Baskadia

By OKOI OBONO-OBLA

Lobo is a day of playful comedy, relief, fun and laughter all rolled into one.

In actuality, it is the day of appeasement and thanksgiving to the Almighty God for a successfully completed celebration of Leboku.

It is also a day where young adult males are expected to pick their chosen ones from the harem of beautiful maidens wearing the spiral bangles ‘Liman’ to parade the streets with them.

The significance of Lobo is to demonstrate or show that they have won their hearts. Maidens are traditionally required to fall for young men who demonstrate prowess, dexterity and mystical strength of their masculinity.

Only those who are spiritually and mystically endowed have the mental and physical strength to go into the forest to use their bare hands to uproot particular trees of their choice/ability, venture out to partake. And they do this come rain or sunshine. Nothing deters them!!!

Thereafter, they will proudly bring the uprooted tree with the roots dangling and placed on their shoulders.

The roots extracted from the uprooted tree forms part of their dress code - consisting of: a white wrapper; must be bare-chested with white chalk or powder sprinkled on their bodies; cam-wood which is used to rub on both those legs, down to the feet; and etung (a particular chewing stick that has bark of the tree where the stick is obtained from not removed) and put in their mouth.

The young men who partake in Lobo are called ‘ya-bono’ (plural) and ‘obono’ (singular).

The ‘obono’ is not supposed to talk save to chant, once in a while ‘aaaahhhh -Lobo’!!!

They match majestically into the town, chanting some magical incarnations that serve to energize and charge them to gain extraordinary strength to match around the town for several hours, to the admiration of the crowd of people that throng the several town squares in Ijiman, Ijom, Ketabebe, Bikobiko and Ikpakapit, to watch and hail these young men prance about with the big trees placed on their shoulders to showcase themselves as young men of valour.

These ‘yabono’ also receive taunts and insults from their friends, siblings and relatives, especially their age mates, reminding them of the misdeeds, misadventures or misdemeanors they had committed in the past that was unknown to the public or a secret only known to few family member ls and age mates.

The taunts (or even physical abuse of some bodily parts or disabilities, in some cases) like having a big head or elongated head or eyes or legs or big stomach or whatever is used to taunt or ridicule the obono which in turn adversely attracts or evokes anger or response from him and to whip those taunting him when he catches up with them or takes them unawares.

In truth, the obono is not expected to whip those who are not his age mates.

Also, he is not expected to whip or beat elderly men, children, or women.

He is just required to pat the shoulders of these categories of people or stretch out both palms of his hands when he sees chiefs, elderly people, for them to blow into them as a sign of blessing.

Maidens that fail to wear the spiral bangles ‘Liman’ are always targeted on Lobo by the ‘ya-bono’ to be lashed at with their whips as punishment for failing to embrace the custom of the land that requires them to wear liman which traditionally marks the passage from teenage-hood to woman-hood.

In the days of the yore, young men are required to pick their maidens on the day of Ledemboku from the array of maidens parading the streets of the land during the Leboku festivities.

It is a colorful sight to behold, hence the adage: ‘Leboku-kpayima’.

@ Okoi Obono-Obla