The Maiden Dance

Chetachi did not join her age mates in the maiden dance. She did not even participate in the fattening room preparatory stages. Her father was solidly behind her having singled her out from others due to her educational endeavours. To Obidigbo, Chetachi must not do what other girls are doing because they don’t belong to the same class. She is not even expected to mingle with the other girls in the village. Her father had already mapped out strategies for her education and marriage quite different from the societal communal efforts. Obidigbo himself is not educated neither is his wife, Ihuoma. They brought up their children in a unique manner and place them above their contemporaries. Out of the six children, they had four boys and two girls, all went to school. Obidigbo values education a lot. ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬______________________________________________________________ Most of the time fight ensues between Debe and his wife. It has been observed that such quarrels ensue mostly in late evenings. At a stage, people started murmuring that nothing but sex is the reason for the incessant quarrels. Running outside the house one evening, Mimi was crying and cursing the day she met Debe, vowing never to be killed in the name of marriage. Those who knew their problem, especially their compound people, do not intervene but her cry on that day attracted the sympathy of several people in the compound especially women. She could no longer hold on. She made it clear that she could not bear the size of her husband’s “john thomas”. It is measured with tape and he wraps it round his waist when going out. Obidigbo blamed Mimi’s father for not sending her to school and for not making a good choice of husband for her. “Are you the only one in this village that does not know of Debe’s tape penis?” Obidigbo asked him. Since you could not give your daughter proper education, you could have allowed her to pass through the fattening room to partake in the maiden dance as other girls of her type. ______________________________________________________________ Amos Okoye is a threat to his children especially the females. The law that guides his home is restriction of movement. No visitor of any kind is tolerated whether female or male, adults or children. Even his wife, Egodi, has no right to visitors of her fellow women. You have to be approved by him to enter his compound. Thus, when he was agile, he positions his chair in front of his house facing his gate with either his double barrel gun or matchet readily beside his chair. Many a time, he takes his siesta in that position. His daughters see marriage as great freedom from their bondage. They don’t partake in the village activities of the youth or girls in the village. Moonlight games are an abomination for them, even the popular girls’ “nwamalu ogo” dance is prohibited for them. He wedded his wife in the church and yet, could not permit her or her children to participate in all church activities. The school periods characterized periods of freedom to all the children irrespective of their gender. Some of the girls, in order to be free from their father’s dictatorial life, made hasty and wrong choices of life partners while others virtually followed men and performing of marital rites became problematic. ______________________________________________________________ Anele is the beautiful daughter of Mazi Njo. Many people in the village admire her. The two friends started laughing and dancing as if the marriage has been contracted. “Afoma, thank you so much” said Odumma. “You can now go, let me hurriedly go and discuss the matter with Mazi before it becomes late”. Still laughing, they parted ways. Meanwhile, Dozie is in his office in the city preparing to go home. His phone rings and he picks it, “Hello sweety, where are you calling from?” As his girl friend responds, he replied, “Okay, I’m almost through. Come over to my office so that we go home together. I need to eat my special dish immediately” he said laughing. “Okay, darling, catch you”. He drops the phone, humming Don William’s music, “We should be together” happily. ______________________________________________________________ After a short while, the Receptionist enters Dozie’s office, “Good afternoon Sir, Biola is here Sir” she said. Dozie instructed to ask her in. With the response “Yes Sir”, she left the office to usher Biola into Dozie’s office. Politely she told her, “He said you should come in ma”. Biola got up, full of happiness and pride, walks majestically into Dozie’s office smiling. “Hi! Darling”, Dozie said as he gets up and gives her a peck and at the same time picking up his car key and coat which Biola helps him to put on. ______________________________________________________________ The digging makes the girls look so dirty. This is because the little stream that surrounds the hill turns muddy as the girls dig deeper. As such they remove their small wrappers and remain almost naked in their busy schedule. They are supposed to be alone at the shrine at this time but you can’t rule out violators. As such, those boys that hides to watch them receive lumps of sand which the girls threw at them. In their busy schedule, they watch their neighbours and the chief priest is not far from the point of action. The collapse of any part of the tungele hill sends a message to all the girls and the direct recipient of shame, fear, humiliation and sense of rejection are the direct victims. The smoke from the fire they say cannot be covered and must send its message to heaven. In other words, the shooting out of pregnancy is a show of the action done in the secret. The stomach bears witness to the world of the action within. The collapse of any part of the tungele shrine at that time is a show of action, a witness to the truth hidden but exposed and a clarion call for moral justification.