They Really Just Don't Give A Damn About Us (THE ORO FESTIVAL)

I call posts like these emergency blog posts because I literally did not see them coming. Well, I mostly never see my blogposts coming but this one is more surprising than most. Just now, and I mean just now, my mum, Mama Afam sent me an email that said this.

Dear Colleagues,

Please be informed that the Annual Oro Festival in Oniru is slated for 1 – 7, November 2013 between about 12 midnight and 4 am daily. It is expected that during this period, the deity parades the area as a masquerade. As such all non-participants are to stay indoors or out rightly avoid the area as dire consequences befalls any victim especially women.

Please avoid the general area as shown on the map below during this period and time stated.

Kind Regards

So you mean to tell me that dire harm may befall me if I am outside my house at midnight for the next week and the state will keep quiet and do nothing while I am harmed? I'll understand if we were at war, and the State couldn't actually guarantee my safety, but it's just there watching idly as charlatans threaten my personal safety in the name of culture. And don't tell me that cultural festivities need to be preserved. Cultural festivities and practices cannot be preserved at the expense of anyone's safety. The annoying thing is that if there is a deity parading the area, it won't be a deity but a drunk in a costume, probably surrounded by other drunks in costumes. It's days like this that you wonder what the state is doing, or how Christian we really are because come Sunday, the celebrators of this festival will be praying with their heads bowed to another deity. 

Happy Days,

Afam