew you as folktales, but today, I know you as my first true love and no matter how the road remains tough, I will forever run back to you because you give me inner peace and I am glad your African blood flows in my veins.”
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