Blog

March 23, 2023

Directed By Harry Agina

“CULTURE-WAR” ON “CULTURE-WATCH-AFRICA” CONTINUES ON AFRO-SCOPE

Hello there!

I am Harry Agina, bringing you episode 4 of “Culture-War” drama series, a presentation of “Culture-Watch-Africa” Campaign, here on Afro-Scope. In the last episode, Chief Ekwedike called Chimezie “Onye ohi otu” in his Igbo language. It means “a thief of ‘otu.’” I chose not to translate “otu” directly into English. Instead, I discretely translated it idiomatically as ‘honey-pot.’” But the issue was/is that Chimezie was sleeping with a proposed spouse without going through the traditional process of marriage first. It’s a traditional taboo.

In the “good old days,” young ladies truly used to “Say ‘no’ before saying ‘I do’” or “Saying ‘yes’ only after saying ‘I do.’” It was sacrosanct. Alas, putting it in Chief Ekwedike’s words, the ‘honey-pots’ of ladies are commonly ‘stolen’ these days. In essence, virgins are hard to come by these days, contrary to “the good old days.” That’s part of Chief Ekwedike’s cultural grief. But, good enough, he didn’t throw Chimezie the “Romeo” who committed the taboo out of his house and cancel the relationship. That’s what he would most likely do in “the good old days.” They were still talking when we left them in Ekwedike’s living room. And they are still on it as we commence today’s episode.

Scene 1. INTERNAL, IN EKWEDIKE’S LIVING ROOM; IN THE DAY

STILL PUZZLED, CHIMEZIE STARES FROM CHIEF EKWEDIKE, TO HIS UNCLE, MAZI UDOKA…

MAZI UDOKA

I understand you, my in-law. I….

EKWEDIKE

No. No. Do not refer to me as in-law because our relationship has not been properly defined. Your nephew bamboozled my daughter with an engagement ring without going through the proper traditional route.

MAZI UDOKA

You are right. Youngsters today are fast losing complete sight of our culture. And I was embarrassed when I heard the show of shame. I wondered how a man, a real man, will kneel to ask a woman’s hand in marriage?

CHIMEZIE

But Uncle, the white people do it every….

MAZI UDOKA (Cuts in)

Chimezie, you are not a white man. You are an African man. An Igbo man for that matter. Nwa afo Igbo…kneeling to propose to a woman?! It is not and has never been part of our culture!

EKWEDIKE

My point, exactly! When you were sent to America to school, nobody told you to throw away your sense of culture. You are African!

MAZI UDOKA

If you kneel to propose to a woman, it means you will also kneel to beg her whenever you want to perform your rightful conjugal duties.

EKWEDIKE

That’s it.

MAZI UDOKA

And that is a sacrilege of the highest order. You don’t import a foreign culture and expect an elder like me who know and practice our culture to support you. Mbanu!

EKWEDIKE

Gbam! You are a son of the soil.

MAZI UDOKA

Anyway, Chief Ekwedike, I know that some errors cannot be undone, like the kneeling proposal. But I am here now to make amends where possible. As our tradition dictates, a man intent on marrying a girl must first approach the girl’s father in company of his father, or an elderly male relation in the absence of his father.

EKWEDIKE

Gbam! That’s it. But your nephew blackmailed my daughter with a public marriage proposal, which is alien to our culture and tradition.

MAZI UDOKA

I apologize on behalf of the boy and our entire family.

EKWEDIKE

It’s not that simple, Mazi Udoka, and you know it…

Cut…

Scene 2. INSIDE IN NNEKA’S ROOM; SAME TIME

NNEKA IS STANDING BY THE HALF-OPEN DOOR OF HER ROOM. SHE IS PEEPING AND EAVESDROPPING ON THE CONVERSTION IN THE LIVING ROOM, WITH HER CELPHONE TO HER EAR…

NNEKA (Uneasy)

Babe, my dad is scaring me o. I don’t want him to scare my sweetheart away for me o!

THE VOICE OF HER GIRLFRIEND, EBERE, IS COMING THROUGH HER PHONE…

EBERE

Babe, what is the problem…what are they saying?

NNEKA

I can’t hear them well, but my dad is not being friendly. Babe, I’m scared o. I love Mezie so much, and I don’t want to lose him because of all these traditional stuffs…I’m scared ooo.

EBERE

Babe, cool down. Your dad loves you too much to destroy your happiness. I’m sure he’s just being…

 Cut to…

Scene 1B. BACK TO THE LIVING ROOM…

EKWEDIKE

As I already said, a man must also pay the bride price of a woman before accessing her honey pot. Who knows how many times your boy has done it already. Mazi Udoka, are you not aware that an Igbo girl must be properly married? Otherwise, …

MAZI UDOKA (Cuts in)

Chief Ekwedike I know our culture and traditions, and I do understand your concerns, but…

EKWEDIKE (Ignores Udoka’s interruption)

…Otherwise, she could have died in your family in the process of accessing the honey pot. And our kinsmen would demand the full payment of the bride or fulfillment of all the undone or outstanding marital obligations before she is buried. And you know what must follow the burial, too.

MAZI UDOKA

You are right. The wife of a friend of mine died two months ago because she ate at her daughter’s house after a so-called church wedding. Her supposed son in-law did not pay her daughter’s bride price and there was no traditional marriage before the church wedding.

EKWEDIKE

Of course, she would not survive such an abomination. Court and church weddings are strange to Igbo culture. We have been forced by our colonial masters and their church brothers to accept them as legal and Godly. But we must remain who we are. Payment of bride price must precede court or church wedding.

