Somewhere in Nsukka, the context and the time or era was lost. Why?
A video has gone viral about how a lady who was a nurse was brutalized by masquerades with cane that she fell down from her motorcycle, ran for her life in her immaculate uniform as the crowd of cane descended on her. Finally, she saw herself in the drainage system. See video below!
But,
1. Even if there was a known festival, does the festival prohibit the use of public roads by the people which includes strangers or not?
2. Masquerade has been there before urbanization and globalization. Urbanization and globalization brought about tarred roads.These two mean that a public road could connect several villages to enhance trade, civil service, etc. Because of these, public tarred roads were built. Therefore, tarred roads were not the traditional location for “iti Mmanwu,” as there were none before then.
3. “Iti Mmanwu” is a cult that is exclusive to initiated men and that’s why men accompanies the women in a necessary situation. Now, as noted in (2), urbanization and globalization have warranted that since many people (who may not even be from the village)crisscross through various villages for either civil service(nurses, teachers,etc), or etc. So, they should now in 21st century, look for a man to accompany them do their work or services to the same village and others because women are not supposed to see masquerade or whatever? The men, should take their masquerade to a place that is exclusive to them to accommodate the cause of the time. That is development.
4. The lady is a nurse and was in her uniform if we see enough. Any civilized society doesn’t joke with their health workers that preserve life. What law is supreme to the Law of Preservation of life?
Also, the video showed that the lady stopped like others before moving(respect).
To those who say that CULTURE IS A RESPECTER OF NO PROFESSION, let me ask you?
“If your father needs urgent, or emergency health care and a female nurse was on the way, should your father die because “A na-eti Mmanwu?”
“Or if your sister who can drive is the only person in the house, should she allow your father to die because “Mmanwu nọ n’uzo?”
This makes a lot of difference between informed and un-informed culture.
You can call the results.
All I see in the video are people who are not informed and whose culture they have refused to inform.
Remember, this is not a condemnation of Igbo culture but a call to prune the Igbo culture in general. Yes, I am an advocate of culture. Culture is not stagnant but develops. And it’s human beings that develop it, not spirits, otherwise we risk the fact of isolation, barbarism, and dehumanization, that we have accused others of.
©Fr. Henry Charles Umelechi, 2024
Fr. Truth Series.
#Culture #humanity #Development #viralposts