Egwu Onwa, the Moonlight Activity in Ibusa
– Emeka Esogbue
Before now, particularly, prior to the introduction of electricity to our communities, Egwu onwa was enjoyably common among the teenagers of our Enuani region but I will lay emphasis on Ibusa.
Geographically located in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, Ibusa, the settlement of the Isu adventurers presently, in Anioma Region, West of the River Niger Basin is rich in human population, a greater population being children and teenagers.
Situated atop a hill, Ibusa offers a view of the searing sun during the day but can look surprisingly pleasant at night with a reassuringly peaceful glow. The night, or the hour between dusk and dawn, is when the site faces away from the sun, allowing darkness to take control.
With its natural light reflection, the moon, a satellite of Earth, is now inviting teenagers who have been anxiously waiting for dusk to come up with a secret performance.
This nighttime activity is known as the Egwu Onwa, or Moon Play. Egwu onwa is not only for teenagers as children and even adults may participate in it. But the story here is about teenagers.
Children rushed to do their “icha alia,” wash the dishes, and perform other household chores in order to get their parents’ approval before the full moon visited.
The nightly game was a part of the people’s culture and provided instruction in traditional literature, and other fields. Egwu onwa emphasized fiction, folklore, and superstition more than any other activity. Mischief cannot also be ruled out as group of bullies were expected.
Recollections of the play are widespread, notwithstanding the lack of efforts to gather fieldwork and samples of Egwu onwa activities in the Ibusa community.
According to what is known about Egwu onwa in the community, events are only held in ogbes, or quarters. There are ten ogbes in the village, and Egwu onwa is customarily hosted within one of them.
Whether the games are planned or not, once players get together, they start acting in ways that are enjoyable, entertaining, or recreational. They performed vigorously, for a long time, and under the moon.
To avoid the story that touched the heart, as they say in the country, everyone knew his boundary and none strayed into the hand of the individual with the conduct of playfully annoying actions.
Inside the world of Egwu onwa, anything could happen within the period. For some, it was an opportunity to sexually play with the ones they had been admiring for long. It was time for the slightly older guys with the concupiscent sensation of love to playfully or ‘riskily’ touch a woman’s breasts, and depending on how their female victim was feeling, either wait or run for safety. Depending on how the parties involved are feeling, what comes after the suggestive remark could get ridiculous.
It was time for “ita inu,” the folktale, according to story aficionados. Tellers of folktales resemble philosophers who taught the youth of the Ibusa civilization about morals, developing an ethical society, establishing a nation, and promoting peace and love.
The Ibusa people’s folktale genre typically starts with “enye mu unu nzu,” to which the audience responds in unison with “igwe elea,” seemingly giving the storyteller permission to proceed. Typically, the stories revolve around the struggles of the wise tortoise and other creatures, the spirits in the afterlife, or people.
One of such popular “Inu” in the Ibusa community is a narrative on how a child chose to eat her mother’s food with “olukpulu” all over her decaying teeth over other beautiful women with the moral lesson that one’s mother remains one’s mother despite her condition.
In Ibusa society, the Egwu Onwa was a true source of delight; but, modernism, mingled with technology, has now transported the community and its people into the present day, bringing with it current changes.
It may be hard to imagine that the influential indigenous men and women of today participated in Egwu onwa when looking at modern-day Ibusa.
