Tag: Ibibio Culture

Usen Ndia – ‘Uyo Food Festival’ – is an Annual culinary initiative that holds in Uyo. It was begun in 2018 with the primary aim of presenting and promoting to the general public the diverse local food delicacies and drinks native to Nigerians but with particular emphasis on those from the Akwa Ibom/Cross River Culture. The event also seeks to organise, encourage and support entrepreneurial drive among aspiring and seasoned chefs. All this while affording them the opportunity to position themselves  in the catering landscape.

The fair is a ticketed event that typically witnesses a huge turnout yearly. But it also sees different vendors display their culinary skills and diverse strengths. The array of indigenous meals and foods is usually fascinating.

Food Displays

The delicacies served at Usen Ndia include: Ekpañg Nkukwó, Iwà ye Eben, Usüñg Ikpóñg, Asiak Iwà, Isip Eyöp, Añem Udia, Efere Afañg, Edikañ Ikóñg, Nkóp, Edesi Adañ, Iwük Ukóm, Ukód Nsúñg among many others.

Beyond the display of Food recipes aimed at blending a wide range of indigenous foods, there are other side-attractions in the series. These provide entertainment such as: Traditional Dances and music, Binge Eating, Dancing Contests, Comedy among others. These add to making the Food-Tourism event a huge attraction.

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One attendee at the 2022 edition, Mr. Patrick Tom mentioned how enthused he gets by the large number of vendors and guests. He stated that he is equally ‘impressed by the delicacies on offer.  especially the type which are not readily available in restaurants’ and termed it a ‘richly rewarding experience’.

The Event Host, Mrs. Patricia Essien was very particular about “commitment to make the Event’s legacy an enduring one”. This according to her is “one of the motivating factors in her continued sustenance of the Program”.

Ibom Heritage is an avid promoter and preserver of cultural heritage and gladly parttner with Usen Ndia. And it goes without saying that the organisation will continue to curate the culinary culture from the yearly catering fair.

We listed 4 key reasons that divorce is allowed in the Ibibio culture in a previous article (read here). In this article, we highlight 4 curious reasons Ibibio people give for divorce. They are curious because it is not common to find such reasons in many other ethnic groups. Please read on.

• Multiple births:

It is well known that Twins were taboo in Ibibio land and also around the Southern corner of Eastern Nigeria. Back in history before Mary Slessor’s effort, twins were killed and their mother was ostracized and left to die in forests. Naturally, a divorce was enforced as a result. The Ibibios had since abandoned the practice, but it bears listing this as one reason for divorce in historical times.

• Inability to perform sexual duties:

Unknown to the present age, there was a time when women were sent home because they could not satisfy their husband’s sexual tastes. Read more on this in Oto-Obong Uwah’s book, Ibibio Nation: History and Culture (Buy it here).  If the man was the culprit, there were cases where the woman committed adultery to be able to conceive and give birth. Back in history, the concept of adoption was not known or practiced.

• Neglect:

A husband who neglected the wife could frustrate her enough for her to seek divorce. Hence, it was possible for a wife to divorce the husband in Ibibio culture unlike in most other African and Semite cultures. Till today, spousal neglect is still abhorred in Ibibio land.

• Habitual cursing:

Ibibio culture outlawed foul-mouth. It was bad enough to cause marital crisis. So if either husband or wife earned the reputation of verbal abusiveness and habitual cursing out the other, the offender could be fined. And if this habit continued, the party on the receiving end could call for a divorce.

How the divorce took place

The moment a husband threw out the belongings of the wife from the hut where she stayed in, divorce had begun. He would then take her back to her father’s.

This was tough on the wife most times, because, in those days, wives had no belongings. Everything she had was her husband’s. Aniekan Nana (PhD) in his thesis (here), wrote that there are cultural and traditional practices that condition women to passivity and dependence. As a result, after a divorce, the woman was worst affected. Sent out of her home, she literally had nothing of importance left to her name. If the husband was the divorced, his family heads would be engaged to conduct the separation.

Bride Price Refunds

There is also the  issue of returning the bride price. After the wife has been returned, the bride price is to be refunded in full by her Father in law. Where the husband was the offender that led to dissolution of the marriage, the wife’s family would gladly return his dowry on their own accord.

