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Who can break a King’s curse?
(It’s an ancient Benin hi-STORY thread.)
(It’s an ancient Benin hi-STORY thread.)
300 years ago, about 1700 AD, Prince Idova was crowned the Oba Ewuakpe, Omo N’Oba N’Edo, the 26th monarch of the great Benin Kingdom. The entire Kingdom celebrated but not for too long.
This Oba had a fiery temper, he was highhanded, stubborn and his reign was turbulent, very!
This Oba had a fiery temper, he was highhanded, stubborn and his reign was turbulent, very!
He is mostly remembered for the mass killing of his subjects at Uselu during the funeral of his late mother, Queen Ewebonoza in about 1715AD.
And in his reign, the great Benin suffered, and the homages to the palace soon dwindled to a stop.
A lot of things, especially hunger led to a revolution and an uprising as never before seen to oust the King, Oba Ewuakpe.
A lot of things, especially hunger led to a revolution and an uprising as never before seen to oust the King, Oba Ewuakpe.
But before we talk about the Benin revolt, something crucial happened - I will tell you what-
His Mother, Queen Ewebonoza, who was from the village of Ikoka, just after Udo in Benin had just died, and the elders of Ikoka had sent a delegation to Benin to inform the Oba.
His Mother, Queen Ewebonoza, who was from the village of Ikoka, just after Udo in Benin had just died, and the elders of Ikoka had sent a delegation to Benin to inform the Oba.
Unfortunately for the delegates, they wore white,
Unfortunately I say, because Oba Ewuakpe got angry at the choice of colour and accused them of celebrating his mother’s death and in his rage, ordered that they ALL be killed except one.
Unfortunately I say, because Oba Ewuakpe got angry at the choice of colour and accused them of celebrating his mother’s death and in his rage, ordered that they ALL be killed except one.
I told you that it was turbulent times!
The fiery tempered Oba let that one go back to tell Ikoka that he was angry with them.
Ikoka was angry too, furious even, but he was Oba so they couldn’t do anything, however, it wasn’t long before they could demand their pound of flesh.
The fiery tempered Oba let that one go back to tell Ikoka that he was angry with them.
Ikoka was angry too, furious even, but he was Oba so they couldn’t do anything, however, it wasn’t long before they could demand their pound of flesh.
Remember that uprising I spoke about earlier? The great Benin coup! It happened, everyone including all his wives (Iloi) and the royal slaves (ovien) and other palace attendants were booted out of the palace.
The King decided to seek refuge in the land of his mother - Ikoka.
The King decided to seek refuge in the land of his mother - Ikoka.
Side note: (There is a statue around Uselu where an Oba is looking at a fallen slave? I am told that that is to depict the Oba Ewuakpe’s journey to the land of his mother, Ikoka, and how he has lost slaves to hunger on the journey there.)
Anyway, the Oba got to Ikoka and the elders remembered what he did and decided to collect their pound of flesh. They asked him to sweep the road leading to the village and drink pond water before they would forgive him and obey.
He was humiliated and ANGRY!
He was humiliated and ANGRY!
And so he left, but before he did, he placed a curse, that
“only women will prosper in the community, while the men of Ikoka will wallow in poverty."
“only women will prosper in the community, while the men of Ikoka will wallow in poverty."
(The Oba was reinstated, I will tell the story of how his wife Queen Iden sacrificed her life for this to happen and the cunning strategy that was in play, even then Investors FOMO was a real thing!)
But back to my original story, It’s been 300 years, and the Oba’s curse still looms?
It is said that the men of the village never grow rich, even when they travel out of the village.
Even those that are not born in the village, whether to women from there or to men from there.
It is said that the men of the village never grow rich, even when they travel out of the village.
Even those that are not born in the village, whether to women from there or to men from there.
I visited Ikoka last month and it feels like time stood still.
How else do you explain the village that has the biggest rubber plantation of the State (Osse Rubber plantation) and yet does not have one school or one major market?
(See the rows of rubber trees we drove past)
(See the rows of rubber trees we drove past)
Crumbling mud houses, a shrine, and I could count the number of houses in less than 30 minutes.
Bad roads. One borehole.
The children of the community have to trek to neighboring towns to go to school.
Is this a 300 year old curse? Or just negligence of a community?
Bad roads. One borehole.
The children of the community have to trek to neighboring towns to go to school.
Is this a 300 year old curse? Or just negligence of a community?
Much more importantly,
How do we break a King’s curse??
How do we break a King’s curse??
