EGWU OHUHU: THE FAMOUS DANCE OF THE ANIOMA PEOPLE · Exactly how the Enuani of Anioma do it By Emeka Esogbue
EGWU OHUHU: THE FAMOUS DANCE OF THE ANIOMA PEOPLE
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Exactly how the Enuani of Anioma do it
By Emeka Esogbue
Alexander Pope once said ‘those who move easiest who have
learn’d to dance’. This aphorism, in point of fact, applies to Anioma descents.
The Anioma ethnic nationality is blessed with numerous dances that include
Uloko, Agbalani, Ekobe, Olimgba, Aguba, Okanga, Egwu-Ajah and many more. The
people have one of the most admirable forms of dance. This distinctive kind of
dance is unique to the people thus no other group anywhere dances precisely in Anioma
people’s style. Egwu ohuhu, by far, remains the best dance, by which the Anioma
people are known and identified. For a very long time, this Anioma dance was admired
from within and outside because of the inimitableness involved in performing
it. Take awa
This dance is particularly common among the Enuani sub-group
(Aniocha/Oshimili) but it is also the dance form of the Ika people that also include
Igbanke community, another of Anioma lineage. Whether ‘Egwu ohuhu’, ‘Egwu
esusu’ or ‘Egwu Oshushu’, it can only refer to this kind of dance according to
chosen Anioma dialect. The frequent performances of the symphony once testified
to the general acceptance of Egwu ohuhu by Anioma descents. For instance,
before now, the performance extended to Onicha-Ado (Onitsha) in Anambra State,
a branch of Ezechime that also shares consanguinity with Onicha-Olona,
Onicha-Ugbo, Onicha-Ukwu, Ezi and the other Ezechime branches of Anioma. It was
also largely performed by Ozubulu, Ubulu Ntu and a third Ubulu settlement outside
today’s Delta State of Nigeria. Of all these Anioma towns and communities
outside Delta State, Ndoni, in Anambra State is probably the only community
where Egwu ohuhu is retained till date, in addition to Igbanke in Edo State.
When the Igbanke Dance Troupe, sponsored by Igbanke
Nationals Progressive Association (INPA) filed out at the Organization For the
Advancement of Anioma Culture’s Anioma Cultural Festival in Asaba, spectators
while applauding their performance were pleasantly surprised that the people now
geographically situated in Edo State have still retained their Egwu ohuhu
cultural form of dance. The same was the case when the Igbanke Nationals
Progressive Association hosted the All Igbanke People’s Conference in Oligie,
Igbanke. An Igbanke cultural troupe on entertaining the audience that largely
included Anioma people from around Delta State exhibited the same dance steps as
Ogwashi-Uku troupe that performed earlier, much to the amazement of everyone. Nonetheless,
the Igbanke beat and dance step were only noticeably a bit faster. Nothing else
has changed.
The performance of Egwu ohuhu is a beauty to behold but it requires
physical exertion of energy on the part of the dancer to display it effectively
well. Much as energy is required, it is entertainingly done by the old and
young, male and female. Some Anioma culture enthusiasts have concluded that the
aged are better dancers of Egwu ohuhu style. This is because of the skill
involved in carrying out the task with simplicity.
Danceable songs though bring out the best in performance, any
dancer skilled in Egwu ohuhu can perform it even with sheer rhythmic clap of
the hands, light tapping of bottle(s) and mere rendition of songs without beat.
Egwu ohuhu can be performed to simple making of rhythmic sound. Much as the
dance requires energy to perform, the dancer makes it very easy as she applies bent
shape of the body so that her body is subjected to variation of movement every
now and then. When this happens, the people in Enuani parlance approvingly
remark ‘azu a na eje egwu’, a cheerful statement that aptly denotes a good
dancer. The flexibility of the dance arrangement is therefore enjoyed by
watchers.
The performer of this dance moves in graceful and rhythmic
pattern, oscillating the hands that he has to swing from side to side. Good female
dancers constantly bend on their knees and get up often. She quickens and slows
down the movement as she applies smile and maybe lightly turns around too. She
can display any part of the body fascinatingly. The waist is twisted in a
contorted motion as the dancer tends to delightfully struggle with it. She is
never ever motionless. Ability to go down and come up is where the strength of
the dancer lies .In this dance art, she pushes in and out her chest as often as
wished-for. It is this movement that provokes sensual delight in the eyes of
watchers.
This dance generally characterizes sensual excitement or
gratification. It is for this reason that it does not take long for a male
dancer to be invited to another female dancer. A male dancer can also be
attracted to another male dancer. Sometimes too, the invitation could mean that
the dancer is challenged by another. By this time, watchers display shout of
approval. This is when it results in competition for fun. It does not
necessarily take long before the ‘ogbor’ (dance arena) becomes filled up with other
dancers. Egwu ohuhu is really an inviting dance. Such is the power of Anioma
traditional dance. It was the only kind of dance that Enuani people utilized in
measuring a better traditional dancer.
