How often do you travel to your native village?
I met a man recently who said he has not been to his village in 15 years. He said the last time he travelled there was when they buried his dad.
He later moved his mum to the city and non of them has been to the village since then.I asked if he is comfortable with his decision to stay away from there and if there would not be a repercussion. He said he doesn't care, he doesn't just have any business there.
When my former boss, who was a first son died and was taken home for burial, the village elders did not allow the corpse to be taken into the village mortuary, they said he didn't come home for years and so was owing a huge sum of money in the form of different bills and levies. His wife and children paid the outstanding monies and still dropped money for some rituals before he was taken into his village.
It woud interest you to know that even his children did not know the road to their village.
I asked them why they didn't just bury him in the city instead of the stress they passed through, the reply I got was that in their town, first sons are not buried outside.
My own kids go home regularly, thank God it's just 5hours journey from where I'm based. Ask them to name some of the towns they will pass before getting there, they will name them. Ask them to name some tourist attractions in their state and describe one or two that they've been to, they will oblige you.
Pls don't go if your village is filled with witches and wizards o.
🤣🤣🤣 @witches n wizard..
ReplyDeleteOnly when there's a serious occassion that necessitates my presence.
ReplyDeleteEvil people full for village, waiting for who to attack.
DOZZYBEST.
A close friend of mine travels every December to his village. He spends a month there and comes back broke! As in he will struggle for almost 6months before he gets back on his feets, and before you say jack, guy don enter village. This is what he experiences year in year out! Last year, I called his attention to it, he stopped going to the village and within a short while his business picked, he is doing better now. Sometimes, traveling to the village is not worth it especially if your parents are not there. Everything na with brain. My father is the first and anytime he poofs, I want to see what some stupid elders will tell me about burying him . Customs differs though, but I never see who go prevent me from burying him on our land! God punish elders.
ReplyDeleteFeet*
DeleteMay be you will be the only one to burry him when the time comes. You never see village wahala, you are making mouth.
DeleteNo be only get your father o, you better do as dey say before they kill you.
DeleteI don't know where you are from but ask questions when it comes to village customs maka ndu gi
That was how family members seized the corpse of a friend’s husband. They were making some monetary demands. She’s not from the same state as her husband. Her family members used security to remove her and her children. They abandoned the corpse for them. After some days the family were the ones begging and pleading. The woman never went back but her first son did. He said everything had to be hurried because the stench was bad. The family members refused to even accept his offer to pay for the cleaning of the house where the corpse was held ( the general family house) where his late father’s eldest brother lived.
DeleteJust imagine,someone died and they are busy demanding for outstanding levies and performing rituals,Thank God for my township(yeah cos my place ain't a village).As far as them know the family wey person commot from no-one go demand nothing.
ReplyDeleteVery very barbaric beliefs and demands,God forbid.
Not barbaric beliefs. All dues asked for must have been paid by those living in the village. The families of those who lived in the village but didn't pay are tasked too.
DeleteIf there was nobody living in the village and keeping it, where would the dead man have been buried since he wanted to follow tradition.
Some of us paid our own dues during the burial ceremony for our fathers despite they being residents in the village before passing.
Why do I need to go to my village when I'm an orphan?
ReplyDeleteLet the wicked uncles hold their village abeg
Most people with grandparents living in cities,built houses and almost all their families are in a certain place,hardly visit home except for burials.Some even bury their aged parents wherever they live...I think taking corpse back home is quite common among the south south and south east people.
ReplyDeleteDOG has something to say. And he will say it:
ReplyDeleteI take exceeding exception to this narrative that people in the village are witches and wizards. No, this shouldn't continue! A great number of us in this forum are a generation or two removed from village life. Were our forebears who stayed in the village witches? If they were, then so are we now!
People don't see traveling to the village as much of a priority. Why should they? Every kith and kin is in a city somewhere. Most have little in common with their hometown.
This nativistic tripe is why birthright indigeneship has never taken root in Nigeria.
I was born and brought up in Jos, Plateau state. I spent 23 years there. I have more in common with the average Plateau man I do with anyone from Benue state where I am from. So why should I desire affinity with my village? I should take my kids to the village and introduce them to an environment even I the father doesn't understand?
Every where remains a village until development comes there. Lekki was once a 'village'. The whole of Abuja used to be villages to different tribes. Lets be careful painting with such broad brushes.
Doggedity nice piece. I stay in Jos. Nice to know we go Jos people here. I relate more to my community in Kaduna and Jos. When I am much older I retire to the village
DeletePlease dnt go if ya Village is filled with witches And wizards ooo🤣🤣🤣🤣
ReplyDeleteIt is well oooo
Hello iya boys
Same thing happened during my father in-law burial. They demanded for dues and levies because he didn't go to his village neither did he bring his first daughter home for marriage.
ReplyDeleteThey billed the first daughter and her husband 135k and for my father in-law, almost 500k for just settlement.
It is well.
I see the issue of billing people for not visiting the village who want to bury someone or whatever else as wickedness, lack of empathy and greed.
