Vinapriscaz Blog

" My husband and I loved each other. He would never have wanted me to suffer. What you want me to do is cruel and no human being deserves it", she said with tears in her eyes. But the people would have non of that. Other women went through it, so her case can't be different. At the end, it was decided that she should be banished from the community- she had already enjoyed a grace period of two weeks. Even now as I write my report, I still ponder on the cruelty of the whole thing. It is utterly dehumanizing and no human being should be made to go through all of that. Widowhood practice, sadly has not completely come to an end in our society. This gross dehumanization of the very people who need the most care is still there, doing all harm and no good. Let's all in one voice, speak against this ill. Human rights activists should put in  more efforts, to ensure that this wickedness is completely eliminated from the society.

The meeting was straight to the point. First, the head of the Umuada was called to remind the people of what a widowed woman was expected to go through. The things I heard broke my heart. "Firstly, you must shave off all your hair, you will sleep on the bare floor in your sitting room alone for three months, you will wear only rags till at least one year after your husband has been buried, you will not eat any solid food till your husband is buried, and on the day of your husband's burial, his corpse will be washed and you will drink the water to prove you didn't kill him. Then after a one year mourning period, you will become a wife to  any of your husband's brothers that desires you". These were the words that came out of the mouth of the leader of the Umuada. I couldn't believe it. Why would widowed women have to go through all these for no fault of theirs? These women should be shown love and care and instead this is what they get? I was appalled! At t

Early the next morning, I got ready and went with my host to the village square, not forgetting my tape recorder, writing materials, and camera. I wanted to do a wonderful job. Who knows, it might land me the promotion I’ve been praying for. When we got the village square, the place was crowded. I guess everyone wanted to see what would be done to the woman who had the guts to disobey the custom of the land. The air was tense. People were engaged in conversations with each other, no doubt, about the issue at hand. A woman beside me said to her friend, "that Akunna that refused to grow out of her pomposity. Since she came back from the city with her husband, she acts like she's better than all of us. Are you sure she didn't kill him with her sabi sabi?  I hope they teach her a lesson". Part 5 Enjoying the story? Let me know your thoughts. Leave your comments in the comments section. Thank you!

When I had settled down, I engaged my host in a conversation and I found out that the village was in excitement over the refusal of a woman- a widow who had just lost her husband, to obey the laws laid down by the Umuada to be observed by all widows immediately her husband dies. The woman, Akunna a mother of 4 children lost her husband two weeks ago. She and her late husband resided in the city and were forced back to the village due to hardship seven years ago. Though without any formal education, Akunna was an enlightened woman. She wouldn’t bulge to the pressure mounted on her by the Umuada to keep to the age long tradition of the community. Hence, the village head called for a meeting of all the villagers to the market square the next day to decide on the suitable punishment for her. It was the first time the law was disregarded. I was just in time, I thought to myself. Being present at the meeting tomorrow would enable me get the information I needed first hand. So I thanked my

When I got to the village, it wasn’t much of a problem settling down because my mum was from the eastern part of the country and I spent a good part of my childhood vacations with her relatives in the village hence, I was very fluent in Igbo, the language of the east. It wasn’t difficult to find an elderly woman who was willing to rent one of the rooms in the small house she shared with her son to me at a fair price. The people of this village were known to be kind to strangers- history had it that many years ago, one of their gods in form of a weary looking man had visited the house of a widowed woman one night. And due to the hospitality shown to the human- god, it blessed the community and that led to a very bountiful harvest that year. So it was a law to always be kind to strangers; you never know when a god will come visiting. Part 3

My name is Steven Bassey. I work as a reporter for one of the leading radio stations in Nigeria. Some days ago, we got an anonymous tip about the gross and inhuman treated meted out on widows in a remote village in an eastern state in the country, and the radio station sent me to investigate and bring back a detailed report. So one faithful Monday morning, I kissed my family goodbye and set out on the journey that has taught me things that touched my heart. Part 2

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and I could say, I used everything you gave me" Erma Bombeck Hello, welcome to Vinapriscaz blog. My name is Amadi Ogechi Vinaprisca. The whole reason for this blog is to utilize my talents and develop myself on positive things. And I use things I see around me; things going wrong in the society. They say change begins with you, so I want to speak against these ills in my own way, through creative stories. Youths are leaders. The problem is that we don't realize it early enough. Let's make our voices heard; let's stand up to the evils ravaging our society. Don't wait till you become the president! Let the world feel your impacts, in any little way you can. So in this blog, I will take you through relaxing stories that illustrate real life events. Feel free to comment and let me know your thoughts and ideas. Note that all stories here