No baby must cry in this community

No baby must cry in this community

 

Getting to Ota, Ogun State from Lagos is a trip meant for the lion-hearted. The roads are decrepit and full of gullies. It is like an abandoned war- ravaged settlement. It does not matter from where you tend to enter the ancient town; the fact is that it is like a forgotten community. Yet it houses one of Nigeria’s vibrant industrial layouts after Lagos, at least in the South West.

After the Herculean task of entering the town from the Sango end, are the new layouts where what could be described as modern houses have sprung up in the equally unplanned streets. Leaving this modern surrounding, one is thrown into the narrow, dirty and chaotic surrounding of what could be called the ‘real Ota’. This is sandwiched between the new settlements and the industrial layout which spreads out toward the border town of Owode.

Some of the streets in Ota are pervaded with the silence of the graveyard. Children and the young ones roam about the narrow streets, idling, while the old ones sit at the dilapidated doors of their homes doing one thing or the other. Most of the buildings are archaic, dilapidated and looking as precarious as if they are going to collapse at any minute. Most of the houses built with mud bricks have caved-in walls, while some of the roofs with corrugated iron sheets have been blown off by the wind.

Every household in Ota community has courtyard or big compound (called Agbo Ile), which houses a deity they worship and offer sacrifices to.

At the roundabout of the Osi community is the sculpture of a woman draped in white paint. It is called Iya Ijamido (Ijamido River in the town is named after her), holding a clay pot and pouring the content of her pot – water – out. The sculpture is conspicuously mounted, adding a touch of beauty to the environment of the old rustic town.

The Iya Ijamido sculpture is not far from the popular historical second storey building in Nigeria, and also harbors one of the oldest churches, St. James Anglican Cathedral Church built-in 1843. This area is called Ipate Oyinbo (European quarters), it is where European missionaries first settled in while on their way to Abeokuta.

Next to Osi is the dreaded Isolosi community that harbours the dreaded deity, Ogbodogi, which holds the whole Ota community to ransom when the time comes for its celebration. The festival is usually celebrated every five years. However, this is subjected to change as dictated by the oracle; its celebration usually lasts for a period of three months.

For the three months the celebration lasts no cry of a new-born child should be heard in the community.

Welcome to Ota town where Ogbodogi holds the ace for three months. Any nursing mother who breaks this rule risks instant death for such a baby.



Fleeing the area

According to Madam Monsurat Anibiire, who is an indigene, “When it was about eight days for me to deliver my baby, and the Ogbodogi festival was around the corner, I quickly packed all my baby’s materials and left for the General Hospital (situated on the outskirts) where I spent many days before delivery. I was more comfortable to stay in the hospital than to let any ‘spirit’ kill my baby.” To her joy the baby in question is now four years old and has started schooling. She added, “After I gave birth to my baby in the hospital, the festival started, instead of me to return home, I quickly went to my in-law’s place at Iyana Iyesi where I spent three months to avoid any disaster, in obedience to the custom. A new baby must be at least three months old before it is brought back to the area.”

However, Monsurat is not the only one that experienced it, another woman who does not want her name in print said when her two sisters wanted to deliver, they were relocated to Abule Iroko and Badagry, and after three months they returned to Ota.

For Aishat Shamshudeen, she was lucky that it was after the celebration of Ogbodogi festival that she delivered. She told the reporter while breastfeeding her baby, “Look at me, look at my baby sucking my breast. I have no problem with their tradition and I cannot break what had been laid down for ages. It is not that we don’t deliver babies here but during the Ogbodogi festival one has to move away as the deity does not want to hear any baby’s cries, or else the baby will die.”



Genesis of Ogbodogi

High Chief Sikiru Anibiire, the Olori of Osi Quarters in Ota, is the third in rank to the Olota, the town’s monarch. He declared with confidence that one of their deities called Erumosonyin was brought from Ile-Ife. According to him, “Any king that wears a crown must not see any living (baby) twins, so, he, the king, was asked to move far away from the town to avoid sighting living twins and he was sent away and told that anywhere he stayed should be called Olofin, and wherever the calabash sinks is where he should settle. If there is any twins delivered, the twins must not see the king or the king must not sight the twins, that is why they are called Akinsewa of Odogbolu.

