I happen to visit Agulu on the 26th December 2006. This is a small town located in the western part of Africa. The occasion of the day was called “mmuo”, meaning spirit in English language. This celebration is done once a year, and it has lots of process attached to it. I will like to provide a comprehensive details of my experience on this day because my observations on that day was so thrilling that it left me traumatized for weeks. This is because; things that I usually saw on movies and believed there never exist, happened there on that fateful day. I thought of ways to satisfy my trauma. But I couldn't because I wasn't with my cam. This left me sad but the fact still remains that black magic of the highest order does and really exist in Africa. But I think writing it down for the rest of the world to read will be a better way of easing my mind of this thriller that's like a burden on me.
I joined my pen pal called Emeka here in Africa, just to satisfy various curiosities on the information about countries in Africa that I have been seeing in the media. So on this faithful day, Emeka woke me up from this small wooden bed at about 6.00 am in the morning. He told me to get prepared that today was a special day. I was going to see thing I've never seen in my life before. When he told me this, I thought he was just going to take me around and show me historic sites and creations. But I was wrong. Not knowing I was in for an experience of a lifetime.
I got up and by 8.00 am we were ready. We got a bike rider whom my friend tagged an “okada man”. The man transported us to this location for some fare, which Emeka took care of.
On our way to this location, my mind was going round, wondering on thing I'm going to see. I created pictures, sounds and movies in my mind. Just to match it with what I am going to see. By the time we got close to the location of the event; I heard sounds of music coordinated my by African local instruments. As we got closer, the sounds increased, till we got down from the bike. The music played by some group of people on strange attires. Their instrument sounded strange to me but it did produce some good sounds that I couldn't even know how to dance to. The case was different for Emeka who seem to be moving his body to and fro; matching with the tempo of the song played. I tried to copy the steps but for Christ sake this was not part of my background. So I stopped, off course earning some laughter from him. But it didn't' border me cause my mind was engulfed with the sight of these strange tradition and people, both young and old savoring the pleasure of their rich tradition.
I began a visual study on the group playing the musical instrument. I soon took notice of a man amongst them. He did not play any instrument but seemed to be displaying some acrobatic-like movement. I called to the attention of my friend and asked who the man was. He told me that the man was the spiritual head of the clan. He was also the leader of the group and the sole controller of the Great Spirit called “mmuo”.
We soon sat down, and Emeka ordered for some local wine that is whitish in colour. Never tested anything like it but man I tell you it was so delicious that I drank most part of it and Emeka ordered for more. After some minutes I began to feel funny. The wine was telling on my body system. Just like every other wine toxicating but not dangerous because African natural wine is known to be a natural source of yeast. Good for the eyes.
We stayed for about thirty minutes and I was getting used to the environment and enjoying the music played. But something happened. All of a sudden there was this run. Everybody standing began to run, seeking cover everywhere safe. But I noticed that they were all running for safety but not out of the field. After getting a safe place they would turn to look. I wanted to run too but Emeka told me not to move cause we were sitting among the elders of the community. And we were safe there. I now turned to see what the people were running from. To my greatest surprise, it was a masquerade of large size. Having a clean cutlass on the right hand and a staff on the left. It seemed to be going out of control but is being brought under control by the member of the group I asked about. I needed no one to tell me that the cutlass it was have on was very sharp cause it was glittering, I think it was made of silver and this was the mmuo I was told about and reason why the occasion was held. At this point the main movie started.
