By Akachi Adimora Ezeigbo
Guarded ritual
of ancient culture
bizarre culture
‘O Woman
this meat is taboo to you’-
his vulgar spite-coated voice
assaults her long-suffering ears
chastised by a din of dos and don’ts-
dressed in any form:
fresh, dripping blood, frozen, stiff like rod
steamed, greased, cooked
in a griddle or over a gridiron
the tradition is secure, sure
it’s no delicacy or food for your kind
as our ancestors decreed
so it will remain times to come
grilled or roasted
fried or barbecued
the verdict irreversible
for you and all like you
Grim face, she stares aghast
eyes scavenging for victims’ carrion
mind excavating centuries of oppression
unnumbered seasons of suppression
unprovoked, to say the least
gizzard monopoly is but one
of several inhuman games, acts
of malevolent posturing
Grimace involuntary her visage assails
a grin intervenes. Sheepishly
then raw rage charging forward
teeth grinding, she grabs the gizzard
wrenching with might, freeing it
from the bloody carcass
of the just-slaughtered supper chicken
Plunk! With passion, into the bin
She flings it, eyes fuming, nose flaring
‘Yah! There goes your grisly gizzard!
And your cruel custom as well!’
About the Poem
It’s a taboo in Igbo (Eastern Nigeria) culture for a woman to eat the gizzard of a chicken. In fact, the chicken part traditionally assigned to women is the bony waist (back) towards the chicken derriere.
This is by no means risible, rather it’s one of the many forms of the custom of subjugation of women in the African society. As Ezeigbo puts it: /gizzard monopoly is but one
of several inhuman games, acts of malevolent posturing/(lines 28-30).
Godwin I.N. Emezue says in his essay, Commitment and ( Hu) Woman rights Activism: A linguistic-cum-critical interpretation of the three poems in Akachi Adimora Ezeigbo’s Heart songs, “Ezeigbo is uncompromising in her advocacy for the total emancipation of the African woman.”
Emezue sees the gizzard as “a metaphor for every custom, law or practice that is detrimental to the growth of the female being, unpleasant to her general well-being – deserves to be flung into the dustbin of history. And it is women themselves who should initiate the war against any obnoxious policy that limits them.”
The 43 line poem ends with a decisive violent intentional action by the woman. The poet writes : /eyes fuming, nose flaring/flinging the “cursed” gizzard into the dustbin. A cry of triumph escapes her mouth: /Yah! There goes your grisly gizzard! And your cruel custom as well!/
The poem opens with an activity which can be termed monotonous because this is what women do day in day out, preparing meals for the family – Oh, the monotony of it! – preparing meals for the family morning, afternoon, night! So, the poem opens with this activity and as the woman picks the gizzard from the just slaughtered supper chicken, a voice from her background rings out- Oh woman (like remember!) this meat is a taboo to you (inferring, don’t have any wishful imagination to consume it- it’s out of bounds to you!)
The poet writes: /his vulgar spite-coated voice assaults her long suffering ears chastised by a din of dos and don’ts./
So, the voice the woman hears is a man’s voice. Incidentally, it’s not a benevolent voice, not the voice of kindness but of malevolence, a voice of tyranny filled with dos and don’ts. It’s a voice of subjugation reminding the woman that she lives in a man’s world – men call the shots!
The poem’s second stanza describes briefly the effect of the rude mean voice of the phallocentric society on the woman. She pauses and considers the age long inhibitions and repression of the male-dorminant society she has to endure, as the poet puts it : /mind excavating centuries of oppression unnumbered seasons of suppression/
At this moment, the timid woman takes a decision to break free from centuries of prohibition and repression from a male-dominated society. How long will this continue? She must have asked herself.
If you can think, you can act; good thinking, good products says a manufacturer. Thinking precedes Action.
So, in the third stanza, the woman after careful thinking, takes an intentional decision. – This prohibition which is inimical to the progress and development of womanhood cannot continue forever!
Something has to give. /She grabs the gizzard, wrenching with might./
In the 4th and last stanza, the woman breaks century old inhibitions of womanhood after picking the gizzard in a determined manner, eyes fuming, nose flaring in the 3rd verse, Plunk! She throws it into the bin!
There goes, not only the grisly gizzard but also the phallocentric cruel custom!
The repression held me as long as I let it. Now, I refuse to be held bound anymore. I free myself!
Thus, Ezeigbo, the social crusader in this verse declares that the solution to oppression and injustice is not stoical silence but intentional action.
As a social crusader, the poet picks something that may be tagged insignificant but truly not so, to address all forms of female subjugation in the society.
Why, for goodness sake will not a woman be allowed to eat gizzard? Does it pose any health risk to her? Is it detrimental to the woman’s social, spiritual, mental or economic well being?
Why will not a woman eat gizzard?
Can someone answer us?
It’s by no means risible.
All oppressed people must speak out, must cry out, must ACT in order to bring an end to oppression!
That, is the conclusion of the matter.
About the Poet
Prof. (Mrs Theodora Akachi Adimora Ezeigbo hails from Eastern Nigeria.
Married with three grown children to Dr Chris Ezeigbo, a professor of Survey in the Faculty of Engineering, University of Lagos,
Adimora-Ezeigbo earned a PhD in English Language and Literature in English from the University of Ibadan.
A three-time HOD in the Department of English, University of Lagos,, Ezeigbo retired from active teachingi at Unilag but continues with low key teaching and full mentoring at the Federal University of Technology, Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo, Ebonyi state.
She’s a multiple award winning novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, etc.