If the wife’s family cannot come up with the dowry for refunds, it became an issue. In many families, the father of the bride would ask the divorcee to wait until the woman remarries. Then he would receive the incoming dowry and hand over to the former husband. In cases of malice, the owed husband did frustrate the wife’s family since they have become indebted to him.

There are cases where the husband refused to receive the refund out of spite to intentionally frustrate the divorced wife and her family and any remarriage plans.

For m0re on the Ibibio culture and those of the Annangs, Oros, Efiks and other Ibibio groups, please buy and read Ibibio Nation: History & Culture.  

Keywords: Curious, Reasons for divorce, Ibibio Marriage, Culture, History

The topic of divorce among the Ibibio people is treated in Oto-Obong Uwah’s book “Ibibio Nation: History & Culture” (Buy here). This article draws from the book largely.

Although western culture seems to have overrun our traditions largely, there is need to recall how our fathers treated these aspects of social life. Why not when we can find today’s lessons to draw from our original culture?

In the general African culture, divorce is acceptable when the wife was guilty of adultery or witchcraft. But in the Ibibio culture specifically, reasons for divorce go beyond just witchcraft and adultery.

In this article, we discuss 4 reasons the Ibibios allowed divorce;

Infertility:

One of the major reasons for divorce in Ibibio land was an inability to bear children. They would ask; if you can’t bear children why did we marry you?  If the wife fails to conceive a child, she is considered barren and this will almost certainly lead to the termination of that marriage.

Child mortality:

In the past, child mortality was relatively high. Without waiting to know all possible causes, the society did blame the mother for frequent loss of her own children. They would blame her for being unable to nurture and care for her children. And when this happened, the man could divorce his wife if he wished.

Insult on Parents:

When the wife insults the parents of her husband, especially the mother-in-law, it could lead to a divorce. To penalize the act, elders would slam the offending wife with a fine of a he-goat.

Theft:

Ibibio people considered theft as such a shameful act that they punished the culprit severely. If a wife was caught stealing, her husband could divorce her for bringing shame on his family.

We wrote more on curious reasons for divorce in the Ibibio culture. Read it here.

Keywords: Marriage, Ibibio, Akwa Ibom, Divorce in Ibibio Culture

The Ekpo society is an interesting part of Akwa Ibom culture. Although colonialism watered down the substance of these aspects of our culture, we have managed to retain some of it. Read on to learn more interesting facts about the Ekpo society.

There is the first part to this particular article, which you can get by clicking here.

Did Ekpo Have Supernatural Powers?

In recent times, the Ekpo masquerade has been more of a cultural display that hits the streets during important occasions. It is also mostly on demand and during end of year ‘ukapadisua’ (ukapisua) celebrations.

As with masquerades in other parts of black Africa, the use of magic does get engaged in Ekpo displays. Although this has been merely for entertainment, those powers still show up when hostile groups meet during simultaneous festivals.

There is nothing unique about the feature of magical powers in Ekpo festivals. It is just like masquerades and cultural plays you find in other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, especially among Bantu and sub-Bantu tribes. Magical powers are an integral part of the culture. But there is hardly any hard proof of these powers being channeled into harm.

However, as western civilisation continues to sip deeper into the cultures of the land, the uncanny reduces in display. This is why, to witness the supernatural powers of the Ekpo play, one would have to attend Ekpo festivals in the inner recesses of rural Ibibio communities.

Ekpo Has A Home 

The Ekpo, considered originally to be a ghost, had a figurative place of abode given to it by the community. This place was treated as sacred because it was thought to haven the spirits of dead ancestors and other dead members of the cult who were buried there.

This ‘abode’ was in a forest and was out of bounds for women and children. If a woman or child or non-initiate wandered into this part of the forest, there were.  However, as Western culture arrived, locations like these became increasingly open to members of the community.

The Ekpo Cultural Display

As with other African cultures, including the ones exported to other parts of the world through the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Ekpo has always had its cultural showing featuring its own distinctive masquerade known by the costume and mask. It also has its drum music comprised of the tone, rhythm and accompanying The display also has its drum music is also indicative of the Ekpo display. This is about the only aspects of the society that still feature in the Ekpo phenomenon.

