Steemit Engagement Challenge Week 2 || My Favorite Festival - Mofako Balue Cultural Week (MABUNU)

Hello fellow participants, it is with great honor that I am able to share my favorite cultural festival with you all. It happens in my village Mofako Balue and it is called MABUNU.

Cameroon had one of the highest diversities in Africa. It has over 240 ethnic group and twice the number of local languages. Amongst these ethnic groups, I hail from the Oroko side precisely from Balue in the south west Region, Ndian Division and Dikome Balue subdivision.

Mabunu is a cultural week in my village which occurs in mid March. It's a whole week of different kinds of cultural activities and traditional wonders. Mabunu has been existing since the time of our fore fathers and it is still celebrated now. The past few years it hasn't had the amount of ambiance it normally has because of the sociopolitical crisis going on in the country.

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How Mabunu is Celebrated

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Mabunu is like our village's Christmas. At this period the village is very populated because many others come down to celebrate.

• During Mabunu, there's the outing of men. A day within the week is choose where all the women stay indoors throughout the morning. Only the men are outside. They all chant the word "Abongo" in very deep voices. I can't really describe what's happening outside because I am a woman and I haven't seen it.
  But while we are inside, we hear giant footsteps as if it's elephants rooming the village. Some of the men hit the walls of the houses to scare away women who are bold enough to be spying. Anyone who see's the "Abongo juju" will disappear forever as superstition says.

This activity happens the whole morning till the time strikes 12pm. At this time the women can come outside. It is said that the men are fortifying the spirits of the land to protect us by doing this activity.

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• The next activity is the talking masquerades. One night within the week is choosen where masquerades roam the village and talk incantations at the windows of everyone. It's really really scary. The voice they use can make your heart fall in your stomach. They do this for everyone's house.

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• The everyday of o'sakwe. O'sakwe is a juju that comes about everyday picking firewoods to use in the night for eba. This juju dances all over the village and chooses doors randomly. You have to put a good number of firewood outside for o'sakwe or they will be rejected. When your firewoods are rejected, the juju handlers will forcefully take more than enough firewood from your barn.

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• The night if eba. Eba happens every night. That's why the juju o'sakwe comes for firewoods from everyone. During eba, a huge bornfire is made at the village square. Everyone comes and makes a huge circle round the fire. There are drums, songs, dancing, cheering and happiness. If we are lucky, we get a juju to come and perform for us. But that does not happen every night.

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• The real day of Mabunu. The Mabunu day is when activities comes to a close. Here the village chief and his constituents make speeches. Girls dress in inner wears and rappa tied around their waists prepare to dance. They are usually painted with chalk allover their bodies. No one misses this day. The whole village is present. But a large space is left at the center of the village square so that the girls and juju's can perform.

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Conclusion
Mabunu is just characterized by come together and happiness. Some people love it to the extent that they never miss it. I hope the crisis in the country is resolved soon. So that we can go back to merry making during Mabunu.

Thanks for reading!!

Cc:
@chant
@saxopedia
@samuel20
@kyrie1234