“They said wherever they get to and where the bowl sinks should be called Awori (the bowl sinks). They came with their deity, Ogbodogi, which should not sight living twins and the monarch should also avoid seeing newly born babies. We were warned to keep off or keep away from here to avoid trouble, until when the baby clocks three months! Again, it is the voice of the baby that the deity must not hear. It has affected many that is why people are advised to keep off from the place (that is Ota). Our women give birth to new babies but they must take away the baby and return to the town after the festival of Ogbodogi. We cannot remove the deity, it does not affect pregnant women but newly born babies are the ones we are talking about.”

Asked if a pregnant woman’s time is due unexpectedly and caught in the town during the festival, what happens? The High Chief replied: “Well, she could deliver in Ota here but has to be taken away immediately. It has been on for a long time. What we know is that we should not toy with it. The festival is an annual thing but it depends on what the oracle says, whatever the time it wants it to be done the oracle determines and we tell them.”



The Shrine

The shrine of Ogbodogi is painted white. Inside it, some women discuss in hushed tones. It is apparent the community does not joke with the shrine. Boldly written on its wall in capital letters is ILE OGBODOGI.

What if a Muslim or Christian does not obey the rules as a result of their faith? According to the community head of Osi Quarters, “Whoever criticizes it and does not obey its rule will face the wrath or consequences of the god, and it will no longer be anybody’s fault. In fact, if a pregnant woman dies it is the duty of the worshippers of this shrine to bury such a woman.”

Alfa Rasaki Dosunmu, who is the Asiwaju of Ogbodogi, said he has been participating in worshipping the idol since he was young. He boasted: “I am now in my 70s, and I have been performing and active in the rituals. In fact, I am the Asiwaju of Ogbodogi.” He continued, “When it is time to celebrate Ogbodogi we would first of all offer sacrifices to some other idols like Ore and we use rams for its own sacrifice, but for Ogbodogi we use sheep, for Osanyin we use a he-goat. For another idol, Idiegun, we use goat too. A cock is used as a sacrifice for Eigbakuyo. We do all these before we start the proper festival for the Ogbodogi. The Ogbodogi festival is celebrated for three months. Therefore, if a baby is not up to three months it is taken away from Ota. In fact, some of these children are taken away to nearby villages like Ijoko, Iyesi and so on to avoid their untimely deaths.”

Asked why babies had to be taken away. The old man smiled and said, “There are songs we sing in the dead of night that are heart -rending, which babies must not hear. There is no how we would sing these songs that babies would not wake up in the night. I repeat, there is no way we would sing the songs and babies would not wake up to hear or listen to them, and there is this dreaded Oro, if it shouts and if the baby hears it it would die!”

He added, “Nobody will go into their houses to kill the babies, but the babies will die in the end if the parents are stubborn. I remember some people in Oke Suna area that defied it and their children eventually died. Nobody will force them to comply, but when they see that they will lose their children then they will comply. We have seen some stubborn ones who claim to be Christians but when their children were dying they realised their folly. We did not go into their households to kill them.”



Awareness campaigns

Dosunmu said religion should not be used as a yardstick for denigrating one’s culture, adding that series of announcements and awareness campaigns are embarked upon before the festival is held. “We would have gone to the monarch to inform him, we go to the electronic media and also print as well as do jingles over the radio, while town criers would go round to do public announcements,”he said.

He denied that non-indigenes are leaving the community because of the festival. “We have non-indigenes; mind you the natives cannot live in their home town alone. We have many compounds and each has its own idol, and offer sacrifices to them .The purpose of the festival is for prayers to ward off pestilence and disaster and for peace to reign in the town.”