When an Ekpo Society Member Dies

After the death of a member of the Ekpo society, there are sacrifices to the gods. These practices do involve a lot of secrecy. The items used for sacrifice are not made known publicly, although there is talk of human sacrifice in the distant past.

At the funeral ceremony, on the day of the burial event, Ekpo masquerades appeared with all sorts of performance amidst fanfare and feasting.

The society, community and family of the deceased do all these before they lower the corpse into the grave as a mark of  respect to the dead member.

How About These Days?

Back in the day, the consequences for violating movement restrictions could be dire. You could be flogged, you could be detained depending on the arm of Ekpo or other society you ran into. The violent manner of enforcing rules using these cultural societies like the Ekpo group was increasingly frowned at as Ibibio culture mixed with English civilization.

These days, within Urban areas of Akwa Ibom State and Calabar, the activities of the Ekpo society have been severely curbed. The violent aspects have almost all together been ended, especially in the city centres. But there are corners of rural areas where these practices remain rife.

Get the book ‘Ibibio Nation: History & Culture’ by Oto-Obong Uwah via this link.

Written by Brownson Nseime, from Jabborro PR

The Ekpo society is one of the foremost secret societies in the Ibibio society. ‘Ekpo’ means ‘ghost of an ancestor’ literally. As a cultural society of the same name, the Ibibios framed Ekpo as a law enforcement society in the cultural setting. More specifically, Ekpo society was an instrument for managing ancient Ibibio society and up to early post-colonial times.

Most of the famous men of the Ibibio society were members of the Ekpo society. Some were chiefs, some family heads, some youth leaders.

This group was so effective that the community held them in high regard. Non-initiates, women and children held them in great fear also.

Was the Ekpo a job?

The Ekpo members met in what we call ‘Afé Ekpo’, the Ekpo tent or meeting hall. Here, they made decisions that were binding on all members of the community. Since members were mostly leaders of the land, this was a major decision making forum.

The Ekpo also performed formal functions in historical Ibibio society. It ensured that the community carried out judicial verdicts to the letter. You can call them police of the precolonial era.

Ekpo was and is never an occupation, but simply a socio-cultural concept handed from ancestral Ibibio. Masqueraders were and are your usual everyday member of the community who is an initiate. They did not play ‘ekpo’ for daily bread in time past. Recently though, masqueraders have infused collection of cash appreciation into the displays – as an entertainment.

Did Ekpo Have Supernatural Powers?

In recent times, the Ekpo masquerade has been more of a cultural display that hits the streets during important cultural occasions, on demand and during the end of year ‘ukapadisua’ (ukapisua) celebrations.

As with masquerades in other parts of black Africa, the use of magic does get engaged in Ekpo displays. Although this has been merely for fun than for any other motive. Whether the magical powers can be channeled into something harmful is topic for some other research.

Get the book ‘Ibibio Nation: History & Culture’ by Oto-Obong Uwah via this link.

Written by Brownson Nseime, from Jabborro PR

We had earlier written about how to marry your Ibibio girlfriend; the first phases in getting married to your Ibibio girlfriend. Read that here. In this follow-up article, we bring you the remaining stages in the traditional Ibibio marriage process. Please read and share. Who knows, some ‘esen owo’ who has fallen in love with your sister may need it.

Nkòñ Udòk – Knocking the Door

This stage is very critical stage in the whole process of marrying in Ibibio land. At this stage, your family members escort you to the lady’s family.

Basically in theory, the ‘Knocking’ simply means enquiring formally for the availability of the girl and confirming the willingness of the family to release her to your family. This is where you hear the incoming family use the adage; “we have seen a beautiful flower in your yard and will like to pluck it and take home to ours”.

At this stage also, the process does not require your family head. He can send his representative and a delegation.

One important question you will also hear at this point is; “Nso’o ke adi?” This means; “what are you here for”.

Affirm and reaffirm your reason for the journey. You will get an applause and then will become eligible for the next stage.

The family will decide whether to issue you their marriage list or to ask you to come back for it. Since Ibibios are naturally easy going people, they will most likely not want you to go through the stress of travelling in too many times. They would have prepared the list before this point and would just hand it to you or the eldest man in the visiting party.