One must even so note that in typical Enuani dance, the
dancer does not begin and end the performance with Egwu ohuhu. The part to
display ohuhu only comes later, mainly at the tail end of the dance,
considering the forceful exertion that the dancer needs to demonstrate. The dance
begins with ‘ntucha’, light movement in rhythmical manner until such a time
that it is necessary to exert force in the performance. That is surely the time
to do the Egwu ohuhu. ‘Ntucha’ affords the dancer the rare opportunity to save
his energy for the real dance to come, a reason ‘na tucha atucha’ may, a lot, be
heard the moment any inexperienced dancer makes the mistake of attempting to
resort to ohuhu when ‘ntucha’ still remains a necessity or option. When the
energy is consumed during the ‘ntucha’, it becomes difficult or impossible to
do ohuhu. Therefore a good Anioma dancer must know when to apply the two styles
without any conflict and indecision.
Godfrey Chukwudifu Osakwe, an Anioma-born culture advocate and
Chief strategist of the Organization For the Advancement of Anioma Culture
(OFAAC) from Akwukwu-Igbo in the piece he tilted ‘The Power of Anioma Dance
Art’ captions it better:
‘This energetic dance style of the Aniomas fires passion spontaneity,
thereby drawing the attention towards the dance art. With striking charisma,
distinguished charm and stunning appearance of the dancers in their immaculate traditional
dress of Akwa-Ocha, the Anioma dance art is an award winner any day and has
become one of the most sought after cultural dance in Nigeria and beyond’.
It can be performed anywhere. Children and adults may gather
to form “Ogbor” (encircle the dancer or dancers) when it is meant for
competition. Hands are clapped to oral delivery of songs almost intensely,
indicating approval which then give heart or courage to the dancers to try to
do better than the other. Some have argued that striking of the hand produces
better effect of the dance than the music itself. That depends on the ability
of the dancer anyway, but that was indeed how the Anioma ancestors did it more.
The Ibusa people in Oshimili North Local Government Area,
another Anioma community, also blessed in culture have retained this act in
their traditional performance. For instance, as part of the body of funeral rite,
members of the bereaved family on that occasion, appearing in Otuogwu (Akwa
Ocha) are led to a place where they are encircled (Ogbor) and made to dance one
after the other while others cheer them. The thought of this made those concerned
to prepare ahead by engaging in self-practice session in preparation for the
dance ahead because that assuredly is the day to ascertain how best anyone can
dance. Long after the Ogbor dance, it is talked about.
Despite the peculiarity of this dance with its relevance, the
Anioma people have done nothing much to preserve their dance art. So like other
kinds of their dance that have since faced extinction and exist only in name, Egwu
ohuhu is on its way to extinction. At the moment, the Organization For the
Advancement of Anioma culture (OFAAC) is doing its best to preserve the dance
through the Anioma Cultural Festival that holds in Asaba on annual basis but a
lot more needs to be done in this direction by Anioma people. The Anioma people
need to come out and complement the efforts of this organization. Many other
organizations of Anioma extraction need come to do something in this area.
The dance is certainly on the brink of disappearing. Several
factors that include lack of interest by Anioma parents to continue to pass the
art to their children, lack of interest by Anioma children, westernization of Anioma
musical genre by current crop of Anioma musicians, refusal to participate in
Anioma rituals and lack of interest in their own cultural affairs are troubling
the dance art to the extent that it is now becoming a dance style for the aged.
Shameful as it may sound, present Anioma youths are beginning to view the dance
as a dance of ‘ndi agadi’ (old people). They therefore have to admire any youth
that can perform it.
Film producers of Anioma extraction are also culpable. It is
unfortunate that these Anioma born-movie makers choose to showcase the cultural
heritage of other ethnic groups to the detriment of their own. Despite the
number of Anioma movie makers, actors and actresses in the Nigerian movie
industry (Nollywood), the Anioma cultural heritage is rarely exhibited in Nigerian
movies. The number of core Anioma traditional musicians are on the decline. Even
then, most of the musicians currently performing, promote more or less,
highlife, a genre that does not go with Egwu ohuhu.
Surely no one is expected to
perform highlife with Egwu ohuhu. So Egwu ohuhu must give way to highlife dance
steps. Where most of the musicians copy costumes other than those of Anioma,
the attires worn in performing the dance itself are not Anioma related. And
unless the people of Anioma brace up the challenge ahead and find ways by which
this aspect of their heritage must be preserved, Egwu ohuhu, the famous dance
of the Anioma people may just be on its way to extinction. The signs are
ominous just as ominous rumblings of discontent is also here. Something must be
done!
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