Aru gba afo, oburu omenani (When Abomination last for a year unaddressed, it will become NORM) shouted my Old WOMAN in disgust.
Many things have gone wrong, more are getting absurd in Igboland but even the Traditional Ministers are more grossed in Politics than in Redifining our Cultural deficienies.
Traditional Prime Ministers are supposed to be the custodian of Culture(S) of the town,as dislocated and disjointed as we met our Culture, but they are busy fraternizing with Episcopal influence to notice the impending demise of what they are the Custodian.
While growing up, I met how Ndigbo bury our corpses with Respect to the Death and tears running down Cheeks in honor of the departed.
That was the period, you have goose Pimples after seeing a Dead Body and you are not of age, but this days, the theatrics associated with Burial and Dead Bodies makes one to ask, where did we go Wrong?.
They don't borrow to bury, they don't sale Properties just to get enough for burial and after that the residue of Debts will linger for Generations unborn, infact this days, many sold Lands to bury, whereas they can't sale Land to save one in Hospital or in School.
We spent more for burial than to live and for the Living...Moving on..
This days, we have thrown respect to the dogs, we have turned Mourning into Parties, and burial into Utmost partying and display of affluence.
The Money many refused to feed somebody with while alive, they will spend much more once the person is dead.
If it will Cost 100K to save a life, many can't and won't bring it, but once the person dies, they will roll out Millions to burn.
We have introduced Companies that have Fun with our death, under the guise of UNDERTAKING.. they grab CASKET containing remains of our Dear one or pretended Dear one, then start throwing it like Javelin, dancing Skelewu with our aged parents and Loved ones who has never Danced while alive, who we have never bought even Toy radio for, but on death, it will be show of affluence..
We the Mourners did not remember the saying "Nwata Bunie Nnaya elu, m yo, m yo na M yo M yo ayochie ya Anya" (When a Son raise his Father up, the Testicles will blind him).
Not only did they throw our Departed Up, but without any just cause and without respect to the after Life the person wants.
We despise our Loved ones so bad that we can't touch the Casket any more, we hire People with filthy hands to convey the Corpse, lower it to the grave while dancing, after all to them the Corpse is another Pay Check, another Log of Wood and another ALERT to thier Bank account, so they nurse no feeling nor have any connection that will make them handle any with care or respect.
Let's not talk about the Cruel Mascara or say itube Nsi Ugo, where our parents will live in a House that is God forbid and once they die, we put them inside Fridge, so that the Body and Soul won't rest in peace, then we start building or repainting house..
That's what Oyibo will call painting of WHITE SEPULCHER...
if Painted house is good enough to pay him or her last Respect...,
if building an Edifice worths to be shown to friends,DO IT WHILE the Man or Woman who brought you into this world was alive... You can Throw Parties for him or Her, just Choose a day and call it his Birthday or Anniversary or anything, then let the Drum roll,let friends come around and celebrate him, especially our Father's because Mothers always CHOP THE WORLD.
I pray that when my days are called, that my Children and relations won't hire any Undertaker to use me for plaything or I will go after them with Cane made with Iron, if they have respect they should be the ones to lower me to the grave and the money that will be wasted entertaining people should be used to give Scholarship to the less privileged, use some to offset Hospital Bills of those that are living, then if I see any Canopy with Air Condition, I will share Slap to everybody in that Canopy...
WE should Mourn the Death and not waste resources trying to romance the living.
It gets nauseous so much that many of this Departed ones, did not get one tiny Party while alive from the Children, but drop dead and the same bunch of ills that can't give them good life will spend Millions burying them, which brings me to what we Idiotically refer to BEFITTING BURIAL, why not give the person a BEFITTING LIFE?..
That you buried one with 10 Million Naira won't change the destination of the Soul, if the person is going to Hell, there won't be reversal.. So why not give the person good life and plain Burial?.
The Trend of that dastardly dressing like Ndi bidolu iti Nmanwu ofuru, which we call Aso Ebi, Mis pronounced as ASHEBI, a Yoroba Tradition which we Aped and modified to become another Nuisance on everything we do, be it Naming Ceremony, Traditional Wedding, British Wedding which we christiened WHITE WEDDING, Burial and every every, we now Sale and Sow Aso Ebi and thinking it makes our occasion Colorful and grand..but it makes it Pitiful and lousy..
The most annoying part of this imported culture is that over 90% of those wearing the Aso Ebi has never met, never interacted with the person they are Mourning, they simply join in celebrating absurdity..
Me and your ASO EBI? Maka gini kwanu?.. Dash me ASO EBI just check boot of my Car and see that you donated a fine Rag.
If I want Uniform, I join Boys Brigade or Scout or OCHA BRIGADE..
Burial clothing should be limited to the Mourners, not even extended Family...
Hiring Grave Diggers also removed the unity of Culture that goes with Umunna IWA Ini or ili.
This has also buried the fraternity of UMUNNA na Ime Nne, some will distance self from Nzuko na Nnoko Umunna hoping that when the eventuality become Event, they will Hire Mourners, grave diggers and import so many Aso Ebi to muddle up the Human Austerity in the Burial.
Some may even have a hand in the death, then when Kinsmen remonstrate, the Mourners will import hired Nuisances wearing different camouflage and hire Criers who will be crying and watching time, same way we watch our DATA while browsing.
Sure, many have Money to burn, so they Hire Air-conditioned CANOPIES for VVIP, some buy Gift, very Expensive Gifts including TELEVISION, FAN, AIR CONDITION as exchange of Gift to Condolers...Making Bazaar of the Death.
My Old man will ask "Eji ina na iyi NKEA eme gini?" (What could this irrelevancies benefit one?).
If one has the money to waste or display, why not bring out the money, call all the Very Poor Children in your neighborhood or Village and redeem thier life with the Money, some will go Back to School, some will start a trade and some will simply cook Soup with Meat instead of rejected Bones and thier Soul will bless you and remember the Dead.
You wasted Millions celebrating somebody who you never bought even CAKE for his or Her Birthday, is Njo Ogbugbu and be rest assured , if I remain the Gateman in Heaven that none of you will make Heaven on my watch.
Ndigbo, we should go back to that Old time Religion, and old time mourning and Burial... Where we respect the Death.
Mazi Odera POg JP mourning the death at OCHANJA FIRE DISATSER.. I will do my Job on this after... First let the departed rest in Peace.
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