🗣️ Gist📍 Street Gist
I Participated in a Title Ceremony in Ibadan. What They Did With the Goat Still Haunts Me.
R
Raging Bull from Owerri
3 months ago
Back in 2022, my uncle in Ibadan decided to take a chieftaincy title. Our family had been planning it for months, and as the eldest son of his late brother, I was expected to play a key role. I was 28, just done with NYSC, and I thought I knew everything about our traditions. On the day, the whole compound was full. Drummers, masquerades, people from all over Oyo State. My uncle was dressed in the most expensive agbada I had ever seen. The Oba himself was there. Everything was going smoothly until the final part of the ceremony, where they brought out the goat for sacrifice. I had seen goats slaughtered before, at Sallah and family events. But this was different. The goat was not just killed. The babalawo started chanting and making cuts on its body while it was still alive. The animal was screaming, and the crowd was cheering. I felt my stomach turn, but I could not show it. I was supposed to be strong. They took some of the blood and marked my uncle's forehead. Then they gave me a calabash of palm wine and told me to pour it on the ground for our ancestors. As I did, I saw the goat's eyes. I swear that thing was looking at me, asking why I was part of this. After the ceremony, people were eating and dancing like nothing happened. I could not eat for two days. I kept seeing that goat's face. My uncle is now a chief, and he is proud of it. But I have not attended any title ceremony since then. I cannot explain to my family why. They would say I am being weak, that it is our culture. I am not saying our traditions are bad. But some things, we do without asking if they are right. I now know that tradition can be heavy. You carry it, even when you do not want to.
❤️
💔
20
173
20 Comments
Sign in to join the discussion
Sign In