“Ntumaka” Festival
By Abraham Nwankwo
Pointing to the future and to mighty destiny,
Concern with hope over what tomorrow holds.
Nephews, to their mother’s kindred palm wine bring;
Married daughters, a cock for each son, a hen for each daughter;
That has not yet before the maternal uncles been presented.
Special meals of pounded yam and cassava flour,
Served dough with ‘uha’ or ‘olubiri’ sauce.
Puddings of oil bean, or cassava flakes,
Enriched with garden eggs, mushrooms and bitter “utazi” leaves.
Delicious dishes for all in a sumptuous feast.
Palm wine copiously drank by young and old:
Oil-palm wine by all males that be men;
Raffia-palm wine by most women and children.
The former is stronger and tastes more masculine;
The latter sweeter, less alcoholic – an appeal feminine.
The yeasty residues in the rinds poured out as libation.
As the people dance and mingle with masquerades;
Who anthropomorphize their great ancestors.
But while the living can, to future and destiny, only point,
It’s the dead that do, those siamese twins, really touch.
