Ndi Igbo.....ekenem unu!
I am going to tell you something that happens in Igbo land. I intend exposing a certain group of people and their activities in Igbo land especially when it comes to burial arrangements. The Umuada is a cultural group organised to present and protect the interests of Igbo women. It is an important and powerful group which every woman should belong whether old or young, single, married, divorced or widowed. It is so because of the name itself which means native daughters or daughters of the soil. They were initially formed to keep the peace and contribute to the progress of the community...until now.
These women called #UMUADA.... I wince whenever I think about them.
When a woman is sick or even in coma, most of them won't visit the person at the hospital. But immediately the person dies, they would all come for condolence visit, demanding for all sorts of things like...
- Drinking of tea at the wake keep and on the burial day (and you must buy that particular type of tea oo...Mostly the biggest tin of Milo and Peak Milk)
- Demanding for lots of food and drinks including beer. (That's when you will know that some women can drink beer more than men. UMUADA women to be precise).
- They even demand for Nti Nti Anu (i.e big meat) both at the wake keep and on the day of burial
- Soap to bath
- Tooth Paste and brush or Chewing stick
- Infact my fellow ndi igbo, you can add the rest biko am tired
The most annoying part is that everything they demand from you must be complete if not, no burial..... Who does that naaaa.... Oginiiiiii??
My question is, what if you are not financially buoyant, how do you go about it? Abi you go go sell your land or borrow from bank, just because you lost someone? Sometimes I envy our Muslim brothers... No unnecessary spending.
Most times when we loose someone in Igbo Land, we don't cry for the dead, rather we cry because of the expenses involved in the burial.
Though I must say this before I drop my pen, the contribution of Umuada women when it comes to conflict resolution is unmatched. Their ability to keep the peace in the community and church is commendable. But I rate them zero when it comes to donations and contributions...so much greed and unnecessary taxation.
Igbo kwenu!
Ekenem unu!