“Iwakwa” ceremony
By Abraham Nwankwo
Every three years, initiation into manhood holds:
Of those twenty-one years old and about.
Each family so blessed in a procession of ‘odumodu’ music,
Brings its participants to the village square,
Wearing loin cloth that flamboyantly stretches far behind.
There the young men dance in the arena,
Reloading and shooting den guns into the air.
Relatives, friends and visitors join in excitement.
Merriments start seven days before the climax.
Libations poured to ancestors for more blessings;
For another set of men to ensure family continuity.
Confers the right to attend clan and family meetings,
Also the right to pick a piece of kolanut at gatherings;
To aspire to exclusive title-holding societies.
Confers the right to achieve your best,
In a world where the struggle for the best is life.