DeleteWe paid for dowry of myself and my sister before we could bury my dad plus many other billings, all in all, I have no regrets, it doesn't make sense putting yourself at the mercy of godless people. Whenever I have something to do in the village, I'll be empowered sufficiently to do whatever is required.
DeleteI really do not know the road which leads to my village either.i am not proud saying it but it is what it is.Mistakes some parents make sometimes.
ReplyDeleteWhen a man's dies, he lost the consciousness of what is happening around. I'm not a fan of moving a dead person from place to place for burial.
ReplyDeleteHome is where you lived all your life, home is where your family is, home is where you are loved and treasured, in my own opinion, that's where a person should be buried.
I am going to tell my kids to bury me in whichever country I am residing in when I die. I will not put my kids that will be mourning through any unnecessary stress
DeleteI agree with you both.
DeleteBringing a dead body from abroad is so expensive, coupled with huge burial levies plus the emotional distress the loved ones are passing through, we really need to make burials easier on family members, especially we from the South East.
DeleteMy mom just put to birth I was soo eager to see the new the new born baby.
ReplyDeleteDuringChristmas I travel home to see them .
After few months we all travel back to my Dad place of work.
Brother and sister just three day after, I woke up from sleep, pack plates to watch that was all , I can't walk again can't talk again.
The only thing I see was my parents crying.
It was a very bad experience,
Am till trying to recover from it, because it affected the left of my body, I was just 11yrs then, it rude my childhood so much. But I thank God for life and gradual healing. It not perfect now but I know one it will be better.Amen
Amen.
DeleteI wish you the very best.
Story of my life 🙈. In my case it's been more than 15 years since the last time I stepped my foot in my village. I'll ensure my children maintain a connection with their heritage. By regularly visiting their ancestral home and teaching them about their cultural roots, by so doing; helping them develop a sense of identity and community.
ReplyDeleteIt's important to maintain connections with one's ancestral hometown because there are potential consequences of neglecting those ties.
Hmmmmmm
ReplyDeleteThis is deep
Some folks once they get out they never return. My grandfather vowed he would never return and his words came to pass.
ReplyDeleteI schooled in my dads village but never knew the way to the family house until i graduated.growing up the only village we visited was my mothers own.My dad doesn't go home either,it was just last year he finally did his fathers burial after more than twenty years.Haven't had a reason to visit the village again
ReplyDeleteI schooled in my dads village but never knew the way to the family house until i graduated.growing up the only village we visited was my mothers own.My dad doesn't go home either,it was just last year he finally did his fathers burial after more than twenty years.Haven't had a reason to visit the village again
ReplyDeleteContrary to what Chronicle poster advised, I would advise that you don't fear village witches and wizards, go to your village, identify with your relatives , don't fear them but don't be spiritualy empty. I didn't ask you to go and ask your pastor to fortify you please. I used to regret coming to school in my hometown, but today, I am stronger and fearless. Those battles I thought I had then has even helped grow my prayer life. I don't think there was any battle though but various pastors kept telling me that I had enemies and adviced me to be very prayerful, because one or two evil occurrences has been projected against me on so so day... Those yeye prophesies put fear in me and that made me more prayerful. At least that's one of the good part of their bad prophesies upon me. Today even if they carry the placard around that indicates they are witches, I won't even fear them one bit because I now know who I am so long as I am at peace with my God and I am very conscious of the promises of God to those that put their trust in him.
ReplyDeleteAll those witches, are they above dieing. They may wish you death without knowing that something may happen to them tomorrow that will kill them instantly.
A strong native doctor in my kindred was killed by some unknown gun men who came on a bike, shot him dead and left . People were gathered around his compound but these guys were able to carry out their assignment without being stopped. Nobody can trace where the guys came from up till today.
This man has done so many evil things to people here but how he died, he/we never envisaged it.
Advised*
DeleteI stopped there
@ Anon corrected, rest!!! Do you even contribute to the blog discussions or it's just English you're correcting?
Delete@ Slim Shaddy, thank God for his protection upon you, if some of us tell you what we passed through, you won't believe it, see Icefishseller comment na.
In this economy????
ReplyDeleteIf them don show you shege you no go go again. Iv not been to my village since 2005 and I don’t intend to go and my kids will not either
ReplyDeleteDuring Oso Abiola many people left Lagos to their villages , I was schooling in my state then. Many years later I was working in Lagos & we were having a discussion in the office & the issue of Oso Abiola was part of it & my colleagues recounted their experiences one from Delta said that they travelled home lol we were like most of you always believe that anywhere you're residing is your home.
ReplyDeleteMy advice is don't ever lose your connection to your state even if it's your state capital because one day go be one day
Some villages are not worth going back to. So much evil
ReplyDeleteNice piece. I was born in North and stayed here all my life. The journey to Kogi state no be here. I can only relate with my home town based on Local government origin. I do I relate with Dem village. It a dicey one with transportation cost nowadays for families willing to travel.
ReplyDelete