In Igboland, southeast of Nigeria, even with the advent of western civilization, a child that died in his or her infancy is believed to be an “Abiku” or “Ogbanje”. But what does an Abiku stand for? An Abiku is a spirit child, who dies and is re-born to the same parents, several times, ostensibly to torment the parents. The Abiku phenomenon is rooted in the Igbo cosmology and mythology. It exists in Yoruba cosmology, too, as Wole Soyinka wrote a recondite poem on Abiku.
The brevity of the life of an Abiku child brings deep sorrow to the Abiku’s parents. To die young is a proof that the deceased is accursed, according to the Igbo people’s belief system. In order to prevent an Abiku child from dying in his or her infancy, the face of an Abiku will be scarified when he or she starts ailing. The scarification of the face of an Abiku child will make the Abiku child unrecognizable to other spirit beings in the ethereal world. So when the time allotted to the Abiku child to stay on earth has elapsed, the spirit beings in the ethereal world cannot bring him or her back because the Abiku’s scarification has made the Abiku unrecognizable to those spirit beings in the ethereal world.
Like other religious or metaphysical matters, the reality of the Abiku phenomenon cannot be empirically proved. However, daily, we are being regaled with tales about Abiku children whose toes were chopped at death only for them to reincarnate on earth, again, to the same parents with missing toes.
But one thing that I am certain about is that no parents want their children to die young. So when their children take ill, they will take them to hospitals for treatment. And some parents with superstitious bent of minds will tie charms and amulets round the waists of their children to ward off evil influences from them.
The people of Obosi have a festival called Ito Ogbo Obosi Festival. The triennial cultural event is a collective birthday celebration for members of an age grade, who have recently become octogenarians. The festival epitomizes and encapsulates a people’s reverence for old people. It is their expression of thankfulness to God for granting their parents longevity. Against the background of people dying young in Nigeria owing to the existence of economic hardship and security challenges in our country, old people have a cause to throw a collective birthday bash to celebrate their attainment of the age of eighty years. The Ito Ogbo Obosi Festival, which is at the cusp of being enlisted into the UNESCO’S list of non-tangible cultural heritage, has become synonymous with Obosi town.
Chiedu Uche Okoye, Uruowulu-Obosi
Anambra State
