AJOR NWA (26)

In Ubulu Uku , one intresting aspect of Christmas celebration is the mmonwu dance. Mmonwu dance is a kind of dance drama that young men showcase on each Christmas and New year seasons. It takes them one full month to practise their acrobatic danceinside a well guided small hut built with bambo sticks and palm fronts; after which they carry it to thepublic from Christmas to New Year. The hut is so much important to mmonwu dancers because everything about them is secretive.As a young child I did not join mmonwu at all. I hate acrobatic dance; besides, I cannot craw out of my warm bed at the early hours of the harmattan seasonwhen men usually have early morning erection. Again, I cannot stand to see my fellow human being give me mark on my body with mere razor blade. Those were my fears about mmonwu dance.But one day I decided to know this their secret. The dance group had come to our house during the Christmas period to pay homage. All of a sudden , one mmonwu went to the backyard. As soon as he left I followed immediately. He passed by the side of our house while I passed through the living room. From there I entered our kitchen to catch a glimpse of this mmonwu. Good enough, our bamboo kitchen is such that somebody inside can see another outside but the one outside can’t see whoever was inside. From the bamboo gaps, I started gazing at the mmonwu.To my surprise, the bearer removed his mask by himself. He was wearing a dirty red scarf. I saw his teeth, his forehead and even his bears. He was human. I continued to gaze at this fellow called mmonwu. After some 5 minutes, he lighted Aspen cigarette and put it in his mouth. He inhaled the smoke and puffed it into the heavens. He inhaled again and puff it towards my direction as I giggled inside the kitchen. An aid quickly brought palmwine and the mmonwu took several cups without wasting time. After all this, he positioned his red scarf very well and put his mask again, behaving like a spirit.I waited for him to leave before I crawled out of my hiding place. I was disappointed that the so called mmonwu can drink and even smoke Aspen. Since that day I stopped respecting mmonwu.