Ota is a town suffused in culture and tradition, according to Dosunmu. “There is another area where if a baby is not up to three months it should not be carried through such an area. In fact, the sound of saucers or clanging of iron or metals must not be heard , I mean no saucers must drop on the ground during the period of the festival. We are rich in culture here. For the Ogbodogi, it is held every five years, and it was observed three years ago, in two years time we will observe it again. But if the oracle says the sacrifice should be observed in the day, fine then there will be an announcement and a curfew will be announced over the electronic media. Whoever flouts it does so at his or her own risk.”

The mysterious Ijamido River

Shedding light on the importance of Ijamido River, Chief Anibiite said apart from the idols and deities “we have a river here that we use its water for prayer and also to curse anybody that does not love us. Not only this, whoever is installed as a chief must drink from it and swear to be loyal and obedient to the Olota, and it works, many have been blessed and also many have also been cursed with the water.”

The 77-year-old man added that he once met the spirit woman while harvesting on his farm years ago. “One day as I was harvesting in my farm at the back of the Ijamido River, I suddenly sighted the woman in white. I started begging her that I am an indigene and meant no harm. I later staggered home, and a keg of palm wine was poured on my head to regain my consciousness.”



Sacred places everywhere

Asked whether the worshipping of idols or deities is not getting too much on the residents as it could frighten non indigenes, the old man said, “It is part of our culture and we cannot abandon it. Never, and those who live here have been used to it. We are not worshipping idol but observing what our culture says.”

The Chief Imam of Ota, Sadiq Buhari , 77, confirmed the story and did not deny knowing the implication of the festival. According to him, “It is true that it happens here and it is an annual thing .This is not new and all the people living in the community are used to the tradition. The monarch here is the first to be crowned and it is in the household of Isolosi. All the quarters here are used to the festival. There is a period the god is worshipped. That was the first king of Awori land. It is true that a baby should be taken away and until three months before they are allowed to come to the area. And it is for their own benefit, and that is the period when the god is being worshipped.”

He acknowledged that if a child is born unexpectedly, “The family is in charge, if it happens the woman has to provide some kola nuts and offer schnapps too to the elders who know what to do. This is given as compensation.”

However, the Imam added that it is not only in this area that babies’ cries are not allowed. “In my mother’s quarters called Ilugba, Ijana Quarters and Abobabule, such thing happens there too, as no baby’s cry must be heard at all,” he said.

Defending the culture that has spread in the vicinity, he boasted, “We have many traditions here. There is a household here in Isolosi that a woman must not touch or carry newly born babies. If a woman from the household touches a new born baby, the baby will just dry off instantly, just like a dried leaf. These women are into mats business.” Asked why these traditions still persist, he said “That is our tradition, we can’t help it, and we must obey it.”



Christian differs

Reverend Dr. J Akin Atere of the Diocese of Awori Anglican Community confirmed the report and said, “When I came in 2008, we heard about the festival, and we made a protest to the head of this place that we would not succumb to such festival. This time one of the wives of my priests was pregnant, but it was not eventually fully enforced, there was even the Ramadan festival, they could not take longer days as they used to, we equally knew that due to my protest to the Olota, the activities should be limited to an area. Ota has fallen into a cosmopolitan area and eventually nobody was harassed, nobody was forced out.”

However, the clergyman said this culture is not Biblical, “What I heard is that the oracle or the idol does not hear the cries of babies, that is only the reason. It is not only targeted at pregnant women. If God says go and multiply, it could come at anytime, so nobody has the right to stop the work of God.”

Does the culture in anyway affect his prayer and church activities? “The community members are neither here nor there. It affects their worship, it affects the commitment of people to Christianity. When the festival is going on people would go and worship with them. When it is the time for Egungun (masquerade) they are even bold to say they are going to participate, but we thank God that a few are changing. The community should appreciate this place where the missionaries first touched and called Ipate Oyinbo while on their way to Abeokuta, preaching the gospel. That was when Christianity touched this ground in 1843.”

However, whichever way it goes, the tradition goes on and there has never been any clash between them.

SOURCE: https://thenationonlineng.net/no-baby-must-cry-in-this-community/