Items required at this stage for traditional rites may include; a bottle of strong drink, pods of kola, assorted fruits etc.

Following this event will be a meeting to negotiate the list. This article does not include negotiation of list as a formal stage in the marriage process because you can skip it. If you can afford the items on the list, why negotiate?

How Not To Marry Ibibio Girls: A Stupid Thing You Could Do

If you ask the girl’s family, “Please, when is the wedding date”, you have goofed big time.

Traditional Engagement (MbɅb)

When you are done with the list, the next stage is the formal betrothal of the prospective bride to the prospective groom in the presence of both families. It is called ‘mbɅb’ because it is the actual ‘request’ occasion. From this point, you are now betrothed to the lady according to the Ibibio tradition.

It is usually a celebration, although strictly on invitation. It is also the moment when you present the items on the marriage list.

Usòrò Ndò – Marriage Festival or Traditional Marriage

This is when the family gives your their daughter in the traditional sense. After now, you can leave with your wife. It is a festival, a celebration of families, community members and visitors.

Some Stupid Things You Can Do

This is a festival with its own dramas. If you even slightly show disgust at any of the dramas, you have embarrassed the entire community of the bride. Another stupid thing you can do is to see the lady before they bring her out. The family can fine you,  and that would still be on a lighter note.

Notice that there are traditions in the Ibibio marriage process that are no longer in practice. One is the ‘Mboppo’ practice where elderly women pass a girl who has a suitor through fattening, circumcision and display at the market. Some of these practices that were adjudged harmful to health had to be suspended by present day Ibibio cultures. In fact, in today’s Ibibio land, once a young man and a maiden have agreed to get married and the families agree, everything else is fanfare.

Keywords: How to marry an Ibibio girl

In Ibibio land, marriage is beyond the fusion of 2 individuals; it brings families and communities together. This is the case in many African and West-Asian cultures. But if you are a bachelor courting an Ibibio damsel, or your son is the bachelor, this article explains how to marry that Ibibio girl. It details the traditions you need to be aware of.

Drop Your Pride!

Firstly, you must know that Ibibio people take a strong exception to being treated with disrespect. If your Ibibio girlfriend lets you pass, her dad, uncles, elder brothers will almost certainly not allow you approach their door with superiority complex. If you manage to brush past them, you could get yourself into trouble. Trouble that physical science may never understand.

One of the worst hindrances you would meet in getting married into an Ibibio family has to do with your proud defiance of the Ibibio culture. It can cost you more than you could imagine.

There is the story of a woman from a community between Uyo and Ikot Ekpene who could not conceive until her husband went back to fulfil all marriage rites that he had arrogantly skipped.

Do not sit in Lagos or even in nearby Port Harcourt and assume you know all about the Ibibio culture. Or that ‘nothing dey happen’. Drop your pride and let the girl’s family show you what to do.

Udioño Ufòk – Knowing the Family

This is the first stage in the actual process of marriage. At this stage the prospective groom goes in the company of his best friend or close associate to visit the father of the girl. Beware of how you visit her father’s house while you are just a suitor. If you have not decided to marry her and cleared with your own family, don’t ask to meet her dad during visits. And when she has cleared you and your family is on board the project, take some gift (with wine inclusive), take a good friend of yours along and schedule a time to go see her father or his representative.

3 Stupid Things You can Do in an Ibibio Marriage:

If you go with a female friend or sister, that’s stupid. Or you tell her dad “I only came to say hi”; or you go alone, you just did something stupid.

During this visit, you will be questioned by her father. He will ask what you do, your religion and your family history.

This is also the opportunity you have to get familiar with the direction to the lady’s home. This is true especially if the dad invites you to his family compound, not just his own built resident – which, may be away from his ancestral home.

No formal demands are made on the groom at this first stage but courtesy demands that you carry a bottle of aromatic schnapps. If the family does not accept alcoholic drinks, carry a non-alcoholic wine.

Click here to know the other Ibibio marriage stages…

Click here to get Oto-Obong Uwah’s book; ‘Ibibio Nation: History & Culture’.

Keywords: Ibibio Marriage; How to marry an Ibibio Damsel