MAZI UDOKA

You are right, Chief. You know, it would be different if I disagreed with anything you have said. But you’re on point all the way. As you know already, Chimezie was not brought up in our land, and he never discussed his plan with anybody. Let’s forgive him because he meant well with his plan to surprise our family, pleeaaasse…I beg of you.

CHIEF EKWEDIKE SOLEMNLY, DELIBERATELY LOOKS FROM MAZI UDOKA TO HIS NEPHEW, CHIMEZIE; THEN BACK TO UDOKA…

EKWEDIKE (A smile on his face)

I hear you…it’s alright.

CHIMEZIE (Kneels)

Thank you, sir.

Cut to…

Scene 2B: BACK TO NNEKA’S ROOM…

NNEKA (Joyous)

Babe, I think all is well now…I hope.

EBERE’S EXCITED VOICE

Babe, what happened? Talk to me now!

Cut to…

Scene 1C: BACK TO THE LIVING ROOM…

MAZI UDOKA (A sigh of relief)

Thank you very much, Chief Ekwedike. Now, can we see our beautiful wife-to-be and know if we are at the right place? That’s the tradition; isn’t it?

EKWEDIKE NODS AND CALLS OUT ONCE TO HIS DAUGHTER NNEKA…

EKWEDIKE (Projects his voice)

Nnem!

Cut to…

Scene 2C: BACK TO NNEKA’S ROOM…

 NNEKA (Excited)

Babe, I must go now. My daddy is calling me.

EKWEDIKE’S CALL FILTERS IN A SECOND TIME, “Nneka!”…

NNEKA (Loud)

Yes, daddy, I’m coming…(LOW VOICE)…Babe, we’ll talk later.

Cut to…

Scene 1D. BACK TO THE LIVING ROOM…

ALL IS QUIET AS CHIEF EKWEDIKE MAKES TO CALL NNEKA AGAIN, BUT NNEKA HURRIES IN…

NNEKA

I’m here, daddy.

THEN, SHE COURTSIES TO HUMBLY GREET MAZI UDOKA AND HER SWEATHEART CHIMEZIE

NNEKA (Smiling)

Good afternoon, sirs. Welcome.

 

MAZI UDOKA

Thank you asa nwa. Nwa zuru ezu na mma. You are very beautiful. My Val knows what is good.

CHIMEZIE SMILES.

EKWEDIKE (Pointing at Chimezie)

Nneka, do you know this gentleman?

NNEKA

Yes daddy.

EKWEDIKE

He said he wants your hand in marriage. Do you agree?

NNEKA

Yes daddy!

MAZI UDOKA AND CHIMEZIE SMILE.

EKWEDIKE (To Nneka)

You can go back inside.

NNEKA GOES BACK TO HER ROOM FULL OF SMILE.

EKWEDIKE

Well, according to tradition, you will have to give me few more days to ask my daughter if she really wants to marry your nephew. And, of course, we must make the necessary enquiries before we can proceed.

MAZI UDOKA

Alright. We will make our own enquiries as well. But please, don’t let it take long. My nephew is somewhat in a hurry to marry your daughter. He is in love.

EKWEDIKE

Okay. We can now drink from the wine that you came with.

MAZI UDOKA

Yes!

EKWEDIKE PICKS UP THE CARTON OF WHISKY ON THE TABLE.

Fade out.

END

Written by Morgan Ukaegbu and Harry Agina

I will ask you; do you believe what Chief Ekwedike and Mazi Udoka said about the possibility of Ekwedike’s daughter dying because some traditions were breached? I will tell you about spirituality, beliefs, and mind-over-matter sooner than later. My bid will be to convince you that such things do exist in Africa, and other non-African societies, too. That will be in subsequent presentations.

I want pick one of Mazi Udoka’s AfroCultural statements for our InterCultural Exchange Titbits. Udoka said, “If you kneel to propose to a woman, it means you will also kneel to beg her whenever you want to perform your rightful conjugal duties.”

The implication is that, in ancient traditional Africa, a woman had little of no right to refuse to have sex with her husband. She was like his property in certain ways. So, the men didn’t have to beg their wives for sex. Udoka’s analogy with this is to say that when his nephew Chimezie starts giving his wife “too much respect” by kneeling to propose, he will soon go too far. Sooner than later, he would also start committing other taboos, such as begging his wife for sex.

Naturally, Afro-Scope discourages such ancient African cultural mentality. We insist that every woman everywhere in the world has the right to say ‘no’ when they do not want sex with any man whosoever! It makes no difference whether he is her husband, or not! And, of course, women liberation is catching on now in Africa, and the idea of men’s virtual ownership of women is rapidly dying. Mind you, the male chauvinism syndrome is not an African thing. Some non-African societies are probably worse.

Anyway, on Afro-Scope, we promote all the gazillion great elements of The African Culture. And we advocate for the protection and preservation of The Culture. But we also advocate for the cleansing of the culture to amend or completely discard some elements that are not good. The same is true about all the other cultures of the world, with their good and bad elements, too. I always site one example of bad ancient tradition in Africa—the killing of twins—which has been discarded. Our forefathers misguidedly believed that twins were a curse from the gods of the land, and they must be killed at birth. Now, the Africans know better, and twins are highly celebrated. It’s like going from one extreme to the other…glory to God!

And this is where I sign off today. Be sure to follow the rest of this series as it unfolds. If you haven’t done so yet, please subscribe right now to Afro-Scope.com, and follow us on our social media handles. That way, you will always be notified of what is going on in your home of AfroCultural InfoTainment. I am Harry Agina. Thanks, and bye for now.

HERE’S THE LINK TO EPISODE 5: