(Courtesy-photo)
Orukoro Dancer by Benstowe Fubaraibi Anari (Nigeria)
“Child, weep not
Mother will be fine”
Still Tonye’s voice went out
Surpassing the rolling drums
To win mother’s attention,
Her hands stretched forth
Forcing body through dense crowd
To mar mother’s drunken steps,
She, solitary Lass, soaked with her tears,
Weaved a cry:
“Mother! Mother!
What have they done to you mother!?
It’s me your daughter!
Come! Come homeward!”
But all were health tips for pigs.
Dancer, canoe to the unseen paddler
Dancer, slave to the spiritual native banter
Feet, chalk-patterned by her painter
Body, clad with white and red George-wrapper,
Danced forward, danced backward,
Danced drummers-ward, danced viewers-ward,
Danced, Shell to her marine partner
Danced she, beats after beats, songs after songs,
Swung, palm leaves at wind’s gate.
Ah! Several fresh eggs went lost to her belly.
Then I replaced the soil on my soles with another
Weaving pity in my heart
Pity for viewers, lost in spirit’s huddle
Spirits who seek for more canoes to paddle.
Your comments on The Orukoro Dancer.
Precious Nkwanzi
This is a real Nigerian voice: The overt imagery of dance and strong traditional reference. The daughter-month interaction of banshee like is shrill and eerie.
Michael the adventurous:
The first line is so similar to Ngugi’s book. The traditional strength from the myth of the dancer is so strong and inescapable. Even the daughter forcing her way through the dense crowd is allegorical to the woman with the issue of blood in the bible.
William:
So much dancing and drumming in the poem. I want to dance away the women’s troubles.
Note:
Orukoro dancers are women ( most times men) who dance to certain drumbeats under the influence of a marine spirit, at this times, songs and drums are played for them by members of their Orukoro society. Viewers usually come out in their numbers to witness the dancesteps and drumbeats. This experience does not happen frequently, but occasionally.
The word Orukoro means the coming down of a deity, but in this case it is usually the marine deity that possesses a person.
The Orukoro society are worshippers of marine deities in many Ijaw communities in Bayelsa , Delta and Rivers States of Nigeria.
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